“Nine” director Rob Marshall talks to The Advocate: “Some of the greatest artists in the world are or were openly gay…”

There’s a good reason why a Q&A with Rob Marshall just posted on Advocate,com has headline The Diva Whisperer. The Oscar-nominated director of Chicago has a new movie musical coming out Dec. 18 called Nine, based on a hit Broadway show.

The cast includes Oscar winners Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, and Sophia Loren as well as Fergie and Kate Hudson (The leading man, by the way, in two-time Oscar winner Daniel-Day Lewis).

Here are some excerpts from Rob’s chat with Brandon Voss:

Advocate.com: Three of the films getting the most Oscar buzz this season — Precious, A Single Man, and Nine — are all directed by gay men. What does that mean to you?
Rob Marshall: Gosh, I never even put that together, so thank you for pointing that out. But now that you’ve brought it up, I guess my response is that of course they are! Some of the greatest artists in the world are or were openly gay — or at least gay, whether they were open or not — and some of my greatest idols were gay: Michael Bennett, George Cukor, Vincente Minnelli, in his way. Those are my heroes.

Coming from the more gay-inclusive theater world, what has been your personal experience with the Hollywood closet?
I haven’t had that experience with any of the actors or actresses I’ve worked with, and I think that would actually be difficult for me if I ever did. If you’re hiding your life, how can you really do the best work you can do? I only work — and this is very important to me — with people who I feel are truthful, honest, and real. I’m so proud of my friend Neil Patrick Harris and the other people brave enough to say, “This is who I am.”

Now that you’ve worked with Fergie, is there another pop artist you’d like to direct in a film?
I think Adam Lambert is an incredibly talented guy, and I’d like to work with him very much. He comes from musicals and theater, so I have this feeling he’ll have a big career past the pop world, and that’s exciting. Because I see how he works — he works as an actor when he sings.

While you’re at it, we also need a good vehicle for Lady Gaga.
Yes, we do. Although she scares me a little bit. She just does. What can I say? I think she’s theatrical and fantastic, but anyone who mutilates herself onstage and then lies there bleeding is a bit scary for my taste.