'Hollywood': Why Rock Hudson's 'Dynasty' kiss with Linda Evans led to a witch-hunt against him
In Ryan Murphy's 'Hollywood' of the 1940s, Rock Hudson is an openly gay actor and quite the player in tinsel town. His most controversial stunt is probably arriving at the 1948 Oscars to make his first-ever public appearance with boyfriend Archie Coleman as a couple. Nervous and fidgety, they are met with radio silence the moment they step out of the car holding hands, and soon showered with boos and jeers by the onlooking public just not ready to accept an openly gay relationship.
While the story does digress from Hudson's reality as a closeted actor, appearing with an African American boyfriend is also not the biggest controversy Hudson found surrounding himself. Back in the mid-80s, Hudson found himself in headlines after kissing co-star Linda Evans for a scene in 'Dynasty'. The reason? Hudson had also been secretly diagnosed with AIDS at the time.
Hudson played the role of Daniel on the hit TV soap opera, 'Dynasty'; Evans, his love interest, Krystle. And what better source than the woman who had to be one half of the infamous kiss herself to share with the public just why it caught the public's eye so bad. In her book, 'Recipes for Life: My Memories', Evans described in detail how that 1984 kiss happened, when she was still unaware of Hudson's diagnoses, as were his lovers and current boyfriend at the time, Marc Cristian. “Instead of passionately kissing me,” Evans shares in her book, adding: "Rock just barely brushed his lips over mine and then backed away.”
Several attempts at the kiss later, when Hudson still kept being just as evasive, the director desperately suggested she herself trying to make the kiss more passionate. Weeks later, when they tried shooting the kiss again, the same thing repeated: Hudson just wouldn't actually kiss Evans. And soon the reason behind was spilled, it was blown up to insurmountable proportions. Back in the day, the transmission of the disease was considered possible from mere kissing, even though now it's been established to not be a risk factor anymore. So, even with Evans writing in her book, “In retrospect, it was incredibly touching how hard he tried to protect me," Hudson had to bear the brunt of keeping his diagnosis disclosed.
It began with relentless reporting on Hudson's diagnosis, as reports the LA Times citing how Channel 7 reporter Harold Greene spiced the rumor mill, asking on live television “Is it possible that Rock Hudson transmitted AIDS to actress Linda Evans during love scenes” on 'Dynasty'? The publication reports two years after the kiss that sparked it all, it had been more or less established mere kissing doesn't transmit AIDS, but the news channel persisted with their questions, even suggesting that Aaron Spelling, producer of the ABC series, had cast members tested for the disease.
When asked, Spelling told the publication: "I swear on my children, that’s absolutely not true. Not only would we not pay, we haven’t even talked to anybody about it. They (Channel 7) never even called me about this. They have no humanity.” He also insisted Evans herself had told him, “I am not sick and I’m not frightened of anything. Where do these stories get started?”
Channel 7 wasn't the only one oiling the mill, and as news channels continued berating and slamming Hudson for exposing others to his supposed contagion, angry masses also reportedly wrote to news publications complaining about how Hudson put everyone around him at risk by not informing them of his diagnoses. In reality, however, Hudson felt agonized and 'trapped' when the prospect to kiss Evans came up.
In an excerpt from his book, 'Rock Hudson: The Story', as shared in a 1980s issue of People magazine, Hudson reportedly asked his secretary, Mark Miller, right after receiving the script just a week before the kiss was shot, "'I’ve got to kiss Linda. What the hell am I going to do?' He was trapped," Miller had told the outlet about Hudson's predicament, adding: "He couldn’t ask them to change the script. He felt either you announce you have AIDS or kiss the lady."
According to the excerpt from the book, co-written with journalist Sara Davidson, "On the day the kiss with Linda Evans was shot, Rock used every gargle, mouthwash and spray he could get his hands on. He told Mark, ‘the kiss is over with. Thank God.’ He said it was one of the worst days in his life."
Actor George Nader, a close friend of Hudson, had also shared with the outlet just how terrified the superstar was about his then partner, Christian, revealing his secret. The night the kiss was shown, Nader had taped the episode, shares the excerpt. "I could see where Rock kept his lips closed and hit Linda on the side of the cheek for a brief, chaste kiss,″ he shared. "He did not open his mouth, no saliva was exchanged."
Before learning of his ailment, Hudson reportedly had had sex with three men, all of whom received anonymous notes from the actor to get tested, reveals the excerpt. After what Spelling has labeled was a 'witch hunt' against the actor by almost everybody possible, Hudson died of AIDS just a year after that infamous kiss, which caused it all, on October 2, 1985. He was 59 at the time. It is not known yet whether Murphy's rendition of Hollywood will showcase the prejudice Hudson had endured from people rushing to spew rumors, but here's hoping thew show does him some justice, compared to all the malpractices and unethical reporting he was a victim of.
'Hollywood' drops on Friday, May 1, with all seven episodes, only on Netflix.