Director Stone Turns on Critics of 'Gay' Alexander [View All]

[Khephra]

LONDON (Reuters) - Director Oliver Stone turned on American critics and audiences on Wednesday, saying they had focused solely on the issue of homosexuality in "Alexander," his big-budget epic that portrays the Macedonian hero as bisexual.

He also blamed the U.S. invasion of Iraq for the movie's poor performance at the box office, arguing that people were distracted by comparisons between Alexander the Great's forays into the Middle East and President Bush.

"The homosexuality thing was a buzzword and got all around," Stone told Reuters Television in London at the film's British premiere. "It was a hot button issue and I think it got overblown. 'Alexander the Gay' -- I mean, it's ridiculous."

Greek lawyers had threatened to sue Warner Bros and Stone for depicting Alexander the Great as bisexual, but dropped efforts to have the film banned after admitting that it did not contain the explicit scenes they had feared.

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=peopleNews&storyID=7248164