Grammy-nominated singer Omar Apollo has made a name for himself in the music industry, with audiences screaming his name during performances and fans online closely following his every move. With his first role in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, it’s no surprise that Apollo is also a natural and talented actor.
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Omar spoke with IndieWire and revealed that, although his role in Queer made headlines, many of his acquaintances were unaware of his foray into acting. It’s endearing to hear Omar’s side of the story as a newbie actor, especially when he talks about trying to keep his involvement in the film low-key, as he didn’t realize just how confidential the process would be. He also expressed concern about facing prejudice for taking on such a promiscuous role as his first acting gig. Don’t worry, Omar—it’s all for the love of film and art, we totally understand!
“I only told a few friends because I honestly didn’t want opinions about, ‘Oh, your first role is a sex scene? I don’t know, bro.'”
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Prior to starring in Queer, Omar had been taking acting classes, though he wasn’t fully immersing himself in them until director Luca Guadagnino’s team slid into his DMs (very Gen Z, very millennial) and told him that Luca wanted him to be in his latest film. Omar enthusiastically responded:
“OK, tell him I’ll be in it.” Despite not knowing and never having met Guadagnino, he added, “A few days later, we’re on a Facetime call with my manager, and then, he tells me about the role, about the scene, and what I would have to do.”
RELATED: Omar Apollo is full-frontal and vulnerable for “Queer”
After reading the screenplay from Guadagnino, and after having meetings with the director while Apollo was on tour, he finally accepted the role, which was kept under wraps. It wasn’t until the Venice Film Festival, that the director and the singer surprised fans by revealing his involvement in the film-as an actor.
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One of the most viral moments from the film is Omar’s intimate scene with Craig where the two engage in a quick rendezvous that leaves Craig’s character empty in spite of the love-making. Omar Apollo opened up about filming intimate scenes with Daniel Craig in an interview with Drew Starkey for Interview magazine. Both actors confessed to feeling nervous, but Apollo found comfort in Craig’s candidness.
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Craig admitted that he felt terrified whenever the camera was rolling, which resonated with Apollo. He appreciated Craig’s vulnerability, highlighting how important it is to embrace emotions during such scenes. Starkey also chimed in, noting that fear can fuel creativity by making you more receptive to new experiences.
Omar took his role seriously, thinking about how he would look and appear in the film. He wasn’t asked to go on a diet by Guadagnino, but Omar took it upon himself to mold his body to what he thought would best fit the role. He tells IndieWire:
“I lost like 20 pounds, because I wanted the character in the story to align with the real version of it. It said in the script that he had a flat brown stomach, and I was on the road on tour, and I was like, ‘Oh man, I need to hit the gym.’ I got a trainer, and I got on this diet, and I lost a bunch of weight to get ready for this role. I didn’t have any nervousness, because I felt confident.”
Even when asked to go full-frontal for his short scene with Craig, Omar had no apprehensions. He understood the need for the scene and immediately said yes. Talking about the director, Omar said:
“The way that he shoots love scenes and sex scenes is one of my favorite things about him, because it’s so human, he makes everything feel so human. I trusted him.”
As much as we all love imagining what Omar Apollo’s scenes might look like in Queer, we don’t have to wait much longer to see for ourselves! The film hits theaters on November 27. Apollo’s acting debut is definitely something to get excited about! Check out the trailer below:
Source: IndieWire, Interview