Love him or hate him, Zack Snyder is one of Hollywood’s most discussed directors. Debates surrounding his films frequently shift away from the art itself and toward attempts to label the artist. It’s a reality Snyder appears well aware of, and now he’s pushing back by defining himself on his own terms.
His response, however, is unexpected.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 13: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Image has been digitally enhanced.) Zack Snyder attends the Netflix Premiere of Zack Snyder’s REBEL MOON – Part One: A Child of Fire at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 13, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emilio Madrid/Getty Images for Netflix)
Snyder declared himself “pro-gay” while discussing the intense criticism surrounding his latest movie, The Last Photograph, which recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. As evidence, the director pointed to 300, his 2006 historical epic based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel.
The hyper-stylized film depicts the Spartans’ stand at the Battle of Thermopylae and has long been a source of criticism, praise, and wildly conflicting interpretations.
Zack Snyder Rejects the Labels
Speaking with Variety, Snyder addressed the labels that have followed him throughout his career.
“Whether you like [The Last Photograph] or not, I’m not even commenting on that; but with me, it’s more clickable to say, ‘I hate Zack Snyder! He’s a fascist!’ than it is to say, ‘I saw the movie and it was cool,'” Snyder said. “Nobody gives a f— about that. And obviously, I’m not a fascist.”
ARMY OF THE DEAD (L to R) ZACK SNYDER (DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER) in ARMY OF THE DEAD. Cr. CLAY ENOS/NETFLIX © 2021
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Snyder then compared the response to his latest film with the reception 300 received when it screened at the Berlin International Film Festival nearly two decades ago.
According to Snyder, audience members booed and walked out, while critics characterized the movie as everything from “a disaster” to a “fascist” film.
Zack Snyder Points to 300
The controversy followed Snyder to a press conference, where an interviewer pressed him directly on his politics.
“The hallmark question was when one of the guys said, ‘Are you pro-gay or pro-NRA? Which are you?'” Snyder recalled. “And I said, ‘Look, I’ll be honest: I’m a tiny bit of both.’ But obviously I’m pro-gay. I made the gayest movie ever made.”
Asked whether he meant that literally, Snyder walked the claim back only slightly.
Scene from 300 – Warner Bros., YouTube
“300 is one of the gayest movies ever made,” Snyder said. “I always go, ‘Look, there are few movies where people come in straight and come out gay, and 300 is one of them.'”
While provocative, the framing is familiar territory for the director. During a 2024 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Snyder similarly highlighted the film’s hyper-masculine aesthetic, explaining that he leaned into a “visceral sexuality” among the Spartan warriors based on his historical research.
The Last Photograph Sparks Another Backlash
Snyder’s comments come as The Last Photograph faces a particularly hostile critical reception following its TIFF premiere.
The action thriller stars Stuart Martin as a former DEA operative searching for his kidnapped niece and nephew in South America. Fra Fee co-stars as a war photographer who witnessed the murders that set the story in motion.
Snyder told Variety that the online reaction has included accusations that he is “fascist,” “homophobic,” and “transphobic,” among other labels.
Rather than allowing those critics to define his beliefs based on interpretations of his movies, Snyder appears determined to speak for himself. He rejects the fascist label outright, describes himself as “pro-gay,” and, perhaps appropriately for a filmmaker, points to his own work as evidence.
Why do you think Zack Snyder is labeling himself as “pro-gay”? Sound off and let us know!
