Comedian Billy Eichner has revealed he wouldn’t have signed up for upcoming movie Bros if it wasn’t ‘authentic to gay audiences.’
The 43-year-old was first approached about the movie by producer Judd Apatow and director and co-writer Nicholas Stoller and insisted he was not interested in taking a typical romance tale and making it about two men.
In the movie, Billy plays podcaster Bobby, whose anti-relationship stance changes when he meets Aaron, played by Luke Macfarlane.
He said that he wanted the story to be accessible to everyone but also realistic to gay audiences.
‘To his credit, Nick immediately said, “Whatever is honest will be best,” he told Esquire magazine.
Billy, who also co-wrote the film, insisted it was important to incorporate LGBTQ+ people’s sex lives into the film.
He said: ‘For so many years, the world turned a blind eye to LGBTQ+ people and the way we live our lives.
‘And, as offensive and traumatising as that is, it can also be liberating.
‘If you didn’t consider us part of ‘normal society’, then we didn’t have to operate by your old-fashioned, heteronormative rules.
‘We made up our own rules. Our friendships, sex lives, and relationships are different.’
Billy also admitted it was daunting trying to get the movie off the ground, saying that although he has had success, he has never been able to ‘make something at this level’.
He went on to say that he believes this is because, up until very recently, Hollywood did not embrace openly gay actors and comedians.
Bros is scheduled to premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022.
It will then be theatrically released in the United States on September 30, and in the UK on October 28.
As well as Billy and Luke, the film will also star Ts Madison, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Díaz, Guy Branum, and Amanda Bearse.
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