Harvey Milk's friends: Interview

By Jeff Walsh

Many of the actors in Milk didn't just have to play a role, but portray people who were not only still alive but often on the shooting set. The night I was an extra in Milk's crowd scene (the one where Sean Penn as Milk has a bullhorn saying 'I know you're angry. I'm angry, too.') Emile Hirsch was onstage as Cleve Jones. As he and Sean were filming the scene, the crowd would chant things like 'Gay rights now!' and such. In between takes, you'd hear a bullhorn asking Cleve if any other chants were popular at that time, and the real life Cleve Jones would go over to the crew, and give them ideas, which would then be incorporated into the movie. So, at every step of the way, some of the real life people behind Milk not only helped Dustin Lance Back with the accuracy of the script, but they were still there on set, making the film as accurate as possible.

I got the chance to sit down with three of Harvey Milk's friends (shown in this article with the actors who play them in the movie).

Cleve Jones, played in the movie by Emile Hirsch, worked on Harvey's political campaign and later founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Anne Kronenberg, played in the movie by Allison Pill, started as Harvey Milk's campaign manager for his election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. This was the beginning of a long career in politics, and she now services as deputy director for administration and planning of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Danny Nicoletta, played in the movie by Lucas Grabeel, worked as a clerk in Harvey Milk's Castro Street camera shop, and is still a photographer in the city. At the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Milk and mayor George Moscone last week, Nicoletta wasn't there to speak. He was shooting pictures of it for the local press.

This interview was another roundtable, and not me sitting down personally with all three. My question has an asterisk before it, if you care, but what they had to say was interesting enough that I felt it needed to be captured here.

Here's what we said...

Diego Luna: Interview

By Jeff Walsh

I recently got the chance to attend the press junket for Milk in San Francisco, where I got to talk with people who knew Harvey personally and the people involved with the movie. But I have to admit, the person I was most interested in talking to was Diego Luna, mainly because I'm a big fan of 'Y Tu Mama Tambien,' so when I got the chance to join his press round table, I was totally there.

So, this is a bit different than normal. It wasn't a 1:1 interview (there were like 9-10 press interviewing him at the same time, my questions start with a *). Luna isn't gay. But I think 'Milk' is such an amazing, important film, I'm bending my usual rules on that stuff. Who might show up next answering my questions in Oasis? Sean Penn? James Franco? You'll have to tune in to find out...

It was interesting watching Luna answer the questions, which often turned their own corners, and were never on the brief side. The press were told not to dominate the interview and let everyone get their turn to ask a question, but it was clear early on, there was no chance in hell everyone would get a question in at the pace he was answering.

But since his answers were so heartfelt, eloquent, and explored his passion for art, community, and this movie, here it all is...

Milk: Movie Review

By Jeff Walsh

"Milk," the new Gus Van Sant movie, tracks the modern gay rights movement from its birth responding to police raids on gay bars in the late 1960s, through the sexual revolution of the 70s, until the assassination of the first openly gay elected official, San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, in 1978.

Living in San Francisco, the aura of Harvey Milk hasn't diminished. Looking up on Castro Street, near his camera shop, a fake window is painted with Harvey Milk leaning out and smiling. The portrait reminds us how far we've come, the price people paid for the freedoms we now enjoy and take for granted, and whether we're on the right path for our future. A rainbow flag flies a block away at Harvey Milk Plaza. In our City Hall, a bronze bust of Harvey Milk was added this year, on the 30th anniversary of his death.

So, Harvey Milk is an icon as well as a constant presence. I was 10 years old when he was killed, but over the years, I've developed a mental image of Harvey and I was hesitant to have this long-planned movie possibly ruin it. I needn't have worried.

"Milk" captures so much of what I find iconic about Milk, but also makes him more human and accessible at the same time. Closeted until he was 40, Milk moved to San Francisco, grew out his beard and became part of the counterculture and gay community. He opened a camera shop on Castro Street as the area was shifting from its Irish-Catholic roots to the gayborhood that (largely) still exists today.

Syndicate content

Latest journal entries.

yesac's picture

Superhuman

Lyrics are used many times between us and has plenty to describe our relationship...and plenty to explain the amount of intensity between us, when we're so overwhelmed that simple words can't explain how we feel about each other any longer.

So here's to Superhuman - Christ Brown feat. Keri Hilson

We're in this pretty deep and she calls it "the end of no return". We don't know if we can survive the 3 weeks I'm away. I'm sure we can...we'll just need a lot of distractions.

jmy's picture

The Puzzle That Is My Life

So, two weeks ago (roughly) i celebrated my 16th birthday.
In exactly 6days i will have been out to my family for a year.
I have 1 year left of school. ever. =D

And I feel like things are slowly falling into place and that life is getting back on track.

Sure, i still have alot of complications to sort out. I still have many things that im, not ready to let go of.
But life is getting better.
And I like it.

Im not dating anyone, Im not crushing on anyone.
Its good :)

FalconWright's picture

Ow my back!

First up, OW GOD MY BACK OH CRAP IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!
ok.
So it's the summer holiday now and I get 2 months off before I start studying 40 hours a week, yay, can't wait. (NOT sarcasm!)

A and I went to my friend H's house last night to play Shadowrun. J and JD were there to, I find JD rather sexy indeed and the gaydar indicates he is NOTs traight, so does A's, he's at least bi, we're sure. Also to back this up, I flirted with him and he even flirted back! Holy crap *pants dive* I really want him but I'm not sure what to do, should I just flirt and leave it, or I should I straight out ask if he's interested? I'm so bad with these things.
God I want him....

