The shooting schedule of Madame Doubtfire (which starts in March) would have bumped up against that of The Mayor of Castro Street, which at one point was scheduled to begin in April 1993 when director Gus Van Sant finished his current film Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
But Van Sant and Becky Johnston (The Prince of Tides) are putting, in the words of one close to the film, "final polishing touches" on the David Franzoni script, which follows the life, times and assassination of gay activist Milk. Now, the film is tentatively scheduled to start shooting in early summer. Even with the delay, Williams felt it wise to reassure all connected to the project that he was still interested in playing Milk. Rumors have been flying for months, it seems, that he is anything but.
According to sources, some in Williams' camp are worried that his fans will have difficulty seeing him play a homosexual character. And this month, one magazine printed that Williams was only interested in Mayor when it appeared as if Stone might direct it; now that Van Sant is in charge, the magazine said, Williams is no longer hot on the project.
The actor pooh-poohs those theories. In an interview in which he talked at length about the project for the first time since news of his probable casting leaked earlier this year, the star of Toys and Awakenings said he would play Milk if the script he was to receive in the next few weeks "is as extraordinary as Harvey was. The script has got to be good. You owe him that."
As for talk that Williams preferred Stone as director, he says, "actually, I was more interested when Gus got involved. Gus has a great fix on how to do it. I trust his vision."
Based on the Randy Shilts book of the same name, The Mayor of Castro Street will not shy away from Milk's homosexuality, says a Warner Bros. source connected to the project. The film will not contain graphic sexuality, but there will be "hugging and kissing and romance," the source said.
