Marc Maron turned down the role as Hugh Jackman’s boyfriend because it needed “more gayness”.

Marc Maron said he turned down a role opposite Hugh Jackman Bad Education because it needed “more gayness”.

The actor, comedian and podcast host auditioned to play Jackman’s character’s boyfriend in the fact-based 2018 drama.

However, Maron, who is straight, suggested he thought the role wasn’t enough.

“[The role was] Hugh Jackman’s friend. He has nothing in it,” he said while speaking with Ray Romano on his popular podcast WTF. “I said: If I’m going to be gay in a movie, [Jackman] would be a good guy to be gay with, but there didn’t seem to be much more to the role than that.

“I said, ‘I’ll wait until I’m gay when there’s more homosexuality.'”

Bad Education focuses on the story of school district superintendent Frank Tassone, who, along with assistant Pam Gluckin (played by Allison Janney), embezzled millions of dollars in tuition.

Jackman was nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the film, which was released on HBO Max in the US.

Frank’s husband Tom is played in the film by Stephen Spinella, while his friend Kyle was portrayed by a younger actor, Rafael Casal.

In 2020, the real Tassone praised but criticized Jackman’s performance in the film Bad Education‘s portrayal of his sexuality.

According to Tassone, the film got “40 to 50 percent” of the facts right. The disgraced superintendent stated that he never cheated on his husband with a former student and explained that he had an open marriage.

He also claimed that the film’s implication that he was trying to hide his sexuality and previous marriage to a woman was false.

“That pissed me off too because I’m not ashamed of being a gay man and again they made it seem a little dirty,” he said.

“That bothered and annoyed me when the detective asked [husband] Steven, and he was implying that Steven didn’t even know I was married. That was not the case. And I don’t understand why they had to bring my sexuality into the film.”