Adored by women, one of the biggest stars of the 50s and 60s, and secretly gay, Rock Hudson has never really been able to live his love in broad daylight. Until his death, in the midst of the “AIDS years”. Death of AIDS on October 2, 1985, Rock Hudson has all his life maintained an illusion that only Hollywood studios knew how to create: that of his heterosexuality. A key figure in American cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, Rock Hudson is now one of the main characters in a show, signed by Ryan Murphy and available on Netflix since 2020. Far from the smooth image of the Californian stars of at the time, the actor is shown at the start of his career, as he tries by all means to make a name for himself.
The story of Rock Hudson is that of an illusion, such as Hollywood knew how to make them. The “favorite leading man” of the 1950s, the pretty heart of comedies with Doris Day, the suave actor of 70 films, could not play, sing, dance, or desire a woman: all activities he was forced to do to do, on screen. He was acting on and off the stage. Barely out of the studios, still wearing makeup, he was flirting in shady clubs, was part of L.A.’s gay nightlife network and was the subject of countless blackmailing. At the time, the slightest public suspicion of homosexuality could cost a career, the smallest scent of femininity ruined lives. Discretion was mandatory.
One day, he has trouble reciting his dialogues. He is losing weight. The year is 1984: Rock Hudson learns he has AIDS. At the time, it was a new disease, totally shameful (called “gay cancer”) and absolutely deadly. He died on October 2, 1985. For the first time, a homosexual star has tragically emerged from the shadows. This is the signal for an unprecedented mobilization. While the public contributes millions of dollars to medical research, the former lovers tear each other apart for the inheritance.