Steven Zaillian: Last News

The Talented Mr. Ripley—Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 crime novel about fictional conman Tom Ripley—our first question was: “Oh this is about to be so gay, isn’t it?”And now that we’ve had a chance to see Ripley, writer-director Steven Zaillian’s gorgeous series that hits Netflix on April 4, we’re pleased to report out prediction was right! Though not at all in the way we had expected.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.First thing’s first: Tom Ripley is not “gay.” At least, not according to Highsmith herself, who once confusingly asserted that Ripley “appreciates good looks in other men” but couldn’t possibly be gay because he’s married to a woman in her later books and even “makes it in bed with his wife.”And while Scott might not completely agree with Highsmith’s assessment of her most famous or, rather, infamous character, he’s careful to acknowledge that, when it comes to Ripley’s much-debated queerness, things (ironically) aren’t so black-and-white.“One of the big things about [Ripley’s] sexuality,” Scott shares with Queerty, “was that I felt quite strongly that I didn’t want to overly diagnose—for want of a better word—his sexuality, or even his nationality, or his age, or his upbringing.” Much like Highsmith’s first novel, the series tiptoes right up to the line of Ripley’s queerness, though it’s a line that only becomes blurrier the closer you get.