USA: KEVIN KLINE AND TOM SELLECK GEAR UP FOR THEIR BIG ON-SCREEN KISS IN THE NEW COMEDY "IN AND OUT"

Record ID: 387188

  • Title: USA: KEVIN KLINE AND TOM SELLECK GEAR UP FOR THEIR BIG ON-SCREEN KISS IN THE NEW COMEDY "IN AND OUT"
  • Date: 17th September 1997
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 17, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) RED CARPET OUTSIDE PREMIERE TOM SELLECK ARRIVESS BOB NEWHART ARRIVES DIRECTOR FRANK OZ ARRIVES FRANK OZ (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "IT'S MEANT TO BE MAINSTREAM BECAUSE I THINK IF WE STARTED HAVING A VERY NARROW AUDIENCE ABOUT GAYS I MEAN, WHO CARES? WE WANT TO HAVE EVERYBODY ACCEPT WHOEVER WE ARE YOU KNOW. SO THE IDEA WAS TO MAKE IT MAINSTREAM AND MAKE EVERYBODY LAUGH, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT" (ENGLISH) TOM SELLECK (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING OF THE GAY ISSUE, "WELL, I THINK THEY DON'T MAKE A BIG FUSS ABOUT IT IN THIS MOVIE. THE MOVIE IS MORE ABOUT HONESTY AND TOLERANCE. IT ISN'T ONE OF THOSE POLITICAL AGENDA MOVIES. BY THE FACT THAT I THINK MAINSTREAM AUDIENCES WILL ENJOY THIS...SEE, I THINK THE MEDIA AND HOLLYWOOD MIGHT BE A LITTLE SURPRISED BY HOW ACCEPTED THIS MOVIE IS" ) KEVIN KLINE (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "I'D NEVER PLAYED A CHARACTER WHO WAS IN THAT PROFOUND A STATE OF DENIAL AND WHO'S SORT OF OUT OF TUNE WITH HIMSELF AND HE'S SO IN HIS HEAD AND HIS BODY DOES THINGS THAT, IT'S ALMOST LIKE STEVE MARTIN IN "ALL OF ME". I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER HIS BODY KIND OF, HAS ITS OWN LIFE AND HIS HEAD IS SOMEWHERE ELSE AND THE TWO, THE ETERNAL STRUGGLE OF THE MIND AND THE BODY." EXTERIOR OF PARAMOUNT THEATRE WITH MATT DILLON IN FOREGROUND MATT DILLON (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "IT TOOK A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COURAGE FOR EACH PERSON TO PLAY THE ROLES THAT THEY PLAYED, ESPECIALLY KEVIN, KEVIN KLINE, REALLY BRILLIANT, I THINK" STEVE MARTIN ARRIVES KEVIN KLINE POSES WITH GEENA DAVIS JOAN CUSACK (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "IT WAS A GREAT JUICY PART FOR A WOMAN AND PAUL RUDNICK WROTE A REALLY GREAT SCRIPT THAT I THOUGHT WAS INSIGHTFUL ABOUT WOMEN, WHAT THEY DO TO THEMSELVES, THEY HAVE TO BE WORRY ABOUT BEING THINNER, MORE ATTRACTIVE AND THEY SORT OF BLAME THEMSELVES IN THE RELATIONSHIP AND WHEN, HERE'S A CASE WHERE IT'S CLEARLY NOT HER FAULT AND I THINK HE CAPTURED THAT REALLY WELL." DEBBIE REYNOLDS (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "I THINK IT'S GOOD TO HAVE THIS SUBJECT DISCUSSED AND I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT THE PICTURE CARRIES A MESSAGE AND THAT IT'S VERY FUNNY AND IT'S FOR A YOUNGER AUDIENCE, I THINK, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, THAT IS WITHOUT PREJUDICE AND IT TEACHES NOT TO HAVE PREJUDICE, SO I'M GLAD ABOUT THAT"
  • Embargoed: 2nd October 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM lOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAE4TPLSSGPVPMRFI18VDXKCCYC
  • Story Text: Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck pucker up and share a show-stopping, full-on-the-mouth, lip-locking kiss in the new comedy "In and Out".

    Paramount's gay-themed comedy led the weekend box office in the United States with takings of an estimated 15.3 million US dollars.

    "In and Out" is set in a small middle American town. Kline plays high school English teacher, Howard Brackett, who is preparing to marry his long-time sweeheart, Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack).

    But his life is changed on Oscar night, when a former student (played by Matt Dillon) who is now a success in Hollywood, announces to a world-wide television audience that his former teacher is gay.

    Chaos quickly descends on Brackett's small town. It's led by Peter Malloy, a slick and aggressive tabloid television reporter played by Tom Selleck, who is determined to get Howard to reveal the truth on camera.

    The townsfolk are baffled by this revelation and confused by the media circus that ensues in final days leading up to Howard and Emily's wedding.

    Especially puzzled are Howard's parents, played by Debbie Reynolds and Wilford Brimley and his school principal, played by Bob Newhart.

    The film is directed by Frank Oz, who made a name for himself as one of the creative forces behind the Muppets, but has now gone on to direct such feature films as "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "What About Bob" and "The Indian in the Cupboard." Paul Rudnick is the film's writer.

    Openly-gay himself, Rudnick has written screenplays for "Addams Family Values" and "Jeffrey" and lended his talents to last year's big hit "The First Wives Club." The scene that has most of Hollywood talking is when Selleck's character (Peter), who is gay, plants a big wet kiss on Kline's character to make him come to terms with his sexuality.

    Both actors downplayed the scene as being just another day on the set.

    The film also pokes fun at Hollywood, complete with a fictional Oscar telecast hosted by Glenn Close.

    The idea for the story actually came from Tom Hanks' 1994 Oscar acceptance speech when he won Best Actor for his role as a gay lawyer in "Philadelphia." In that speech, Hanks thanked one of his former teachers, who is gay.

    "In and Out" is expected to open in Europe within the next few months.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register