As you'll likely already know, Jungle Cruise makes history by featuring the first openly gay character in one of Disney's live-action adaptations, and without spoiling anything, there's a touching scene in the movie which sees Jack Whitehall's MacGregor come out to Dwayne Johnson's skipper, Frank. Both actors were asked about the scene during the global press conference.
While there's definitely still a long way to go before blockbuster movies like this one fully represent the world we live in today, this is a moment that feels like a step in the right direction. That wasn't lost on either of Jungle Cruise's co-stars.
"I felt that the scene was really exactly what it was, which was two men talking about what they loved and who they loved," Johnson responded. "It was as simple as that. We were sharing a drink."
Whitehall adds: "Yeah, I think it was a scene that we really wanted to get right. What's so great about this movie is that all of the characters feel so fleshed out, and all of them have, you know, interesting backstories and are fully realized. In a lot of movies of this kind of genre, you'd [sometimes] have characters that are a little bit kinda two-dimensional."
"I think it's so great that we get to understand so much about each of these characters, and they all have reasons for being where they are and interesting and rich textured backstories," the British actor continued. "It makes you invested in them, and it makes you care about them. And it [takes you] on that journey with them."
In our review of the movie, we described Jungle Cruise as a "fun family blockbuster that reminds us why we love going to the movies," and with the option to watch it both on the big screen and at home, there's really no excuse not to hop aboard and check it out this weekend.
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