Renée Zellweger: Why Judy Garland is a gay icon

Brut America

Oscar frontrunner Renée Zellweger spoke with Brut about Judy Garland and her positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community.

Transcript

00:00My question to my friends was what is it that you think is the appeal?

00:07What do you think is the thing that has drawn so many people to sort of feel that she,

00:15I don't know, in some way represents advocacy for the community?

00:20Somewhere over the rainbow

00:28When she's singing about not finding love, when she sings about feeling alone,

00:32when she says, you know, that she's not going to give up, I'll make my own way,

00:36all of these things are inspirational for anyone who feels that the deck is stacked against them some way

00:42or that they have felt lost or cruelty.

00:58When people would mention, oh, you know, there's a lot of gay people in your audience,

01:03a lot of homosexuals in your audience, and she would say, nobody's going to make fun of my audiences,

01:08I love my audiences.

01:10I can only imagine what that must have meant, especially back then,

01:15when it was not only illegal to live authentically, but very dangerous to live authentically,

01:25and that you could be ostracized and have no protection under the law.

01:29I mean, it's so outrageous.

01:31And then someone of her stature would come out and speak publicly in your defense

01:35and acknowledge that she sees you.

01:38And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true

01:50She's singing about dreaming the place where you belong, of belongingness,

01:55of feeling different than everyone else, but hoping that at some point you're going to find your place,

02:00or recognizing at the end of The Wizard of Oz that, oh, you have enough.

02:05You have enough within yourself all along.

02:08You don't need to go to the fantasy place.

02:10You don't need to be given it by some magical wizard,

02:13but that it lives within you to create and manifest your dreams.

02:17I mean, what that must mean in the imagination of a child who feels ostracized in some way.

02:23I mean, indelible, right?

02:25And what must it mean to someone who feels that they can't exist authentically,

02:30and a woman who is so beloved as Judy Garland speaks out and says,

02:35uh-uh, that must have meant everything.

02:38She never gave up having hope, and likewise inspires us all.

02:45I had London Pride last year, one of the most special days of my life.

02:50You won't forget me, will you?

02:53In a love...

02:55Promise you won't.

02:56When we premiered the trailer and shared it for the first time with anybody on the screen at, you know, London Pride,

03:06and everyone joined in singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow,

03:11suddenly the celebration expanded.

03:14It just grew.

03:15Like, everybody jumped in and joined in the celebration, and it made me cry.

03:19It just brought me to tears.

03:21It just felt so special to me that 50 years after her passing in London,

03:26in London we were all singing together because she mattered.

03:31You know?

03:32It just...and what she did mattered, and how she advocated mattered.

03:36Somewhere over the rainbow

03:44Skies are blue

03:50And the dreams that you dare to dream

03:57Really do come true

04:06LONDON PRIDE

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