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This is the gayest film ever made,” Zack Snyder tells Total Film. It’s May 2020 and we’re discussing 300, the alpha-male Spartan fantasy that redefined the historical epic, but not without attracting some controversy. The director’s comments may jar with some critics - there’s no homosexuality portrayed on screen and the Spartan king, Leonidas, played by Gerard Butler, even disparages the Athenians by calling them “boy lovers” - and yet Snyder vehemently disagrees with those who allege otherwise.
“It literally celebrates this masculine form in a way that is transformative for people,” Snyder continues. “I remember being asked, ‘Is your movie pro-gay or pro-NRA?’ I was like, ‘What? It’s both, I guess?’”