Ira Sachs on ‘The Man I Love,’ Queer Cinema in the Age of Trump and Casting Straight Actors in Gay Roles: ‘I Don’t Ask People Who They’ve Slept With’

May 25, 2026 8:13am PT Ira Sachs on ‘The Man I Love,’ Queer Cinema in the Age of Trump and Casting Straight Actors in Gay Roles: ‘I Don’t Ask People Who They’ve Slept With’

By Brent Lang

Plus Icon

Brent Lang

Executive Editor

BrentALang

Latest

• Ira Sachs on ‘The Man I Love,’ Queer Cinema in the Age of Trump and Casting Straight Actors in Gay Roles: ‘I Don’t Ask People Who They’ve Slept With’ 3 hours ago
• ‘Michael’ Sequel: Lionsgate Film Chief Promises ‘A Big and Satisfying Movie’ With ‘Most Popular’ Music Still to Come 4 days ago
• Lionsgate Earnings Climb Thanks to Success of ‘The Housemaid’ 4 days ago

See All

For four decades, Ira Sachs has chronicled queer life in New York, shining a light on the artists and iconoclasts whose work gives the city such a vibrant, transgressive edge.

“The Man I Love,” which Sachs describes as one of his most personal films, adds to the canon. Set in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS crisis, it follows Jimmy George, a downtown performer who is dying of the virus but desperate to take on one final role. The 60-year-old Sachs drew on his own experiences starting out in theater and film at that time to shape the story.

Related Stories

'Lincoln Lawyer' to End With Season 5 at Netflix, Series Adds Six Recurring Guest Stars