As one of the great myths of the 20th century, new narratives about the figure of James Dean must be created to ensure his legacy does not fade. Just when it seemed like everything had been told about the star, Jason Colavito has published the book Jimmy: The Secret Life of James Dean where he reveals an important detail that would condition his life.
An ex-lover of Dean named Rogers Brackett allegedly blackmailed and threatened him to reveal his sexuality before the release of his first film, East of Eden (1955), which was the origin of a new type of rebellion that opposed that of Marlon Brando. According to the author, the ex-lover filed a lawsuit against the actor in the New York Municipal Court for $1,100, as he wanted to recover what he had invested in the young man after their separation, but fortunately, they reached an extra-confidential agreement in which the actor paid him around $800 in 1954. The transaction was made weekly at a rate of $100.
'Giant': hidden homosexuality, jealousy, envy, and an untimely death
The Daily Mail has published excerpts from this biography in which the actor ended up feeling sexually exploited. Colavito has also explained in the newspaper with evidence in hand that "in the correspondence between Brackett's team and Dean's team, the threat of making the lawsuit public is implied, something that both Brackett and Dean knew would destroy Dean's career."
Before becoming a big star, Dean worked as a parking attendant in front of the CBS studios, where he met Brackett, a publicist 15 years older with means who caught his eye. The future actor had little money, seemed forlorn and in need of protection. For a year, he maintained relations with this executive who even managed to get him some acting gigs, as thanks to him, James worked on the series Alias Jane Noe, let him stay at his house for a while, and helped him avoid being drafted into the army.
The military service issue left him stunned, as Brackett forced him to see a psychiatrist to acknowledge his homosexuality and, in this way, avoid serving the country. A situation that deeply affected James Dean as it shattered his fragile masculinity.
Colavito admits in the Daily Mail that "Brackett used his power and wealth to keep Dean safe. He sent him to a compliant psychiatrist for a series of simulated sessions to prove his homosexuality, but this tore apart Dean's fragile masculinity." The writer has in his possession several letters that show Brackett's feelings: "Sometimes he behaves like a child (James Dean). He is upset only by receiving my attention. He was a child I loved, sometimes as a father figure and sometimes not being a father."
In the 1950s, the government viewed communists and "deviants" - as they called homosexuals - as individuals deserving of harsh punishment in prison, with the impossibility of finding work and being stigmatized for their behavior, morals, and beliefs.
James Dean suffered greatly in private due to his male preferences. At least, during the filming of Giant - his posthumous film - he found in Elizabeth Taylor the ideal confidante. The actress with violet eyes was the keeper of secrets not only for James Dean but also for Rock Hudson, who hid his homosexuality to avoid the punishment of the backward industry of the time.