In
Driving Lessons (2006), Julie Walters plays a free spirit actress who takes an interest in shy teenager Rupert Grint. She originally thinks that her protege is gay, so she knows that gay teenagers exist. But still, on the DVD commentary, she exclaims: "Those biceps! The girls will go mad!" She no longer believes that there is a single teenage boy in the world who might go mad over Rupert Grint's enormous biceps.
Heterosexism aside, in the
Harry Potter movies, Rupert Grint was well aware of the homoerotic undertones in the original novel between his character, Ron Weasley, and teen wizard Harry Potter. So in the movie series, he imbued his character with a tenderness, a vulnerability, and an eye-bulging desire that was not mitigated by the scripted romance with Hermione.
And after
Harry Potter, he has chosen a number of buddy-bonding projects (as well as projects that allow him to display his respectably buffed physique and
Burt Ward-sized package).
Cherrybomb (2009), for instance, involves a sex-and-crime triangulation between Rupert's Malachy and Robert Sheehan's Luke.
In
Wild Target (2009), a middle-aged hitman (Bill Nighy) takes on a young apprentice (Rupert) and a hostage (Emily Blunt), and proceeds to fall in love with both.
In
Into the White (2012), Rupert plays a British pilot shot down over Norway during World War II. In order to survive, he must share an isolated mountain cabin with a German pilot. I haven't seen it, but it sounds like it's tailor-made for homoerotic buddy-bonding.
Rupert has not addressed the usual gay rumors, but there is no doubt that, like his Harry Potter costar Daniel Radcliffe, he is a gay ally.
In Driving Lessons (2006), Julie Walters plays a free spirit actress who takes an interest in shy teenager Rupert Grint. She originally thinks that her protege is gay, so she knows that gay teenagers exist. But still, on the DVD commentary, she exclaims: "Those biceps! The girls will go mad!" She no longer believes that there is a single teenage boy in the world who might go mad over Rupert Grint's enormous biceps.
I definitely got a gay vibe from him in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Maybe it just means he's a good actor.
ReplyDeleteOh, there's a lot of Harry/Ron slash, so you're not the only one. Too bad JKR's a TERF now.
DeleteRowling was never really a gay ally. There's heteronormativity throughout the books, and no identified gay characters (saying that Dumbledore is gay doesn't count; you have to address it in the text).
DeleteI always got heavy gay vibes from Sirius Black. I kept expecting him to come out to Harry... From the first read of Prisoner of Azkaban I thought he should have been played by Rupert Everett in the film(s).
DeleteGrint is funny and sexy as hell in Wild Target. The bath tub and sword scene where he appears naked and then shirtless are worth buying the movie for. The funny lines and physical comedy are a bonus.
ReplyDelete