April 28, 2012 | Arts / Entertainment

Jack Black to play closeted gay man

Jack Black is back and this time he's playing a homosexual.

In the film Bernie, Black stars as Bernie Tiede, a closeted small-town Texan who befriends Marjorie Nugent (played by Shirley MacLaine), a cranky, bitter old widow. He murders Nugent after growing weary of her persistent nagging and non-stop put downs, but no one notices (or cares) that she's missing. It isn't until a few months later that the local district attorney (Matt McConaughey) begins to investigate.

The movie is actually based on a true story, (though in real life, Bernie has never confirmed his sexual orientation).

Black admitted that Bernie's interest in show tunes, pedicures and curtain making don't necessarily a homosexual make. “I've got two out of three there,” Black said. “I've got a big musical-theater background from high school. I was a big musical-theater nerd; Ben Vereen was my hero.

"and pedicures – I love a pedicure. Someone's gotta scrape off the cement down there on the heel. It's like the surface of Mars down there. As for curtain making, that's where I draw the line. I just have no interest in that. But I am sure there are straight dudes who have the trifecta under their belts. I'm certain of it.”

And for gay rights, Black said it was a no brainer.

“I've got a lot of gay and lesbian friends and family, so it's personal to me when people and the government start talking about them as less than," he said. "It just seems like one of the no-brainers in our society."

The film is set for limited release this weekend.

A Small-Town Murder by Just the Nicest Guy [New York Times]

Jack Black On Playing A Closeted Mortician In The Dark Comedy Bernie [Queerty]