As a straight man, director Joel Edgerton says he was initially reluctant to lead a film telling a gay man's story.
Boy Erased is based on the real-life teenage experiences of writer Garrard Conley, who, while growing up in Bible Belt America, was sent by his God-fearing parents to undergo "conversion therapy" to "cure" his homosexuality.After reading Conley's memoir, Edgerton says he became "obsessed" - knowing the story could reach a different audience and make a real impact on the big screen.
He just wasn't sure he was qualified for the job.
Diversity in Hollywood is in the spotlight like never before. Edgerton was worried he wouldn't fully be able to do Conley's story justice, without having those shared experiences to draw from.
But at the same time, as he tells Sky News, he couldn't let it go.Edgerton explained: "There's beautifully and wonderfully currently a really hot microscope of sorts on representation, behind the camera as well as in front.
"Mainly in front of the camera - you see time and time again studios making mistakes in the way in which they represent identity and culture and sexuality and religion and colour of skin on screen.
