The American-Canadian series “Close Friends” has become not only a filmstrip, but also a landmark in modern culture. It tells not just about homosexual relationships - this series shows society what non-heterosexual people really are. What is their life, what they do, what they love, how they solve problems and cope with the difficulties that overcome them. The series shows that these people are no different from the rest. Thanks to an interesting, realistic plot, unexpected twists and a sincere play of actors, he has become incredibly popular. And among people of any orientation.
Main character
The central person is Brian Kinney. A tall, young, fit brunette who has built an excellent career in advertising. He lives in a luxurious loft right in the center of Pittsburgh and leads an active, interesting life - he regularly visits the Babylon nightclub, from where he invariably brings a guy to his house for one night. Brian Kinney is the most coveted man on Liberty Avenue. And he does not deny it. Brian loves himself, his appearance and life. And he does not believe in love, and especially in the existence of same-sex marriage. Before telling in detail about this character, you should tell about the other heroes, since without this tour the essence will remain incomprehensible.
About close friends
Naturally, Brian has friends. Michael Novotny is the closest of them, since Brian has known him since he was 14 years old. Michael works as a manager of the Big Q market, but dreams of becoming the owner of a comic book store, as he is a fan of the Captain Astro series. Subsequently, his dream comes true, and he, along with Brian, even begins to release his own comic book. Michael has a secret loving feeling for his close friend, while trying to find a soul mate, because he knows that Kinney does not believe in such feelings. Later, Michael meets his love - Ben Bruckner, with whom they adopt a teenager Hunter. He, like Ben, has HIV. The boy tried to make a living by prostitution, and he met Ben by offering him services. He refused and simply invited him home for dinner and conversation. Hunter, by the way, is heterosexual.
Emmett Hanikatt is an openly gay man who is very proud of his orientation. Kind, cheerful and somewhat cutesy, first worked as a designer, but then became the organizer of events. There is also a third friend - Ted Schmidt, an accountant with low self-esteem. Michael sympathizes with him, but he hides it so as not to destroy friendship. He met with drug addict Blake, unsuccessfully trying to wean him from addiction. After some time, Ted himself became addicted. Life went downhill, but as a result, he managed to cope with troubles - quit the boring job, got a job as an accountant for Brian, underwent plastic surgery and gained a “second wind”.
The rest of the composition
In parallel, the story of a family of two lesbians - Lindsay and Melanie. They have a son whom Lindsay gave birth to from Brian. Another great character is Michael's mom, Debbie, a positive woman who supports gay people in every way.
And finally, the second main character, which should be mentioned at the very beginning, is Justin Taylor. A 17-year-old boy who fell in love with Brian and spent one night with him, but his feelings, of course, turned out to be unrequited. He is an aspiring artist. After Justin's parents find out about his orientation, real chaos begins in relations with his family. Justin successfully joins Brian’s company of friends, which he really dislikes. After a quarrel with his father, Debbie even offers him to settle in the children's room of Michael, her son. In the end, Justin becomes a full member of the company and seeks the location and feelings of Brian.
Biography
Brian Kinney was born into a family of Irish Catholics. His mother was a fanatical believer and, of course, homophobic. Father drank heavily and even beat the boy. All this could not but affect the life of a teenager.
His first connection was at age 14, with a physical education teacher. But he did not ruin his life due to his character, received a full scholarship and studied at college, and subsequently went into the advertising business. There he met the aforementioned Lindsay, with whom he became very friendly.
Brian Kinney is a strong personality with a difficult character, but he also has fear. He is afraid of losing his beauty and youth. Michael and other friends strongly support him, assuring that Brian will remain attractive always.
Relations
For a long time, up to his 30th birthday, Brian Kinney did not believe in love or in a serious relationship. Justin Taylor turned his life upside down. Maybe not right away, but then he realizes that this young promising artist also sunk into his soul. But even experiencing feelings, Brian hides them under his self-confidence, narcissism and sarcastic behavior.
Over the course of five seasons, relations have been developing very dynamically - the couple goes through a lot. Through quarrels, betrayals, misunderstandings. But in the fifth season, everything is getting better. The protagonist is finally fully aware of what is happening to him. And makes Justin an offer to officially confirm their relationship. At first, the young man refuses, which is clearly shocking both the main character and the viewer. But Brian understands the reason for this behavior. Therefore, he buys a country house, brings Justin there, after which he again repeats his proposal and receives consent.
Preparations for the triumph are in full swing. However, then the viewer does not open at all the final that was to be expected. Both partners understand something very important. Justin realizes that Brian is betraying himself and his own principles for his sake. And he, in turn, understands that his chosen one is a young and promising artist who voluntarily refuses a brilliant future. As a result, everything breaks down. This is the most stressful moment in the series - a tragic, dramatic farewell filled with pain and tears. Before the eyes of the heroes and spectators all memories flash: those happy moments that have been experienced, those joys that they shared with each other, scenes full of hope and desire. Undoubtedly, every person in his life would like this.
Justin is leaving for college. And Brian goes to Babylon to his friends, who are more impressed by the news than he is. It all ends as it began.
About the actor
Of course, it is worth mentioning about the actor who played such an interesting and complex personality as Brian Kinney. Gayle Harold's birthday is July 10 (1969). He graduated from American University in Washington, and then left for San Francisco. There he began to engage in photography and began to study at the School of Arts. Gail is a very versatile person - he even tried himself as a car mechanic, working for Ducati.
In 1997, on the advice of his friend, he began to try himself as an actor. And in 2000, it was his finest hour. Then Showtime channel announced the recruitment of actors in the series “Close Friends” (in the original, the name sounds like Queer as Folk). Interestingly, all roles have already been distributed. But the shooting was impossible to start, because it was not clear who he was - Brian Kinney? Actor Gail Harold successfully passed the test and became one. Oddly enough, there were no suitable candidates. Producers Ron Cowan and Dan Lipman said they were ready to tear their hair out: it's Friday, the actor is still gone, and filming will start on Monday! Also, casting agencies, because of homophobia developed at that time, boycotted the project of the series. And suddenly, the casting director called and said the phrase: “Get ready, he's here!” After that, Gail Harold entered the studio. Limpan and Cowan could not believe their eyes - that was how Brian Kinney was found. The actor did an excellent job with the role - it's hard to deny it. Particularly surprising is how sincere his game was and how he got used to the image. After all, Gail is straight and by nature a completely different person.
