Even though we’re still a long way from what would be an ideal world environment for LGBTQ+ people, we can’t deny the kind of progress that we’ve made over the last couple of decades. When it comes to how harmful prejudice can be, one of the most notable examples of this is Golden Age Hollywood star Rock Hudson. In the documentary Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed, HBO is set to dissect the career of one of cinema’s biggest icons.

Hudson rose to prominence in the 1950s, a time when homosexuality was perceived as a sin, depravity or mental illness. The more famous he became, the less he was free to be who he was, since the smallest connection with any gay person could put his entire career to rest. That’s why Hudson became the most famous “closeted homosexual” in the movie industry, with his “secret” only getting revealed to the public after he disclosed his HIV diagnosis and died a year later.

In Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed we’ll get to re-live the phenomenon that Hudson was, a kind of stardom that we no longer see in tabloids. Desired by women and seen as a role model by men, Hudson didn’t make his sexual orientation a secret to close friends, but was instructed to never ever take a picture together with the men he was romantically involved with. At the peak of his career, Hudson’s masculinity and “virility” was played up by studios and tabloids, which made the shock when his sexually was revealed all the more impactful.

Rock Hudson: A Legendary Career

Hudson starred in some of the biggest classics in cinema history, including Magnificent Obsession, Bengal Brigade, Pillow Talk and Giant – for which he was nominated for an Oscar. The actor’s HIV diagnosis and posterior death will also be covered by the documentary, since he ended up becoming a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community in the mid-80s – a time when the community fought tooth and nail for doctors to take AIDS seriously and start researching treatment and possible cure.

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed is directed by Stephen Kijak, an award-winning filmmaker who helmed We Are X, If I Leave Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Shoplifters of the World. In the upcoming documentary, the subtitle All That Heaven Allowed is a reference to one of the actor’s breakout performances, aside from the obvious connection with religion and sexuality.

HBO and Max premiere Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed on June 28. You can watch the trailer below:

via Collider