Gus Kenworthy Says a Gay Kiss Was Cut From ‘80 for Brady’

If you purchased a ticket for 80 for Brady expecting to see grandmas, Gus Kenworthy, and a gay kiss, you only got two out of the three. In an interview with Variety, the former Olympic freestyle skier said that he shot a scene for 80 for Brady in which he could be seen “making out” with M3GAN actor and comedian Brian Jordan Alvarez—but the kiss didn’t make it into the final edit.

“They said they had to cut it for time, but I think they cut it for Middle America,” said Kenworthy. Kenworthy told Variety that he and Alvarez, who plays his boyfriend in the film, shot multiple takes of the kiss, which got increasingly steamy. “They used the script for one take, but then we did it, like, four or five times where we would just ad-lib insults at each other and then make out,” said Kenworthy. “Some of them got raunchy. Release the tapes!”

The 80 for Brady production company Fifth Season confirmed in a statement that about 20 minutes were cut out of the film before it reached theaters, “including key scenes with cast members, along with cameo appearances such as Gus and Brian’s kissing scene.” However, Fifth Season claimed that the gay makeout was left on the cutting-room floor “purely for pacing reasons.” 

“We value and celebrate the contributions of the filmmakers and all of the incredible talent involved with the movie, including those members of the LGBTQ community,” read the statement, per Entertainment Weekly. “We are deeply committed to meeting the needs of each individual film while maintaining our values as an inclusive studio.”

Sally Field, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Rita Moreno star in 80 for Brady as four octogenarian friends who are just wild about recently retired quarterback Tom Brady. Kenworthy, who came out as gay in 2015, is no stranger to kissing men onscreen, making headlines for kissing then boyfriend Matt Wilkas at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Kenworthy has since retired from skiing, and in the last several years he’s appeared in television projects including Will & Grace and American Horror Story: 1984. In an interview with People, Kenworthy revealed that he had officially been bitten by the acting bug, saying he would love to star in an LGBTQ-themed romantic comedy à la Billy Eichner’s Bros.

“I loved romantic comedies—to this day, they’re still, like, my favorite movies,” said Kenworthy. “I just think it’s such a great formula, and I would love to get to plug into that and play the lead of a rom-com, but also [to] get to play gay would be a dream.” Look out for 40 for Kenworthy, coming soon to a theater near you.