When the name Anita Bryant is uttered in most circles, particularly gay circles, boos and hisses usually follow. Bryant was once Miss Oklahoma, a popular singer with several Top 40 hits, an author and an orange juice spokesperson. But it's more than likely she'll always be remembered as a hater of homosexuals and their quest for equal rights.
While some might argue that we just need to let the now 71-year-old Bryant become a faint memory, writer Chad Hodge would disagree. In fact, once his pitch for a Anita Bryant biopic got the nod at HBO, the first thing he did was ring up the woman herself to talk to her about the project.
When they finally met, what did they talk about? Has one of the most demonized public figures in our gay history changed her tune where homosexuals are concerned? As a gay man, how is Hodge making sure his own personal opinions don’t steer the direction of the film too much? We asked Hodge all these questions and more during a one-on-one chat last week.
AfterElton: I realize I don’t know much about Anita Bryant outside of orange juice and hating the gays. How did the project get started?
Chad Hodge: I pitched it to HBO in early 2010 and then spent the first six months of the year doing nothing but research. The research culminated with meeting Anita for three days in Oklahoma. I came home and started writing the first draft. I was writing the Playboy Club pilot at the same time and when that went forward to series I had to put the Anita project on the back burner. Now I’m finishing the final draft.
http://www.afterelton.com/people/2011/11/chad-hodge-interview-anita-bryant-hbo?page=0,0Nothing in this world will ever change my opinion of this wicked witch. 
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
