‘Scripts like this don’t come along very often’ – Luca Guadagnino and Daniel Craig on Queer
Daniel Craig says he would jump at the chance to work with Luca Guadagnino again.
The English actor closed the book on his chapter of playing James Bond in 2021 and has since been quite selective in his artistic choices.
In Queer, he plays William Lee, a fictional character based on the real life of his author William S Burroughs.
Inspired by the 1985 novella of the same name, it follows Lee who is on the pursuit for love in 1950s Mexico City.
The Skyfall actor tells Sky News he had no doubts about taking on the role with Luca Guadagnino at the helm.
“My career has been quite long and varied, and I’ve done all sorts of things and to expect a script like this to come along at this stage in my life is just a little bit too much [to ask] really,” Craig says.
“I guess I have to be specific about [choosing roles in the future] because scripts like this just don’t come along very often.”
He adds: “My expectations are quite low now because I can only work with him to get better.” Turning to Guadagnino he says, “I mean, you know, if you ask me to do something, I’ll do it.”
Craig plays William Lee, who is in pursuit of love in 1950s Mexico City. Pic: Mubi/A24
Guadagnino’s cinematic bucket list
It has been a busy year for Guadagnino. In April, he released the tennis drama Challengers starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.
Tipped for awards success over the coming months, the intense sports romance has been shortlisted for best original score and original song with nominations being revealed for the 97th Academy Awards on 17 January.
Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor in Challengers. Pic: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures
Queer takes a slower pace. Almost entirely shot on a soundstage, Guadagnino sees the film as a “box ticked” in his journey as a filmmaker.
“I’m proud of the idea of the outcome of this. We could play with the tools of cinema fully,” he says.
“When I got the book when I was like 17, 18, I also wrote a draft of the script, and I remember that I put a note to myself that it had to be shot entirely on stage because I immediately realised that Burroughs is a great writer of imagination and his own imagination.
“So I never thought even remotely that by approaching the mise en scene of a Burroughs book, you could do a realistic movie.”
Referring to choosing a straight actor to play a gay man, he says “the depth that Daniel Craig brings is profound”.
“It’s quite insulting, as a homosexual man myself, to consider the possibility that casting a homosexual man to play the role of Lee would make it more real, as if one person is defined entirely by their gender identity or their sexuality.”
Craig said he had no doubts about taking on the role. Pic: Mubi/A24
Film banned in Turkey
The film itself garnered publicity in November after Turkish authorities banned the film from being shown at Mubi Film Festival hours before the event was due to begin.
Standing by the project and its team, Mubi made the decision to cancel their entire festival in Istanbul, telling Sky News they believed the ban was a “direct restriction on art and freedom of expression”.
Reflecting on the moment, Craig says it inadvertently “gave us lots of free advertising” but it was a pity for the “other filmmakers who were going to show their movies” there.
Meanwhile, Guadagnino still questions the reason behind the strong reaction to the film.
“I am still wondering whether they had seen the movie and decided to censor it or not,” he says.
Turkish authorities banned Queer from being shown at Mubi Film Festival hours before the festival started. Pic: Mubi/A24
The festival instead moves to Milan, but the pair hope Turkish audiences will download the film and make their own decisions.
Originally meaning strange or peculiar, the connotations of the word queer have changed in the 40 years between the novella being written and Guadagnino bringing the feature to the screen.
Craig says he doesn’t believe the word queer has “got anything to do with sex, it’s a state of mind, it’s a feeling”.
“Queer can mean so many things. I mean, in Italian, the book was called Diverso which is different.”
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He adds: “I don’t know if it’s been reclaimed, I can’t speak to that but it’s a beautiful word and it’s all the connotations that go along with it are sort of deeply personal to a lot of people.
“It’s been used as a slant, as a derogatory word. Language is always to be reclaimed, and it goes in cycles and every 10 years it’s reclaimed again.
“So I’m sure in 10 years’ time it’ll mean something else.”
Pauline Quirke has been diagnosed with dementia and will be stepping away from acting, her husband has confirmed.
The 65-year-old star was best known for her role in the hit sitcom Birds Of A Feather, playing Sharon Theodopolopodous opposite Linda Robson, who played her sister Tracey.
Steve Sheen, who has been married to Quirke since 1996, said she had been diagnosed with the condition in 2021.
In a statement, he said it was “with a heavy heart” that she was stepping back from her professional and commercial duties because of her diagnosis.
