I do NOT like this Murphy guy.:
By Gail Shister
Inquirer Columnist
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, USA
Thu, Sep. 28, 2006
To Ryan Murphy, size may not matter, but weight does.
The latest project for the swashbuckling creator of Nip/Tuck is 4 oz., a
new FX drama about a transsexual sportswriter with a wife and two
teenage sons.
Four ounces is the average weight of a flaccid penis, according to
Murphy. It fascinates him "that something that weighs so little can
cause so much damage and joy at the same time."
Murphy's writing the pilot episode and hopes to begin production
early next year. No cast yet, but he says his phone "is ringing off
the hook" from A-list stars who shall remain nameless.
OK, then, we'll name them: Robert Downey Jr. and Alec Baldwin, among
others, according to Hollywood buzz.
"This will be one of the great parts, if done correctly," says
Murphy, 41. "It will be like Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie - a man who
becomes a better man by being a woman." (Hoffman grabbed an Oscar
nomination for his performance in the '82 film.)
A-lister Brad Pitt is one of 4 oz.'s executive producers. He and
Murphy bonded as Pitt produced Running With Scissors, Murphy's
feature directorial debut, starring Annette Benning. It opens
nationally Oct. 27.
Pitt "is such a cool guy," Murphy says. "He's arguably the biggest
movie star in the world, and when you have him in your corner,
fighting for you, it makes a difference. He makes calls. He gets me
more money. He'll be very involved in everything."
He won't, however, appear on screen.
The 40-ish protagonist in 4 oz. lives in Pasadena, Calif., and
is "an everyday guy who's been fighting this secret all of his
life," says Murphy. The series follows the "trajectory" of his
sexuality.
Murphy calls 4 oz. his version of "My Three Sons, with the father
being a >-bleeped-<." In his mind, the common thread among the three
males "is all their conflict and joys caused by their penises."
Are we sensing a theme?
Murphy has mapped out several seasons' plotlines. In Season 1, the
character grapples with his secret. In 2, he lives and dresses like
a woman. In 3, he undergoes the surgery, and in 4, he's a woman in
the world looking for love.
"I think people will be charmed by how sweet it is," Murphy
says. "It's daring. There are things in the pilot that are jaw-
dropping. It's not salacious or violent."
Murphy says 4 oz. will be "more straightforward and dramatic"
and "less theatrical" than Nip/Tuck, FX's most popular show. "The
most shocking thing for me to do now is not be shocking." (Right.)
Murphy, who's gay, says he has been fascinated with transsexuality
since he took a course in sexual deviance his senior year at Indiana
University. (He copped an A-plus on his thesis, he says. "I know my
trannies.")
"I've always been moved by that journey of somebody trapped inside a
different body. It's just a metaphor for artistic _expression -
something caught inside, fighting to get out."
For his part, Murphy has no desire to bend genders. "As a gay man, I
certainly feel equal parts man and woman sometimes, but I've never
had that battle.
"I've always been very comfortable in my shoes. I've had no desire
to turn them into pumps."
Lines like:
"As a gay man, I certainly feel equal parts man and woman sometimes, but I've never had that battle."
He thinks that being a gay male is the same as feeling like a woman?
And "trannies" this, "trannies" that... penis obsessions... wearing pumps wise cracks...
