Back on Hollywood’s A-List after the success of “The Rookie,” Dennis Quaid, known best for ’80s roles in “The Right Stuff” and “The Big Easy,” which showed off his boyish grin and easy-talking way with the ladies, is going through a bit of a transformation. He was just on the cover of The Advocate.
No, he’s not gay, he says. But he does take on the role of a gay man in “Far From Heaven,” which opens Friday. His performance is creating quite a buzz.
“When you have success, then you’re going to get better scripts. You’re going to get offered things first,” he says of the increased offers pouring in since “The Rookie.” But Quaid knows what it’s like to be on the other side of the fence.
“Really since 1990, when I cleaned up my life from cocaine–I thought I could come back to [success], but you can’t just come back to it,” Quaid said. “So for about 10 years, I had to really scramble to find the best work that I could find.”
But the good work was there, according to “Far From Heaven” director Todd Haynes. “It’s almost a surprise to realize how good he is because it’s not really how he sets himself up in the public eye, as first and foremost this rigorous actor who is going to take on all these challenging roles, but more of as a movie star,” Haynes said. The director said he knew Quaid was perfect for the role after re-watching his performance in “Everybody’s All American.”
“Dennis is [now] the only person that I could see in this role–he did such a beautiful job that there was not another consideration, as far as I’m concerned,” Haynes said.
In “Far From Heaven,” Quaid plays Frank Whitaker, a man who keeps his sexual orientation a secret from his wife, Cathy (Julianne Moore).
Set in the 1950s, the film depicts how the model Connecticut couple’s lives begin to fall apart when Cathy walks in on her husband kissing another man. In her confusion and grief, she finds consolation in a socially tabooed friendship with their African-American gardener, Raymond (Dennis Haysbert).
