Rock Hudson was terrified of kissing Linda Evans.
It was 1984 and the actor, who was diagnosed with AIDS earlier that year, was starring in the primetime soap opera “Dynasty.” The former ‘50s heartthrob, who was keeping the details of his illness a secret, agonized over giving his co-star a “lethal injection” of the disease a week before filming. And when the day came, he used multiple sprays, gargles and mouthwashes – anything that he felt could disinfect himself and protect her.
Evans didn’t learn the heartbreaking truth until years later.
“Nobody knew,” director Stephen Kijak told Fox News Digital. “Here was the moral quandary of, ‘Am I going to give Linda Evans AIDS?’ I just can’t imagine being in that space at the time when there was just no information available… Internally, Rock was losing it.”
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“Rock Hudson is one of the greats of the golden age of Hollywood who I think needs to kind of be reset back in the pantheon in a way,” Kijak explained. “This was someone who [was] so carefully crafted by the studio. He was a huge star in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Every aspect of his life had been crafted and created for him by the studio, by his PR team.”
Linda Evans, shown with Rock Hudson, is heard breaking down in the documentary. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“There was so much of a façade,” he shared. “We had every single interview the man ever did, and he was almost incapable of revealing himself. He was so repressed and so controlled across all his interviews. He doesn’t really reveal himself. We had to find other ways to reveal the inner life.”
According to Kijak, Hudson’s kissing scene with Evans was “a really traumatic experience for him.”
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Rock Hudson is seen here at a press conference several months before his death. (Paul Harris/Getty Images)
“Rock is still in complete denial,” Kijak explained. “He’s thinking he can keep on working, that he can take a job on ‘Dynasty.’ Then he’s presented with a scene where he has to deeply kiss Linda Evans after she falls off a horse… He kept his mouth shut as best as he could even though the director kept going ‘Again.’ Everyone was wondering, ‘Why isn’t he kissing her properly? What’s going on?’ It was just a very strange moment for everybody on set… Rock later said it was the worst day of his life having to do that.”
Rock Hudson was known for his passionate kisses on screen. (Screen Archives/Getty Images)
In the film, Evans admitted she didn’t know what was happening at the time. The thought of Hudson trying his best to protect her from the devastating disease caused her to break down in tears.
Before Hudson battled AIDS, he had a thriving Hollywood career that spanned five decades as a dashing, leading man. On screen, he was often paired with America’s sweetheart, Doris Day, in romantic comedies. While his sexuality was an open secret, the studio used its power to ensure that it would never be released to his adoring public.
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Rock Hudson was a sought-after movie star during the ’50s who made women swoon. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“Nobody had cellphones in those days and [paparazzi] weren’t following him day and night,” said Kijak. “He could enjoy this double life. You go to work, you play a heterosexual leading man called Rock Hudson, and at home, you’re Roy Fitzgerald, a handsome gay guy with a bunch of friends. You’re having good times, you’re having sex, you’re enjoying these two worlds that can… weirdly mingle… Everything is in place by the studio, the publicity department and a lot of movie magazines to keep the illusion intact. They are completely along for the ride.”
Rock Hudson’s pals described him as “Christmas.” (Warner Bros.)
Hudson was described as “Christmas” for his generosity.
“He would help people out in a pinch,” said Kijak.
But there was one person who didn’t get along with Hudson. “Rebel Without a Cause” star James Dean was said to be “disdainful” of Hudson’s double life. The pair starred opposite each other in 1956’s “Giant” alongside their close friend Elizabeth Taylor. The film opened shortly after Dean’s death in 1955 at age 24 from injuries he sustained in a car crash.
Rock Hudson presents Marilyn Monroe with a Golden Globe Award at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 19th annual dinner. (Keystone/Getty Images)
“It’s almost impossible to tell, but there was a lot of conflict within that relationship, which, of course, unfolds beautifully on screen,” he continued. “It’s what their movie is about. James Dean was just a genius at channeling all that stuff into the movie. And Elizabeth loved them both.”
Filmmaker Stephen Kijak hopes viewers will have a new appreciation for Rock Hudson decades after his death. (KM Archive/Getty Images)
Today, Kijak hopes his film will prompt viewers to have a new appreciation for Hudson as both the actor and the “accidental activist.”
After Hudson’s death, more than $1.8 million was raised in private contributions toward AIDS research, People magazine reported. According to the outlet, Congress also appropriated $221 million to develop a cure for AIDS just days after Hudson’s death. The star’s doctor, HIV specialist Dr. Michael Gottlieb, is on the board of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.