Queer Nirvana
By Lawrence Ferber

Edgy actor Michael Pitt discusses kissing males co-stars, questioning his sexuality, and playing the Kurt Cobain-inspired character in Gus Van Sant's Last Days.

Michael Pitt rocks. In Hedwig and the Angry Inch he played Tommy Gnosis, the title character's rockstar boyfriend/betrayer. He also plays a queer rocker, but one far removed from Hedwig's glittery fiction, in his latest film -- Gus Van Sant's Last Days, which imagines how the final hours and suicide of Nirvana's legendary Kurt Cobain might have transpired.

Looking uncannily like Cobain with long blond locks, a faceful of stubble, and a dress to boot (the pro-gay, feminist, bisexual Cobain also gender-bent occasionally), Pitt plays Blake, frontsman of a hot alternative band. Surrounded by people who all seem to want something from him, Blake has withdrawn from society. He sits around a dilapidated stone mansion in a daze, mutters to himself, jams alone, and avoids contact with the outside world (including a Courtney Love-esque character on the telephone). Finally, some friends and a detective arrive looking for Blake ... and a good time.

Known for his edgy, polysexual turns, Pitt previously appeared in Van Sant's Finding Forrester, Larry Clark's Bully, Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers, star/director Asia Argento's adaptation of queer novelist JT Leroy's The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, and the upcoming Jailbait, in which Pitt plays a young prisoner who's turned out by a cellmate. Also a rocker offstage, he plays in a band, Pagoda, with fellow actor Ryan Donowho -- two of Pitt's own compositions, "That Day," and "Death to Birth," appear in Last Days. Like in Van Sant's previous film, Elephant, there's a scene of same-sex intimacy in Last Days, which Pitt discussed during our phone conversation.

Were you intimidated about playing such an iconic role?

Yeah. There were two big reservations, why I was scared to do the film. One was it was based on Kurt. The other was that I make my own music and I didn't want people to think I was doing it to promote my own music or distract them from listening to what I make with my band.

Did you voice these concerns to Gus?

Yeah, but he didn't pay too much attention. (laughs) Gus doesn't tell you much, which is great for me but for some actors it's scary. But he's really open to everything. He tries and orchestrates what he thinks is a good idea. I love Gus. For me, he's one of the more important American directors and as a friend he's such a great guy.

How much did you research Cobain?

A lot of the research I did was just based on my own discipline. A lot was revisiting things I'd already seen or read. Again, it was more of a film for him than about him, so I didn't really pay attention to dates and times. I was fascinated to hear what sort of person he was from stories [music consultant/Sonic Youth member] Thurston Moore would tell me.

Did you ever meet Courtney?

No. I didn't really ask to meet anybody to tell you the truth. Partly because I figured if there was someone that Gus thought it was important for me to meet, he would have set me up.

Who chose the dress you wore?

I did. I believe it was a slip, the one I thought I looked best in. I wasn't going to turn down the chance to wear a slip. They had me in some pretty horrible dresses at first.

Did it take a long time to grow out the hair and beard?

The hair was mine. It was good because normally I have to cut my hair for films, which is really degrading.

In at least one interview, Cobain said that he was bisexual. He was also very pro-gay. Were you aware of this side of him?

I wasn't aware of his bisexuality other than just ... normally. You know? For me, I think he was conscious of repression and rejection. He was also big on women's rights. This is still rare [for a celebrity to say openly], I think. Yeah, good for him.

Have you questioned your own sexuality? Have you wondered if you were bisexual?

I don't know. Based on my choices I think people assume I'm open. I think everyone is [bisexual]. But I don't know. I try not to concern myself, especially about what people think. I don't really judge it at all.

For a while JT Leroy wrote about his crush on you and the time you would spend together. Any thoughts about that?

I didn't really like JT being so public about it but I see why he was, I think.

Here's something I've wanted to ask for a while: John Cameron Mitchell, on the Hedwig commentary, remarked that you were "passive-aggressive" while shooting the big kissing scene and would eat onions and garlic beforehand. True?

No. Passive aggressive? (laughs) That scene ... it was kind of painful because he had five o'clock shadow.

There's a brief scene in Last Days where Lukas Haas and Scott Green go into a room and start making out. Do you know anything about the conception of that scene?

I know the real scene you never saw! Gus was telling me there was a much harder, more graphic scene in the original cut. I think it didn't stay in because Gus was worried it would be distracting. I think they were naked. I remember Lukas was really excited about doing it. My girlfriend loved [the scene]. She was really upset when she heard they didn't use the more graphic one.

How much did you hang out and interact with the other actors between takes? Your character is so isolated.

For me it's not necessarily hard to leave my character. It's hard for me to stay in. So while I saw them every day, I had to keep this isolation with myself, which was unfortunate because I like them all and I was worried they thought I was a dick. But it was more about keeping isolated, keeping focused.

Did you begin to feel a sense of isolation that actually got you down?

Yeah, there were a lot of times when I was overcome with sadness.

How do you feel about the decision Cobain made to end his life?

To me it’s just sad. I don’t judge him for it. I was really young at the time, 11 or 12. I wasn’t really a fan at that time, but I remember walking into school and seeing everyone was in black and that kind of struck me.

Some people ... you know, I don't even want to know what Tom Cruise would say about it. TomKat!

Fucking hilarious (laughs). I wonder. Now I'm really curious about what [Tom] would say. I find the whole [Tom Cruise] thing so entertaining!

Don't you dare get near that Scientology Church, Michael!

I don't think they'd have me. (laughs)

Any other thoughts you'd like to get out there regarding Last Days?

When you go see this film, don't come looking for any kinds of answers of conspiracies of what happened. It's more of a poem.