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Out filmmaker honors late partner with period drama ‘Colette’
Early 20th century literary figure subject of glossy new biopic
Keira Knightley and Wash Westmoreland on the set of ‘Colette.’ (Photo by Robert Viglasky)
The sumptuous and sensual new movie “Colette” is really a love letter from filmmaker Wash Westmoreland to his late husband, the writer and director Richard Glatzer, as well as a tribute to the revolutionary spirit of the legendary French writer herself.
“My late husband was an avid reader. I never knew anyone who could get into books like Richard did,” Westmoreland says. “He just got obsessed with Colette. He read her fiction and started reading biographies and said there’s a film in here. Then I started reading and I agreed with him. This could be an amazing movie.”
But other projects came first, along with a serious health issue. In 2011, Glatzer was diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease often known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”
“For the last four years of his life,” Westmoreland says, “Richard lived with ALS which is a tremendously difficult disease. It’s very destructive to the body, but psychologically he was as strong as a rock. He never had any depression or self-pity. He just wanted to keep making movies. We made two movies during the last years of his life. The last one was ‘Still Alice.’”
Co-directed and co-written by Westmoreland and Glatzer, “Still Alice” (2014) starred Julianne Moore as Alice Howland, a linguistics professor who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Moore’s searing performance won numerous awards for best actress, including the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the BAFTA Film Award and the Dorian Award from GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.
“By the time the movie was going out into the world he was very ill. We watched the Oscars from the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Hospital,” Westmoreland says. “We snuck in a bottle of Champagne and when Julianne won we whooped so loud they thought it was a medical emergency and all these orderlies came running in. It was a nice moment, but it was an extremely difficult time.”
At the time, Glatzer was communicating with an iPad text-to-voice app that he activated with his toes. After the Oscar ceremony ended, Westmoreland asked his husband what he wanted to do next. Glatzer slowly typed out C-O-L-E-T-T-E. The movie opens next week in D.C.-area theaters.
“He died two weeks later. I knew I had to make the movie for him.”
Known to the world simply as Colette, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (played by Keira Knightley) was born in the provincial French town of Saint-Sauveur in 1873. She married Henri Gauthier-Villars (Dominic West), who wrote under the name of “Willy,” and he introduced her to the glittering literary and social world of turn-of-the-century “Belle Époque” Paris. After a tumultuous marriage with multiple infidelities on both sides, Willy and Colette divorced in 1910.
During their marriage and throughout both of her subsequent marriages, Colette had numerous affairs with women, including a long-term relationship with Mathilde de Morny, Marquise de Belbeuf, known as “Missy.” A sculptor and painter, Missy shocked Parisian society by openly having affairs with women, smoking cigars in public and dressing as a man.
Colette wrote until her death in 1953 and during her long career worked as a mime, journalist, actress and novelist. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948 and is now best known for her novel “Gigi” (1944) which became the basis for the famous Lerner and Loewe musical.
“Colette lived an incredible life,” Westmoreland says. “She was really a woman well ahead of her time.”
When he and Glatzer began working on the screenplay in 2001, they decided that Colette’s first marriage would be a natural narrative for a feature film. The final screenplay, which Westmoreland finished with Rebecca Lenkiewicz (“Disobedience”), focused on Colette’s marriage to Willy and relationship with Missy, and included the publication of the infamous “Claudine” novels.
“There are so many modern elements to her story,” Westmoreland says. “He had the gift of the gab and would take over the room with an anecdote. But he really wasn’t so good at sitting down and writing an extended piece. So he hired various ghostwriters to work for him, four or five struggling writers who worked in his ‘factory,’ rather like Warhol. Willy would pitch the idea, then he would edit, and then he would sign them, but he didn’t write them. It was sham, really, but he got away with it with his tremendous energy and personality and his huge projection into the social space.”
One of Willy’s ghostwriters was Colette herself. He got her to write for him a series of four novels that became huge bestsellers and claimed he was the author.
When the Claudine novels, witty and brazen stories loosely based on Colette’s own life, became a success, Willy established himself as a very modern “literary entrepreneur.”
“Once the books were a hit, Willie was a marketing genius,” Westmoreland says. “He created a brand: Claudine cigarettes, Claudine perfume, Claudine soap and Claudine dresses. It was like ‘Star Wars’ toys; George Lucas legendarily made more money from the toys than the movies.”
