Is a gay sex scene being edited out of the upcoming Elton John biopic?
Back in November of last year, Taron Egerton, who play the music icon in Rocketman, shared that he had filmed a sex scene with Richard Madden. Egerton noted that he and Madden, who plays Elton’s manager and lover John Reid, pulled off the scene with class and dignity.
As Egerton explained to The List, “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this but we have a sex scene. We went to some places together and got quite physical. I’ve watched it back and I think it looks great. The grown-up nature of the film, combined with it being a musical, makes it feel quite zeitgeisty. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this but it’s basically about Elton in rehab, so we’re not watering anything down.”
When talking about the film as a whole, Egerton shared that he was thrilled to work on it.
“I finished working on it two days ago and I think it could be the best thing I’ve done,” he shared. “It feels very special and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve always loved singing and musicals, and I felt that there was that big side of myself that I haven’t explored yet in films but this gave me the opportunity to do that. And it’s very consciously a proud, gay film and it’s also open to showing Elton’s darker moments.”
Unfortunately, it appears that Hollywood executives are not so pleased with everything that went into the filming. Specifically, that gay sex scene.
Rumors are spreading that the scene between Egerton and Madden may be cut out of the final product, according to Towleroad.
The Daily Mail reports that Paramount Pictures wants that 40-second scene out of the official movie cut.
“Paramount Pictures have demanded that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn cut a 40-second scene that shows Egerton, who plays the singer and Madden, cast as his one-time lover and manager John Reid, writhing on a bed. Fully exposed white derrieres are on display, but the nude escapade is tastefully done. Nonetheless, Paramount are forcing the director to cut the scene so it will have an American PG 13 rating (roughly the equivalent of a British 12A).”
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To add to the rumors, it appears that preview footage of the film also went without this fabled sex scene, as Variety reports.
“Before “Bohemian Rhapsody” was even released, a trailer sent some critics into a tailspin because they thought that its lack of gay content meant the film was going to be straight-washed,” writes Variety. “How far ‘Rocketman’ goes isn’t clear from Monday’s preview except for a glimpse at a flirtation between the singer and his future boyfriend and manager John Reid (Richard Madden). Egerton did tell MTV News in November that the two share a love scene together and predicted the LGBTQ community will whole-heartedly embrace the movie.”
h/t: The List, Towleroad, Daily Mail, Variety
