Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic about Freddie Mercury that just won Golden Globes for Best Actor and Best Drama, is out of contention for the same titles at the GLAAD Media Awards. The organization explained that it can't in good faith award a picture that was directed by Bryan Singer, who is currently under investigation for a long history of sexual misconduct.
Singer was fired by 20th Century Fox in December 2017, with only three weeks of filming left, for reportedly sparring with other members of the cast and crew. A few days after that, a man named Cesar Sanchez-Guzman sued the director, alleging that he had raped him in 2003. Since then, The Atlantic has published some other shocking allegations against Singer. A few examples:
We spent 12 months investigating various lawsuits and allegations against Singer. In total, we spoke with more than 50 sources, including four men who have never before told their stories to reporters. A man we’ll call Eric told us that he was 17 in 1997 when he and Singer had sex at a party at the director’s house; another we’ll call Andy says he was only 15 that same year, when he and Singer had sex in a Beverly Hills mansion. Both men say Singer, who was then in his early 30s, knew they were under 18, the age of consent in California. (They asked The Atlantic to conceal their identity for fear of retaliation, and because they didn’t want certain details about their past made public.)
The director has dismissed The Atlantic's reporting as a "homophobic hit piece."
After Singer's unfortunate deflections, GLAAD made a decision.
“In light of the latest allegations against director Bryan Singer, GLAAD has made the difficult decision to remove ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ from contention for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Film – Wide Release category this year," GLAAD said in a statement to Variety. "This week’s story in The Atlantic documenting unspeakable harms endured by young men and teenage boys brought to light a reality that cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded."
The group Time's Up, which shines a light on sexual assault, appears to be in agreement with GLAAD's decision.
The recent allegations regarding Bryan Singer’s behavior are horrifying and MUST be taken seriously and investigated. pic.twitter.com/twqwbO2TJp
— TIME'S UP (@TIMESUPNOW) January 24, 2019
Notably, the Bohemian Rhapsody cast has not jumped up to defend Singer's character. In his acceptance speech for Best Actor at last month's Globes, Rami Malek didn't even mention the director.
It's a far cry from the controversy over former Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who was fired by Disney and Marvel studios for decade-old tweets about child pedophilia. He apologized and the actors penned a letter in which they spoke highly of his integrity.