A Quiet Place: Day One, a certified cinematic smash, has left LGBTQ+ fans disappointed after the director confirmed the lead character Eric is gay post-release.
After hitting cinemas in June, the third film in the horror franchise grossed a whopping $253.8million (£198.7million) at the global box office and scored an impressive 87% critics verdict on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film starred Lupita Nyong’o as terminal cancer patient Samira who is exploring New York City with her cat Frodo when destructive sound-sensitive aliens invade Earth.
Soon she teams up with English law student Eric (played by Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn) as they attempt to survive the apocalypse in the Big Apple.
The latest installment in the John Krasinski-helmed franchise was directed and co-written by Michael Sarnoski who recently confirmed a surprising fact about Eric – that he is canonically gay.
In an interview with FilmSpeak, Michael discussed Eric’s sexuality while explaining that Sam and Eric’s onscreen chemistry was always meant to be platonic.
‘It’s not really addressed in the movie but in some of the behind-the-scenes stuff he is intended to be a gay man,’ the Hollywood screenwriter said.
‘That was a quiet little aspect of his character that is informing some of [Sam and Eric’s dynamic]. This is a platonic relationship between two people that find platonic love.’
The confirmation comes shortly after People magazine released an exclusive deleted scene clip that depicted a meaningful chat between Sam and Eric about Eric’s origin story which implied he was not straight.
During the two-and-half-minute scene, Sam asks Eric why he was dressed in a suit on the subway when the aliens descended.
He explained that he left his ‘small town’ to come to New York where he would be ‘accepted’.
‘My dad had an idea of the sons he wanted and I wasn’t like that. Here, people didn’t really mind that part of me…’ Eric continued.
Before adding that he became ‘lonely’ and one day realised he didn’t ‘have a home anywhere’ which drove him to contemplate suicide.
But the post-release confirmation of Eric’s identity has left some fans upset given it was never addressed in the source material.
‘I’d like to tell straight people that it isn’t progressive to reveal that a character is gay despite not showing evidence of that in the text itself. It is the definition of tokenism. Either show it, however inconsequentially it’s displayed, or don’t bother,’ @flissreturneth wrote on X.
‘I have not seen the film but if the director has to come out and vocally confirm this, it was not explicit enough in the story,’ @the3rdjp echoed.
‘Maybe put it in the damn movie, then,’ @horrorqueers added.
Meanwhile, others lamented the fact that the deleted scene never made it to the big screen.
‘They deleted a scene which completely gives him more depth and understanding of his GAY character and honestly they couldn’t spare the 2 mins & 30 seconds?!?!?!,’ @francisdominiic shared.
‘Just saw the deleted scene from Quiet Place Day One it [pretty] much lays out that Joseph Quinn’s character is gay and I’m just, why would they write that, film that, cut it out entirely?? And then release it as a delete scene. Is that not weird,’ @mayamona added.
Although it is unclear whether Eric’s identity will be explored further in any future films, the prequel has recently been digitally released so fans can rent or buy the blockbuster on platforms such as Amazon and Apple TV.
Elsewhere, Joseph has previously spoken about his love for Michael and his script.
‘There was a quiet intimacy to the writing. It explored grief in a way that I haven’t seen on film in a while. Michael brings that flavour into this franchise, quite expertly.
‘This idea of grieving a life before. There is a peculiar kind of intimate relationship between Samira and Eric, amongst this very large, loud, alien thing.’
He added to LoveHorror about Lupita that she is ‘extraordinary’.
‘She’s formidable, fearless, very kind. A master of her craft. I was watching her do her thing and learning from that. It’s an experience I’m very grateful for.
‘She has been so generous with her time, advice, and experiences. She’s a wonderful friend, ultimately.’
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