In addition, Colette and Willy also become the first modern celebrity couple—the toast of the Belle Époque.
“They were like John and Yoko or Brangelina,” he says. “Willie know how to feed the public’s fascination by dropping scandalous hints about their private life into the novels. People become fascinated with it, like a modern reality TV show.”
Westmoreland says Colette was one of the first women to write explicitly about sexuality from a woman’s perspective, a notion he says was groundbreaking. He used those aspects of Colette’s story to convince Knightly to take the challenging leading role, telling her Colette was a sexual pioneer who was having sex with men, women and a male-identified woman who can be seen as a forerunner of today’s trans community.
“It was so exciting for her to take on this character who was so courageous in the way she lived her life and so honest in the way he spoke about it.”
Colette’s revolutionary spirit also inspired the casting of some of the minor roles.
Westmoreland cast actor Jake Graf, a trans man, to play a cisgender character, Gaston De Caillavet, a rival of Willly’s. He also cast actress Rebecca Root, a trans woman, to play a cisgender woman, the famous novelist and hostess Rachilde. The movie also features Ray Panthaki, who’s Asian-British, playing Pierre Veber, a member of Willy’s factory who was white in real life; and Johnny K. Palmer, a black actor, playing another white figure, Paul Héon, who was Willy’s secretary.
“This does not happen frequently in making period pieces and too rarely happens in modern narratives, as well,” he says. “Since Colette was part of challenging convention and opening up the world, it felt right that the casting of the movie should reflect that. And besides, they are just great actors.”
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
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Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2025
‘Wicked,’ Lady Gaga’s new era, ‘Sexy’ Bailey and more
Although 2025 was a year marked by countless attacks on trans rights and political setbacks, the year also saw brilliant queer artists continuing to create art. From Cannes and Sundance Award winners now vying for Oscar consideration to pop icons entering new stages of their careers, queer people persevered to tell their stories through different media.
With the state of the world so uncertain, perhaps there’s no more vital time to celebrate our wins, as seen through some of this year’s top pop culture moments. While there’s no collection of 10 stories that fully encompass “the most important” news, here are some events that got the gays going:
10. ‘Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo’ wins big at Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival has become a crucial start for films hoping to make their way to the Oscars, and first-time director Diego Céspedes won the top Un Certain Regard prize for his intimate western “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.” The film is set in the ‘80s and is intended as an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. Seeing a film that unpacks vital queer history win one of the most coveted awards at Cannes has been a huge point of pride in the independent filmmaking community.
Since the film bowed at Cannes, it has been selected as Chile’s Oscar entry in the Best International Feature race. Speaking with The Blade during the film’s AFI Fest run in October, Céspedes said: At first, I was kind of scared to have this campaign position in the times that we’re living [in] here. But at the same time, I think the Oscars mean a huge platform — a huge platform for art and politics.”
9. ‘The Last of Us’ returns for an even gayer season 2
While the first season of The Last of Us gave us one of TV’s most heartbreaking queer love stories in the episode “Long, Long Time,” Season 2 doubled down on its commitment to queer storytelling with the blossoming relationship between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). The show expanded on the pair’s relationship in the original video game, making it perhaps the central dynamic to the entire season. That unfortunately came with more homophobic backlash on the internet, but those who checked out all the episodes saw a tender relationship form amid the show’s post-apocalyptic, often violent backdrop. For their performance, Ramsey was once again nominated for an Emmy, but Merced deserved just as much awards attention.
8. ‘Emilia Pérez’ sparks controversy
Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending trans musical “Emilia Pérez” proved to be an awards season juggernaut this time last year, winning the Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy. But when the lead star Karla Sofia Gascón’s racist, sexist, and homophobic old tweets resurfaced, the film’s Oscar campaign became a tough sell, especially after Netflix had tried so hard to sell Emilia Pérez as the “progressive” film to vote for. Mind you, the film had already received significant backlash from LGBTQ+ audiences and the Mexican community for its stereotypical and reductive portrayals, but the Gascón controversy made what was originally just social media backlash impossible to ignore. The only person who seemed to come out of the whole debacle unscathed was Zoe Saldaña, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress over Ariana Grande.
