Chuck star open to working with gay groups
Actor Adam Sandler has said that his latest gay-themed movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is not meant to offend anyone and he would be happy to work with gay rights advocates.
The film, which is on release in the UK, is concerned with two semi-homophobic firefighters who pretend to be gay and a couple to receive partnership benefits.
It was a massive hit in the US, knocking Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from the number one slot at the box office.
However, many gay men are uncomfortable with the crude stereotypes the film relies on to get laughs from its heterosexual target audience.
“If I can help anybody in any way, I certainly would,” Mr Sandler said when asked if he would become involved with gay rights causes at a news conference promoting the film.
He added that he hoped that Chuck and Larry would actually help improve gay rights.
Earlier this year the film’s co-star Kevin James defended the movie againt accusations of homophobia.
“We screened it for gay rights group GLAAD (the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) because we certainly didn’t want to offend anybody in any way,” he said.
“The main reason of this movie is really just to make people laugh and that’s all we wanted to do.
“When you pick a subject like this, you’re honestly gonna have to walk that line and you want to show what it’s like out there.
“These guys are idiots in a way. They learn tolerance, what it’s about, and what happens when they have to pretend to be this way. That’s basically it, but we’re certainly not trying to tell people how to live their lives in any way, shape, or form.”