He went on: “We are deeply grateful for the support of her peers, the public and the dedicated staff and Principals at PQA [Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts].
“We kindly request privacy and understanding for Pauline and our family during this difficult period. Pauline just wants to spend time with her family, children and grandchildren.”
Quirke with her husband Steve Sheen
Quirke and her husband, who worked as an executive producer on Birds Of A Feather, have two children together. Their son Charlie is also an actor.
Quirke’s family have pledged future support to Alzheimer’s Research UK and say they will be working alongside the charity to raise funds for research and awareness of dementia.
The statement also drew comparisons with the work done to raise awareness for the cause by the family of late EastEnders actress Dame Barbara Windsor, who died in 2020, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease six years previously.
Sheen went on: “We are very proud of what our family friend Scott Mitchell is doing with Alzheimer’s Research UK in his late wife Dame Barbara Windsor’s name. So, when we feel able, we will also align ourselves with the charity.”
One of the most recognisable stars of British comedy, Quirke began acting as a child getting her own TV show as a teenager – Pauline’s Quirkes – where she frequently worked with Linda Robson.
Quirke receiving her MBE in 2022. Pic: PA
The pair were brought together again in 1989 in Birds of a Feather, where the roles of mismatched sisters brought together after their husbands are sent to jail for armed robbery turned them into household names.
A female-led comedy, Lesley Joseph played the third lead in the show, as nosey neighbour Dorien Green.
Running for nine years on the BBC, it attracted nearly 20 million viewers at its height. It was rebooted by ITV in 2014 and ran for six more years.
Quirke did not return for a Christmas special in 2020.
In a career spanning over half a decade, Quirke has starred in more than 60 TV and film productions, including Broadchurch, Carrie’s War, North and South, Casualty, Cold Blood, My Family and Emmerdale.
In 1990 Quirke won a British Comedy award for her role in Birds Of A Feather and in 1996 she was nominated for a BAFTA for her performance as a convicted murderess in The Sculptress.
In 1995 Quirke and Robson appeared on the BBC documentary Jobs For The Girls, trying out a new profession each week, frequently with comedic results.
In 2007 The Pauline Quirke Academy Of Performing Arts opened, offering classes in singing, dancing, and acting for children from four to 18. Based in Buckinghamshire, it operates across the country.
The academy said it was “deeply moved by the messages that we have received” following news of Quirke’s diagnosis, adding, “it has been wonderful to see how many lives Pauline has touched through her work”.
They said teaching at the academy would “continue as normal”.
Quirke was awarded an MBE in 2022 in recognition of her work with young people, contributions to entertainment and dedication to charitable causes.
One in two people will be directly affected by dementia – either by developing the condition themselves, caring for someone with it, or both – according to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Police have launched an investigation after Gladiators star Apollo was reportedly stalked and harassed.
The 33-year-old, whose real name is Alex Gray, is said to have been targeted by a woman both on the set of the TV show in Sheffield and at his temporary accommodation in the city.
South Yorkshire Police said they were “aware of reports of a man in his 30s being subjected to stalking and harassment”.
A spokesperson added: “An investigation has been launched and enquiries are ongoing.”
Gray told The Sun On Sunday: “There was an incident. That’s as much as I can say, until something comes of it and there’s action taken.
“Maybe there might not be. I’m still waiting to hear. The police are doing their thing.”
Apollo, far left, in a Gladiators celebrity special broadcast earlier this month. Pic: BBC
The newspaper also reported that the BBC and production company Hungry Bear Media had arranged for extra “support and protection” around the Utilita Arena Sheffield and outside the rented apartment block where performers stay during filming.
Gray was previously a rugby union player for the England rugby sevens team before transferring to NFL American football.
He was among the 16 “superhumans” who joined the Gladiators line-up when the sports entertainment show was rebooted by the BBC last year.
Gladiators season two launched on BBC One last weekend after millions of viewers tuned in to the first series.
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The original American Gladiators series was broadcast in the US in 1989, with a UK version following in 1992.
The first UK show was presented by Ulrika Jonsson and footballer John Fashanu, while the reboot is fronted by father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh.
Gladiators was brought back on Sky between 2008 and 2009, with the first season hosted by Ian Wright and Kirsty Gallacher. Caroline Flack replaced Gallacher for its second series.
The BBC and Hungry Bear Media declined to comment.
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