14 DAY TRIAL // Few other rappers have been as criticized for their seemingly homophobic lyrics as Eminem. Despite some attempts at defending himself against such accusations, he never was quite able to convince LGBT activists and the world at large that he’s not homophobic.
Which makes his confession in Sony Pictures’ “The Interview” all the more shocking: Eminem is gay. He’s actually surprised that we haven’t realized that sooner since he was always very careful to leave enough hints for us.
Video from controversial pic goes viral
Eminem is just one of the many celebrities appearing in “The Interview,” written and directed by Seth Rogen and starring Rogen himself and James Franco. He’s playing himself, but of course, it’s a fictional version of himself. This film is, after all, a parody.
“The Interview” brought Sony Pictures under attack from hackers grouped under the name Guardians Of Peace (#GOP), because it also features a fictional version of Kim Jong-un, the real-life leader of North Korea, whom Franco and Rogen’s characters must assassinate while on a trip to the country to interview him.
So while “Eminem” is coming out as gay, it’s only for the sake of art that he’s doing it. This scene from the film has already gone viral, which is enough confirmation that Rogen had a brilliant idea when he had one of the most apparently homophobic entertainers of our times admit to being gay himself.
The way in which Eminem deadpans his confession only makes the scene all the more fun. He really should consider giving acting another go.
The clues were there all along
“When I say things about gay people, or people think my lyrics are homophobic – it’s because I’m gay,” he admits. “I’m more shocked that people haven’t figured it out yet. I mean, it’s kind of like I’ve been playing gay peek-a-boo,” the rapper adds.
The scene is available in the video below, but *please be advised that discretion is recommended as it contains graphic language that might offend.
As Eminem comes out of the closet and his publicist is losing his marbles in the control room, trying to get the show off the air (because, really, you can probably count the openly gay rappers on the fingers of one hand, since the hip hop industry isn’t exactly the most tolerant), Franco’s character and his producer (Rogen) are finally realizing they have landed the hottest interview ever.
Later in the movie, they will land an even hotter one, with Kim Jong-un, but for the time being, Eminem’s admission that he’s gay is the biggest story they ever did.
“The Interview” gets release
Sony’s been to hell and back because of the action comedy in which Eminem’s “confession” is included, as noted above. After receiving a 9/11-style threat from #GOP, the studio finally caved and pulled the film from theaters, where it was supposed to open on December 25.
On Christmas Eve, Sony had another change of heart (Franco credited President Obama for it, after he went on the record saying Sony “made a mistake” by pulling the film) and announced that “The Interview” would get a limited theatrical release. Hours later, it was also made available online, on several platforms.
As of now, millions of people have seen the film, one way or another. Critics reviews for it aren’t exactly stellar, and if we’re being honest, not even audiences seem to have loved it that much. But what’s important, to many moviegoers at least, is the fact that they at least have the option to see it or not.
