Ben-Hur 2016: Toby Kebbell on whether the remake will have gay overtones
'We don’t make out, so there’s no overtly gay relationship'
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Your support makes all the difference.On several occasions throughout his career, Charlton Heston dismissed the idea there were homosexual overtones to Ben Hur.
Conversely, screenwriter Gore Vidal has, on many occasions, said the titular character and his step-brother, Messala, were written as ex-lovers.
Director William Wyler and Messala actor Stephen Boy were apparently well aware of the subplot, yet Heston was kept in the dark for fear he may leave the project if he knew.
What does this mean for the upcoming reboot, then? Will it follow in the footsteps of Wyler’s classic and feature a homosexual relationship, or will it stay in line with the 1925 version, subtitled A Tale of Christ?
Speaking to The Independent, Toby Kebbell - who plays Messala in the 2016 adaptation - said the film will not feature an overtly homosexual relation, but if people want to interpret it as that they are welcome to.
“In the 1925 version, and the play before that, there was never that element,” he said. “I think that was a thing about brotherly love.
“Brotherly love, with someone who is not your family member, who cares for you, is like any love. So, whether love between two men that becomes sexual or love between you and someone who becomes your family, it’s a very deep love. That’s really what was so important to have and put forward.
“In 1959, the word homosexual had some terrifying connotations to the globe in general. After all, it wasn’t long since it was illegal in England. It was a different place in time. It doesn’t have the same fear factor now, but you do a performance and people will interpret it to what it reflects in their own life.
“We don’t make out, so there’s no overtly gay relationship. But if a man is gay and goes ‘That’s the kind of love I want to have’, well, who are we to say different.”
Kebbell is currently promoting the film Warcraft: The Beginning (read our review here), which is in cinemas now. Our full interview with Kebbell will be available shortly. Meanwhile, Ben-Hur reaches cinemas in August later this year.
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