I love you Oasis! *kiss/huggle*

the_loser's picture

his love

I'm ridiculously obsessed with tegan and sara. They're playing in Vacouver (canada) in February and I wish I could go. It's like 100 miles from Seattle, near where I live. Tickets are only $33 but I don't have a passport PLUS I would have to go withmy dad and that would be LAME LAME LAME!
I hope they come to the US relatively soon while I'm still this crazy about em.


DAMN!
=]

Dyke of Awesomeness's picture

I miss my friends

So I'm back at school now, and I finally got to see my friends again. Lunch just isn't long enough. I haven't gotten to see them since last friday. So I was really excited to see them. And I loved talking to them, but it just didn't last very long. I had my voice lesson, so I couldn't stay after school and hangout with them at the bike racks like I normally do. I really wish I had been able to. I just feel like I have all this tension built up from not being able to see them. I was looking forward to seeing them all break, and then I didn't get to. Like, I was counting so much on seeing them, and really being able to see them, that when I didn't it really has effected me.

I don't know. I just feel empty, you know, like theres this itch I can't scratch. I hope I'll be able to stay after school to talk to them. So I want to go to one of my friends houses for the first time, but I don't want to seem I don't know, like I'm inviting myself? I don't want to invite them to my house, mainly because it embarasses me. I know, that sounds horrible, but it really does. I love my family, really I do, but I don't know. I live in this town where everyone lives in really freaking big houses, and even though I know my friends don't theres still this weird feeling. My house is really small, and its always messy, and my brother is a huge dick. So now, I'm not sure, I really want to go hang out with them alot more. Like, I want to see them outside of school. But I have no clue how to go about it. I can't invite myself to one of their houses.

So, nothing new on my 'almost' thing with C. I emailed her a bit ago, I don't know, I really need to talk to her, but I'm not sure what I'm going to say. God, what do I do? i don't know if I want to hav a relationship with her or not. Shes really cool, but I thought I was over her. I was so into her last year. I was this timid, closeted dyke who was completely and utterly teriffied of the idea of coming out. But at the same time, totally wanted to, and she was this amazing, out, confident, strong girl who was everything I wanted to be. And I was completely in love with her. Well, okay, i totally wasn't in love with her. but I thought I was. I was infatuated. Completely and utterly. I thought I loved her, but I didn't I know we wouldn't have made a good couple at the time.

I don't know, so maybe, I don't know, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing. Of course, the whole, 'dating the ex of an ex' thing. When I was dating E (my ex girlfriend), we talked about when she dated C. Not in a mean way or anything, just like a sharing stories type of thing. And so I got to hear about kinda what it was like to date C. I don't know, it sounded pretty bad, but you can never really know with things like that. I don't know. Should I date her? Should I get to know her again? Should I not even consider it because of our history, I mean, I decided along time ago that it was a really bad idea for us to date. I don't know, maybe its a really stupid idea. I don't even know if I should have kissed her. That would make me feel all these emotions anyway, but I would still know if she felt the same way or not. Its the not knowing thats killing me. Ugh! I thought I already had this drama! Its like watching re-runs of my life. Same thing, only slightly different. I don't know if she likes me, but I know that if I wanted to, I could ask her out. I don't know, I have alot more confidence than I did before. So I don't know, god, I need to think about this.

Merric's picture

new jeans new jeans new jeans

Okay, now that I've gotten that out....

At the beginning of each week I always hope it'll go by quickly, but this one is going much too fast. Because-- oh God oh God oh God --

because Saturday

Saturday is auditions.

And I would be much less stressed if I hadn't made it last year. Now, if I don't make it, the shame will just kill me, I'll seem like such a slacker.

Last year. I practiced violin so much for those auditions. I had a goal, you see. The year before I hadn't made it, and I'd been trembling so hard with nerves I could barely play. My goal, last year, was that I would go in and I would play my best and I would not shake. I failed in that goal, but I made the orchestra. I felt so calm before I went in the audition room. I was in control, I'd talked myself down in my mind and I wasn't scared at all. Mentally, I suppose I was prepared. But my physical reaction was something else. I walked in and the tremors started. In my legs, in my fingers. When I started playing, applying pressure with my fingers helped some and the shaking wasn't that noticeable, but when I moved my sheet music on the stand between excerpts I was shaking so hard I knew the judges could hear the paper rustling violently against the stand.

So I played my best despite the shaking, and I made it. I should be fine this year, right? But I can't convince myself. I've been so busy I haven't had enough time to practice. And what if I can't overcome the nerves this time?

So I don't make it. Big deal, get over it. At least you made it once. There are plenty of violinists in the state who probably deserve it more anyway.

(The first sign of madness is talking to yourself.)

Oh, I read Candide over Thanksgiving. And every time I read "Voltaire," the voice in my head says, "Lol-taire."

It's a funny thing. When I think in words, it's not quite spoken and not quite written but something in between, kind of both, kind of neither.

I'll shut up now... have a lovely lovely day.

Icarus's picture

593...

this will be roughly, my 593rd journal here on oasis. i've been a member here for 3 years and 24 weeks.

riku's journal and the fact that oasis is thirteen years old today made me think of it...

i can't believe how much has changed. how much i've changed. how much everything has changed in just those three years...

wow...

i can actually honestly say i wouldn't be the person i am today without oasis...

Syndicate content