More Hotties from Upcoming Queer Films

Frank J. Avella READ TIME: 19 MIN.

Ben Whishaw in 'Peter Hujar's Day'

Ben Whishaw attends the "Black Doves" Season One World Premiere at the BFI Southbank on December 03, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Filmmaker Ira Sachs has created numerous queer-inspired narrative features including "Passages," "Keep the Lights On," and "Love is Strange." In his latest work, "Peter Hujar's Day," he re-creates a day in the life of the titular American photographer, who died of AIDS in 1987. The filmmaker has taken a recently-discovered 1974 conversation between Hujar and his friend Linda Rosenkrantz, and crafted an original cinematic portrait. Ben Whishaw is Hujar, and Rebecca Hall is Rosenkrantz.

Whishaw is another out English actor who manages to seamlessly switch from stage to screen to TV roles, appearing in many LGBTQ+-themed projects in the process and picking up 3 BAFTAs, two Emmys, and a Golden Globe.

His career began onstage when he was part of the Big Spirit Youth Theatre. He went on to major West End credits, including the eponymous "Hamlet" (2004) at the Old Vic, Mike Bartlett's "Cock" (2009) at the Royal Court, Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" (2016) on Broadway at the Walter Kerr, and, last year, in Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

His TV credits include "The Hour," "London Spy," "Queers," "A Very English Scandal," "This is Going to Hurt," and Netflix's "Black Doves," opposite Keira Knightley. His many films include "Layer Cake" (2004), "Stoned" (2004), "I'm Not There" (2007), "Brideshead Revisited" (2008), "The Tempest"(2010), "Skyfall" (2012), "Lilting" (2014), "The Lobster" (2015), "The Danish Girl" (2014), "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018), "Surge" (2020), "Women Talking" (2022), and "Passages" (2023), where he appeared in one of the most explicit gay sex scenes ever filmed for an indie, opposite Franz Rogowski and directed by Sachs.


Whishaw is never one to shy away from nudity or intimate same-sex scenes, as is apparent in many of his film and TV projects – check out "Black Doves" and "Passages" as stimulating starters!

"Peter Hujar's Day" world premieres on January 27, 2025, at the Sundance Film Festival.


by Frank J. Avella

Frank J. Avella is a proud EDGE and Awards Daily contributor. He serves as the GALECA Industry Liaison and is a Member of the New York Film Critics Online. His award-winning short film, FIG JAM, has shown in Festivals worldwide (figjamfilm.com). Frank's screenplays have won numerous awards in 17 countries. Recently produced plays include LURED & VATICAL FALLS, both O'Neill semifinalists. He is currently working on a highly personal project, FROCI, about the queer Italian/Italian-American experience. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. https://filmfreeway.com/FrankAvella https://muckrack.com/fjaklute

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