Sparkle, razzle-dazzle, and lipstick: Three words you wouldn’t necessarily associate with such masculine actors as Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. But, here they are, looking oh-so-fabulous and in character for their Liberace HBO movie, “Behind the Candelabra,” on the cover of Entertainment Weekly.
The made-for-TV biopic, airing May 26, is directed by Steven Soderbergh and based on Scott Thorson’s 1988 memoir. This pic is certainly the most flamboyant image of the stars we’ve seen -- just look at Damon’s face full of makeup. He’s wearing blush, mascara, and all!
Douglas and Damon talked to the magazine about playing Liberace and his young lover Thorson, respectively, and all the metallic thongs that went along with it. Damon, for one, confessed that he spends a good portion of the movie in a teeny bathing suit and had to have his backside spray-tanned to do so, something he felt a bit sheepish about even around his wife.
“We’ve been through three childbirths, we’ve been in the trenches, there are no secrets,” he told the magazine. “But I really wish she didn’t see that. That’s too much.”
[Related: Matt Damon and Michael Douglas get flamboyant for HBO's Liberace movie]
Douglas’ performance in the film comes peppered with first-hand experience, as his father, Kirk Douglas, lived right next door to the singer in Palm Springs, California. Not surprisingly, one of the things that left a lasting impression on the younger Douglas was Liberace’s hair.
“I remember meeting him just in passing, in his convertible with the top down -- his hair not moving,” Douglas recalled.
The two Oscar winners also admitted that their sex scenes were awkward, but that’s always the case regardless of who’s involved. They were thankful that one particular scene was nailed in one take.
“We do it. Cut. There’s a long pause,” Damon said. “And then you hear Steven go, ‘Well … I have no notes.’”
For more images -- including Rob Lowe all gussied up -- and the full interview, pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly when it hits stands on Friday, March 8.
