DiCaprio Takes On Role of (Gay?) Tough Guy in “J. Edgar”
Did the most powerful man in the FBI like wearing dresses? Despite his many accomplishments, cross-dressing is the most famous urban legend of J. Edgar Hoover. And like many things about the man, we can only speculate if it was true or not.
But don’t expect Leonardo DiCaprio to don lady frills in his title role of J. Edgar. Director Clint Eastwood takes on the man many called the most powerful man in America in the 20th century. J. Edgar Hoover held the reins of the FBI like a despot hell bent to stay in control. He kept himself the director during 8 presidencies and became feared and admired by everyone from presidents to movie stars. Hoover had secret files on Eleanor Roosevelt, Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy brothers. It’s ironic that the man who coveted so many secrets for so many high-profile people would guard his own secrets so strongly. Perhaps the biggest fear was the one in the mirror.
Hoover’s associate director, Clyde Tolson, has long been a source of interest to historians. Both men dined together often and took extended vacations. When Hoover died, Tolson inherited all of Hoover’s estate. This bond could give away what the two men felt for each other.
Eastwood decided to take on the speculation and dedicated a film to J. Edgar Hoover’s life, as well as his alleged romance with Tolson. Writer Dustin Lance Black of Milk fame (and native San Antonian) defended the gay-themed storyline saying that Hoover’s romance was only going to be a third of the story, while writing the rest of the film about “…the things that deserve applause and things that were heinous. It’s a story that reflects what gay life was like pre-Stonewall,” Black said in an interview with Next magazine. Since there is no proof of Hoover’s love life with Tolson, save for a few holiday photos, critics from the J. Edgar Hoover foundation have come right out and said that Eastwood’s film will distort Hoover’s image. As if to say that he being gay is worse than him holding America’s leaders hostage with a file full of secrets.
Hoover had his own idea of justice, even if it meant bending the rules. But despite his strength, Hoover came from a time when a man as powerful as he could not be openly gay. He would become the very scandal that he could so easily create for others.
With so many complexities, J. Edgar may be the defining movie for DiCaprio’s career. Already, this film and its actors have become Oscar favorites. Filmed with excruciating detail and with lead names like Dicaprio, Judi Dench and new Hollywood favorite Armie Hammer, who plays Tolson, J. Edgar promises to be the compelling drama of the year.
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