\u201cI’m playing a guy who \u2014 in the thrust of love, excitement and romance \u2014 is on an incredible journey he can’t believe he’s there for, and then, with tragedy, is again on an incredible journey,\u201d Parsons told HuffPost . \u201cIt’s a deep-dive journey that these two souls go on together. I felt very hungry to get the chance to portray that as best I could.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Watch the trailer for \u201cSpoiler Alert\u201d above. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/picture><\/div>\nJim Parsons (left) and Ben Aldridge in “Spoiler Alert.” <\/figcaption>\n
Linda Kallerus\/Focus Features<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n
Directed by Michael Showalter, \u201cSpoiler Alert\u201d follows Ausiello (played by Parsons), an endearingly nerdy journalist who falls for an aspiring photographer, Kit Cowan (Ben Aldridge), after a dance floor meet-cute. Before long, the two men are living together and hosting dinner parties in their chic New York apartment. Their 13-year relationship is sadly tested, however, when Cowan is diagnosed with a rare form of neuroendocrine cancer. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The real-life Cowan died in 2015 at age 43, and as a love story, \u201cSpoiler Alert\u201d is first and foremost a tearjerker. Still, the movie offers plenty of humor and heart, most notably in scenes that recall the early days of Ausiello and Cowan’s romance. It also boasts a stellar supporting cast, including Sally Field and Bill Irwin as Cowan’s parents, Bob and Marilyn. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ausiello, who is the founder and editorial director of the entertainment outlet TVLine, began writing \u201cSpoiler Alert\u201d at the suggestion of an editor at the Simon & Schuster book publishing company who had taken note of his Facebook statuses throughout Cowan’s illness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/picture><\/div>\nWriter Michael Ausiello (left) with Parsons and Aldridge. <\/figcaption>\n
Kimberly White via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n
A week after the book was published in 2017, Parsons and his husband, Todd Spiewak, approached him at a Q&A in San Francisco to tell him they wanted to adapt the book as a movie. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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When it came to translating his story, the writer had just one stipulation for screenwriters David Marshall Grant and Dan Savage. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cI didn’t want the movie to portray Kit as a victim,\u201d Ausiello, also an executive producer on the film, said. \u201cHe wasn’t a victim, he didn’t see himself as a victim and never acted like a victim. I also wanted to depict the fact that his parents showed up for their son when he got sick. They didn’t shy away from the hard stuff. They were there for their son.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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In keeping with Ausiello’s advice, Aldridge plays up Kit’s debonair charm even as his body succumbs to cancer. The actor, whose credits include \u201cFleabag\u201d and \u201cPennyworth,\u201d described the experience as \u201cvery life-affirming and exhilarating.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/picture><\/div>\n\u201cIt’s important to risk rejection and risk heartbreak to live your fullest life,\u201d said Parsons (right, with co-star Sally Field).<\/figcaption>\n
Linda Kallerus\/Focus Features<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n
Though \u201cSpoiler Alert\u201d isn’t an overtly political film, its stars are conscious of the fact that it’s being released at a challenging time for the queer community. The Supreme Court’s ultraconservative rulings on abortion and gun control as of late have sparked justifiable concerns among many Americans that LGBTQ rights, including same-sex marriage, could soon be rolled back at the federal level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIf it changed minds, that would be incredible \u2014 I couldn’t ask for more,\u201d Aldridge said. \u201cBut we just saw a chance to tell a story that felt real to us. Love is love, and this movie is real proof of that.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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As for Parsons, his biggest takeaway from \u201cSpoiler Alert\u201d is personal. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cAs we were filming, I realized that one of the most painful things in my life is something I do to myself, which is not telling other people when I love them or when I care about them for fear of rejection or for fear of looking sentimental or caring more than might be cool,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s important to risk rejection and risk heartbreak to live your fullest life.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n