Actor Iwan Rheon hopes his new film Men Up will encourage men to speak out about the impact erectile dysfunction can have on mental health and relationships.
The BBC drama is inspired by the real-life medical trial that took place at Morriston Hospital in Swansea in 1994, for the drug that would become Viagra.
Rheon, known for his roles in Game Of Thrones, Misfits and Wolf, plays one of a group of Welshmen who volunteer for the trial, starring alongside Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk), Phaldut Sharma (Eastenders), Paul Rhys (Napoleon), Steffan Rhodri (Gavin And Stacey), and Mark Lewis Jones (Gangs Of London).
Each character faces their own issues with mental health, masculinity, family and friendship, stemming from impotence.
“I think a lot of men do kill themselves and have killed themselves because of this exact problem that we’re dealing with, and that comes from not being able to be in a situation where they can talk about erectile dysfunction because people might laugh at them,” Rheon says.
The film is about men who are “unable to express themselves or talk about their feelings”, he adds, explaining that it is important to have those “awkward conversations that they need to have to essentially take a step forward, because that’s when the healing starts – whether the pill works or not”.
According to a 2019 study published in the BJU International journal of urology, erectile dysfunction affects an estimated one in five men in the UK (4.3m).
Sildenafil, the drug sold under the brand name Viagra, was initially developed by Pfizer to treat angina and high blood pressure. However, researchers found the drug to be more effective at inducing erections during medical trials.
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Rheon says it is important to have conversations about men’s mental health, particularly at this time of year, which can be tough for many.
“The period in which the film is coming out is probably the hardest period of the year for many people in terms of loneliness and that loneliness comes from not being able to talk,” he says.
“It’s good to look at, certainly as a society, where they are in the film talking about social taboos and how far we’ve come – if we’ve moved forward at all.”
The medical trial in Swansea was one of the first for sildenafil.
Viagra was approved for medical use in the US and the European Union in 1998 and became the fastest selling drug in history upon its initial release.
Men Up premieres on BBC One at 9pm on 29 December and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Angelina Jolie says although she appreciates being an artist, she would prefer for her legacy to be “a good mother” and to be known for her “belief in equality and human rights”.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as Maria Callas in the new Pablo Larrain film about the opera singer’s life.
She has called Maria “the hardest” and “most challenging” role she has had in her career and put months of preparation into immersing herself into the world of opera.
Jolie, who recently reached a divorce settlement with actor Brad Pitt, told Sky News: “To be very candid, it was the therapy I didn’t realise I needed. I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out.
“So, the challenge wasn’t the technical [side of opera], it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.”
The biopic combines the voice of the Maleficent actress with recordings of Maria Callas.
Jolie believes it “would be a crime to not have [Callas’] voice through this because, in many ways, she is very present in this film”.
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Who was Maria Callas?
Born in New York in 1923, Maria Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants who moved back to Athens at the age of 13 with her mother and sister.
After enrolling at the Athens Conservatory, she made her professional debut at 17 and went on to become one of the most famous faces of opera, travelling around the world and performing at Covent Garden in London, The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan.
Callas’s final operatic performance took place at Covent Garden in 1965 when she was 41 but she continued to work conducting master classes at Juilliard School, doing concert tours and starring in the 1969 film Medea.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Maria focuses on the artist’s final years in the 1970s when she moved to Paris and disappeared from public view.
She died on 16 September 1977 at the age of 53.
Jolie on changing motivations as an actor
Maria follows the life of an artist fully consumed by the art she creates and even remarks that “happiness never developed a beautiful melody”.
Reflecting on her own life in the spotlight, Jolie said she noticed her own career motivations change over the years.
“There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation – it’s a connection.
“I think when I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and now I have different questions.
“It’s a matter of life, right? And so maybe that’s interesting that this now is a character really contemplating death and really contemplating the toll of certain things in life that I, of course, couldn’t have understood in my 20s”.
A family affair
Two of Jolie’s children, Maddox and Pax, took on production assistant roles during the filming of Maria and witnessed their mother perform opera for the first time in public.
She says the film allowed them to create new experiences together and for her children to see her approach to playing a difficult role.
“Everyone in my home, we all give each other space to be who we are and we’re all different.
“I’m the mom, but I’m also an artist and a person and so my family has been very kind and gives me their understanding. They make fun of me, and they support me and just as you’d hope it would be.”
She adds: “When you play somebody who is dealing with so much pain, it’s very important to come home to some kindness.”
Sam Moore, who sang Soul Man and other 1960s hits in the legendary Sam & Dave duo, has died aged 89.
Moore, who influenced musicians including Michael Jackson, Al Green and Bruce Springsteen, died on Friday in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications while recovering from surgery, his publicist Jeremy Westby said.
No additional details were immediately available.
Moore was inducted with Dave Prater into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”