BEHIND THE CANDELABRA may mark Steven Soderbergh’s directing bow, as he’s expected to take a break from filmmaking and possibly even retire. A passion project for over a decade, Soderbergh struggled to find financing for the real-life story of the flamboyant entertainer Liberace, that was until HBO stepped in and offered to take the film to the small screen.
Michael Douglas portrays the pianist, singer and television legend in the film that will chronicle Liberace’s loving-yet-turbulent relationship with the much younger Scott Thorston as well as his subsequent death from the Aids virus in 1987, aged 67. He was one of the first high-profile names to sadly die from the disease, although his estate attempted to hide this fact initially, due to the fear of alienating his fans.
Matt Damon takes on the role of his gay lover Thorston and although we’ve featured behind-the-scenes images on THN before, this is the first official still of the duo from BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, which is based on the same-titled biography by Thorston. The film co-stars Rob Lowe, Dan Ackroyd, Debbie Reynolds, Scott Bakula, and will air on HBO in the US in May. We still await a channel and date in the UK.
Source: HBO
