Damon Discusses His Racy Liberace Scenes in Playboy

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

December 17 2012 1:36 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Actor Matt Damon spoke candidly to Playboy about his gay role in the upcoming HBO biopic on Liberace as well as gay rumors that have long swirled around him and friend Ben Affleck.

In Behind the Candlelabra, Damon plays Scott Thorson, the longtime partner of Liberace, the flamboyant pianist who remained in the closet his entire life. Damon says there's a lot of nudity in the film: "Well, normally I'd say no to nudity, but I just did a lot of it playing the long-term partner of Liberace... I mean, it's tastefully done. Steven Soderbergh directed it, and Michael Douglas plays Liberace. But this movie's not going to be for everyone."

Damon is careful to not sensationalize the film, or its central relationship: "These two men were deeply in love and in a real relationship -- a marriage -- long before there was gay marriage. That's not an insignificant thing. The script is beautiful and relatable."

The Bourne Identity actor admits he had to work up to some of the intimate scenes with Douglas. "We both have a lot of gay friends, and we were not going to screw this up or bullshit it. It wasn't the most natural thing in the world to do, though. Like, for one scene, I had to come out of a pool, go over to Michael, straddle him on a chaise longue and start kissing him. And throughout the script, it's not like I kiss him just once. We drew it up like a football plan."