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‘Call Me By Your Name’ screenwriter criticizes film for lack of nudity

James Ivory claims Luca Guadagnino did consider more skin in the movie

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8 years ago

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(Screenshot courtesy of YouTube)

“Call Me By Your Name” screenwriter James Ivory blasted director Luca Guadagnino for not including more nudity in the film.

In an interview with the Guardian, the openly gay screenwriter claims Guadagnino did consider filming nude scenes with Elio and Oliver but changed his mind. For Ivory, whose “Call Me By Your Name” screenplay won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the lack of nudity made the film unrealistic.

“When Luca says he never thought of putting nudity in, that is totally untrue,” Ivory says. “He sat in this very room where I am sitting now, talking about how he would do it, so when he says that it was a conscious aesthetic decision not to ― well, that’s just bullshit.”

“When people are wandering around before or after making love, and they’re decorously covered with sheets, it’s always seemed phony to me,” he continued. “I never liked doing that. And I don’t do it, as you know.”

He compared “Call Me By Your Name” to the 1987 film “Maurice,” a gay love story set at the turn of the 20th century in England. Ivory directed the film adaptation of the novel by E.M. Forester.

“The two guys have had sex and they get up and you certainly see everything there is to be seen,” Ivory says. “To me, that’s a more natural way of doing things than to hide them, or to do what Luca did, which is to pan the camera out of the window toward some trees.”

Guadagnino has defended his decision to keep nudity out of the film.

“I am the least prudish director you can meet. I’ve been very precise in using the female and male body on screen to convey all kind of emotions. I thought that the display of nudity in this specific movie was absolutely irrelevant and I understand that for James it would have been relevant but that is his vision, what is clear is that we had no limitations on what we wanted to do,” Guadagnino told the Independent. 

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PHOTOS: Frederick Pride Festival

LGBTQ celebration held at Carroll Creek Park

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12 hours ago

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June 30, 2026

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A scene from the 2026 Frederick Pride Festival. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 13th annual Frederick Pride Festival was held at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, June 27.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival

LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town

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1 day ago

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June 29, 2026

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A scene from the 2026 Fredericksburg Pride March. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Iran, Egypt play in World Cup ‘Pride Match’

FIFA allowed Pride flags inside Seattle stadium

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2 days ago

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June 28, 2026

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(Screen capture via KOMO News/YouTube)

Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.

Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”

Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.

FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”

Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.

“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”

“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”

Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.

“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.

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