Homosexualist TV journo Matt Cain has written his debut novel. Set in LA, it follows a high profile closeted actor, his famous ‘girlfriend’ (read: celebrity beard) and her snooping paparazzo lover. (We know, a gay closeted Hollywood actor! Rather far-fetched, but this is the world of fiction, darlings!) QX did some digging to find out more…
You were Channel 4 News Culture Editor… what were the highlights of the job?
Well, it was always fun to meet glam celebs like the Spice Girls, Robert Redford and Tracey Emin – if only to have good stories to tell my friends. And of all the art forms I covered, books were the one I enjoyed most, as you might expect – I loved broadcasting live from the Women’s Prize for Fiction every year. But I got the most satisfaction out of covering gay stories like the BFI Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, interviewing Michael Douglas about playing Liberace, and meeting one of my idols, gay film director Pedro Almodóvar. Although I was so overawed I’m not sure I did a great interview!
Your new book is set in shiny, sparkly, glitzy, gritty, glamorous LA… what inside knowledge do you have of the LA industry – presumably its world apart from the UK’s own celeb bubble?
Before I worked at Channel 4 I spent twelve years making arts and entertainment programmes for ITV and did several shoots in LA. My favourite gig was filming a year in the life of Ian McKellen and I followed him to Hollywood where he was promoting the final Lord of The Rings film, presenting an award at the Oscars and hanging out with all the a-gays. It was a total privilege – and a real eye opener!
The story follows a paparazzo, big Hollywood star – Mia – and her friend, Billy Spencer, who harbours a secret… let’s take a guess, he’s a big closet homosexualist, right?
How did you work that one out? He is, yeah! My Billy is a smoking hot action hero with a gorgeous smile and a ripped chest but he’s been told if the truth about his sexuality ever gets out it will ruin his career. And he’s tormented about being gay because his Christian parents sent him for anti-gay therapy when he was younger. And not only that but he has to tell so many lies to keep his sexuality secret he worries that if it ever gets out his fans will think he’s a liar and turn against him. But I’m not telling you any more than that – you’ll have to read the book to see if he has a happy ending!
“If gay men are told when we’re growing up that the way we are is disgusting, it’s difficult enough to learn to love ourselves and celebrate our sexuality during adulthood.”
Is the role of Mia based on anyone in particular?
Not really – after making documentaries and reporting on the news for years I was bored of having to stick to real life and respect the facts. One of the best things about writing novels is that for the first time in my life I’m allowed to make everything up. So, not only did I make up the character Mia but I also invented her paparazzo boyfriend Leo, who once again is smoking hot with a gorgeous chest. Spot a running theme here?
Without getting us sued for libel, presumably you looked at the lives of Hollywood stars for inspiration and research.
Yeah, I did and I was shocked by the lies some of them have felt forced to tell. As a writer I was fascinated by the impact this can have on their psychological well-being. If gay men are told when we’re growing up that the way we are is disgusting, it’s difficult enough to learn to love ourselves and celebrate our sexuality during adulthood. But if we continue to be told as adults that the world will hate us if it knows we’re gay, that can only destroy our spirit and contaminate our sense of self-worth. I think it’s very sad.
Did you speak to any current out gay actors or celebrities about being gay and in the limelight?
Yes. Because of my work in arts TV I’ve been lucky enough to get to know lots of gay celebrities and it always strikes me that it’s hard enough to live in the public eye, but to have the added pressure of being perceived as a gay role model somehow representing all the diverse aspects of gay identity and the gay experience is very tough.
What were the most surprising, shocking or interesting things they had to say about being out?
Well, I’ve had some interesting conversations with famous gay friends about going on Grindr and emailing cock shots to potential partners. But for once in my life I’m going to be classy and refrain from divulging all the gory details.
Spoil sport. Email me the pics later! What were the biggest challenges with making the jump from TV presenter to author?
Funnily enough I haven’t found it hard at all, mainly because I was writing in my spare time for years and dreaming of getting a book deal and becoming a full-time writer. Now that I’ve made that jump and work on my own at home loads of men ask me if I get distracted and spend all my time watching porn. But to be honest I’d much rather invent a hot man in a book – and make sure the lead character gets to shag him. You can’t beat a bit of wish fulfillment! And it’s much more fun than watching porn!
• Shot Through The Heart is out now, published by Pan Macmillan.
• Matt Cain reads extracts from his new book at Polari (Royal Festival Hall, Level 5 Function Room, Southbank Centre) on Tuesday 27th May.
• www.polariliterarysalon.co.uk Tickets: www.southbankcentre.co.uk
