Disney's highly-anticipated live-action Cruella film hits theaters and Disney+ today, and besides being the super chic, punk rock, '70s glam fantasy we've always been dreaming of, the movie also features an openly gay character named Artie, played by Everybody's Talking About Jamie alum John McCrea.
An origin story, Cruella is set in London in the '70s in the midst of the punk rock revolution, and "follows a young grifter named Estella (Oscar-winning La La Land actress Emma Stone), a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs," reads the film's official description.
"She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman (fellow Oscar winner Emma Thompson), a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable, and revenge-bent Cruella."
PRIDE got to sit down with Cruella star John McCrea about working with the two Emmas, the ongoing '70s revival, what it was like playing a queer character in a Disney film, and more!
"The thing I admired the most was his philosophy of not being normal," John told PRIDE about what his favorite part of playing Artie was. "He's trying to live authentically. Be yourself and do what makes you happy, screw everybody else. As long as you're not hurting anybody, why shouldn't you be able to live your life in any way you want to?"
When asked about the importance of a character like Artie, especially in a family film marketed towards younger audiences, he added, "It's an opportunity that I very, very gladly take on. The thought that there might be some kid sitting in the cinema, maybe not even necessarily understanding why or how he identifies with Artie, but just it's a feeling, isn't it? You and I both know it's just a feeling that you have. To think that I could be a part of that effort for a generation of kids blows my mind, it really does."
Cruella is now playing in theaters and streaming on Disney+ with Premier Access!
