Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Harry Lighton, ‘Pillion’ traces the lives of two men who start out as far apart from each other as they can be. While Colin is an odd-job worker by day and barbershop quartet singer by night, Ray is a free-spirited biker who often rides into the night with his gang. These two men cross paths on a lone, unassuming night, and soon end up in a BDSM relationship, with Ray assuming a near-total form of control over Colin, who is totally new to all of this. As the days pass and their time together grows equal parts sensual and toxic, both struggle to find common ground somewhere between their sexual and romantic desires. In doing so, this queer romantic dark comedy, based on Adam Mars-Jones’ novel ‘Box Hill,’ offers a sensitive portrayal not just of the queer community but of several subcultures that thrive within it.
Alexander Skarsgård Has Stated He Isn’t Gay, but Prefers to Keep His Sexuality Private
While actor Alexander Skarsgård has publicly confirmed that he isn’t gay, there is a lot of history when it comes to the question of his being bisexual. Famously, in an interview with Variety, Skarsgård’s comments about gay leather subculture took the world by storm. Specifically, he stated that his personal background, or “what I’ve done in the past, who I’ve been with, men, women,” was irrelevant when it came to bringing a specific culture and lifestyle to life. This quote was initially interpreted as Skarsgård coming out as bisexual, but that idea was dispelled when the actor explained in a later interview with Variety that “It was definitely not an intended statement.” As such, with the actor keeping his sexual orientation private, the question remains largely unanswered.
Skarsgård’s sexuality has been a mystery amongst fans since his work in ‘True Blood,’ where he essays Eric Northman, who is a bisexual vampire. In a conversation with Pride Source, the actor detailed how his portrayal ties back to the show’s thematic and metaphoric language, while also noting that the show chose a subtler presentation style to be more inclusive. When asked about advice for straight men performing gay sex scenes, he said, “You just have to embrace it (…) If we commit to this, it’s going to be an amazing scene, and we’re going to be very happy with it forever. If we hold back, that’s when it gets awkward.” While this can be interpreted as a subtle hint that Skarsgård is straight, nothing in the sentence actually proves that.
In an episode of ‘The Graham Norton Show,’ actor Miriam Margolyes asked Skarsgård if he was gay, to which he replied in the negative, but later jokingly added that “We all remember the college years.” While this response confirms that he isn’t gay, it still leaves the question of his bisexuality as open-ended as ever. Importantly, Skarsgård also stated that he would prefer people focus on an artist’s creative output rather than their sexual orientation, which, by itself, is a powerful statement of where he stands on the subject.
Harry Melling Has Similarly Not Made a Public Comment on His Sexuality
Much like Skarsgård, Harry Melling has not publicly identified as gay or bisexual as of writing, and chooses to keep his sexuality private. For his role as Colin in ‘Pillion,’ Melling researched and collaborated with the real-life Gay Biker Motorcycle Club, who also feature in the movie. In a conversation with Hits Radio,’ he named George Michael and Jake Shears as his personal gay icons, and expressed happiness at ‘Pillion’ being embraced by the queer community. While we may not have a definitive answer about his sexual orientation, it is clear that the actor deeply respects the queer community and how the movie approaches a range of subjects with depth and compassion.
Melling had a lot of fun bringing some of the movie’s most popular scenes to life. During an interview with SlashFilm, he was asked about the famous wrestling sequence, along with many others, to which he responded, “Often, when you are in situations where you can’t deny the reality of it — i.e., going into a freezing lake or wrestling, you can’t deny the fact that you’re tussling and you’re on top of each other.” He added that it was energizing to start a scene one way, but end it another, depending on several factors, like his chemistry with his co-stars, or the general rhythm of the sequences. All of these were key to making a ‘Pillion’ a well-realized, sensitive piece of storytelling.
Read More: Pillion Ending Explained: Why Does Ray Go Away? Did He Groom Colin?