7. ‘Sorry, Baby’ establishes Eva Victor as major talent
Back in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Eva Victor (known by many for her brand of sketch comedy) premiered their directorial debut “Sorry, Baby” to rave reviews, even winning the Waldo Salt Screening Award. Victor shadowed Jane Schoenbrun on the set of “I Saw the TV Glow,” and seeing Victor come into their own and establish such a strong voice immediately made them one of independent cinema’s most exciting new voices. A memorable scene in the film sees the main character, Agnes (played by Victor), struggling to check a box for male or female, just one example of how naturally queerness is woven into the fabric of the story.
Most recently, Victor was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, and she’s represented in a category alongside Jennifer Lawrence (“Die My Love”), Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Julia Roberts (“After the Hunt”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”). The film also received four Independent Spirit Award nominations overall.
6. Paul Reubens comes out in posthumous doc
While Paul Reubens never publicly came out as gay before passing away in 2023, the two-part documentary “Pee-wee as Himself” premiered back in May on HBO Max, giving the legendary comedian a chance to posthumously open up to the world. Directed by Matt Wolf, the documentary explores how Reubens found his alter ego Pee-Wee Herman and why he kept his private life private.
The documentary won an Emmy in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category and remains one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the year with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Also worth noting, the National Geographic documentary Sally told the posthumous coming out story of Sally Ride through the help of her long-time partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy.
5. Lady Gaga releases ‘Mayhem’
Lady Gaga entered a new phase of her musical career with the release of Mayhem, her seventh album to date. From the frenzy-inducing pop hit Abracadabra to the memorable Bruno Mars duet featured on “Die With a Smile,” seeing Gaga return to her roots and make an album for the most die-hard of fans was especially rewarding after the underwhelming film releases of “House of Gucci” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Gaga has been touring with The Mayhem Ball since July, her first arena tour since 2018. She even extended her tour into 2026 with more North American dates, so the party isn’t stopping anytime soon. And Gaga is even set to make an appearance next May in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
4. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande perform at the Oscars
While “Wicked: For Good” didn’t quite reach the heights of the first film, we will forever have Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s breathtaking live performance that opened the 97th Academy Awards. The pair sang a rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” “Home,” and “Defying Gravity,” paying proper homage to the original 1939 “Wizard of Oz.” Even non-Wicked fans can’t deny how magical and brilliantly staged this performance was. With both Erivo and Grande up for acting Oscars last year, they’re hoping to repeat success and make history with consecutive nominations. Either way, let’s hope there’s another live performance in the making, especially with two new original songs (The Girl in the Bubble and No Place Like Home) in the mix.
3. Indya Moore speaks out against Ryan Murphy
Indya Moore has consistently used social media as a platform for activism, and in September, posted a 30-minute Instagram live speaking out against “Pose” co-creator Ryan Murphy. Moore claimed that Murphy wasn’t being a true activist for trans people. “Ryan Murphy, we need you to do more. You need to address the racism, the violence, and the targeting of people on your productions, Ryan Murphy. You do need to make sure trans people are paid equally. Yes, Janet did the right thing,” Moore said. Murphy was also back in the headlines this year for the critically panned “All’s Fair” and the controversial “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” starring Laurie Metcalf and Charlie Hunnam.
2. Cole Escola wins Tony for Best Leading Actor
Few pop culture moments this year brought us together more than Cole Escola winning a Tony award for “Oh, Mary!” the Broadway show they created, wrote and starred in (we love a triple threat!) Escola made history by becoming the first nonbinary person to win a Tony in the leading actor category, and seeing them excitedly rush to the stage wearing a Bernadette Peters-inspired gown instantly became a viral social media moment.
The cherry on top of Escola’s major moment is the recent news that they are writing a Miss Piggy movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone producing — news that also broke the internet for the better. We cannot wait!
1. Jonathan Bailey makes gay history as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’
The same year as his on-screen roles in blockbusters “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Wicked: For Good,” Jonathan Bailey made history as the first openly gay man to be named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” The fact that it took 40 years for an openly gay man to earn the title is a signifier of how far we still have to go with queer representation, and seeing Bailey celebrated is just one small step in the right direction.
“There’s so many people that want to do brilliant stuff who feel like they can’t,” he told PEOPLE, “and I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment. So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.” In 2024, Bailey founded the charity titled The Shameless Fund, which raises money for LGBTQ+ organizations.
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Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties
Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more
With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.
Pitchers
This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.
Trade
D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.
Number Nine
While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.
Crush
Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.
Bunker
This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.
District Eagle
This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.
Kiki, Shakiki
Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.
Spark
This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).
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