Weapons star Clayton Ferris explains why he thinks the queer community loves Aunt Gladys

Bisexual actor Clayton Farris, who plays the character Terry, has the answer to why Weapons’ Aunt Gladys has become a gay icon in a new interview with Rough Draft Atlanta.

In Zach Cregger’s horror film, a class of elementary school children vanish from their homes in the middle of the night. The teacher, Justine (Julia Garner), and the sole student, Alex (Cary Christopher), are the only two remaining in the class. 

Farris plays one half of a gay couple partnered with school principal Marcus (Benedict Wong). Then comes Alex’s mysterious and flamboyant Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan), who confuses things even more.

The unsettling character of Aunt Gladys quickly captured the hearts of LGBTQ+ viewers, falling into a category of iconic women’s roles. In fact, Aunt Gladys was a very popular niche gay Halloween look this year. She’s rather striking, with bright red hair and micro-bangs, smudged red lipstick and bright teal glasses. 

Farris thinks he has the answer to why Gladys appeals to queer people. Speaking to Rough Draft Atlanta, Farris explained: “Even though Gladys can be looked at as this bad character or the antagonist, I see a character who has been put through a lot and drug through the mud for a while, and this is her getting her comeuppance.

“I think in that realm – as someone who was bullied a lot as a kid – whenever you see characters like Gladys being proudly themselves and loud and open, there is something that resonates [with] the queer community and everybody, because that is what people want – the courage to be themselves.”

‘People fell in love with these characters quickly’

It’s an observation that has been true of queer pop culture, where the anti-heroes defiance of norms often appeals to viewers. 

Farris furthers that Weapons also showcases the normalcy of a gay relationship.

“We get to see queer characters just living their lives and [that] are happy, and the storyline is not about them being gay or being tragically bullied or the stories we are used to,” the actor added.

“I think that is why what happens to my character and Marcus has caused such a stir, because people fell in love with these characters quickly, and because it’s a horror film, [they] meet their end quickly.”

The criticism of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope has been used to question the representation of Terry and Marcus. Farris outlined that he understood the criticism but had his own perspective on the topic. 

“I get it. If you are thinking of it from a filmmaking [perspective], it really worked in terms of the story and writing, because people love those characters,” he said.

“That shift that happens during our scene when Gladys comes in – you feel the room shift. This is turning sinister. I want to validate when people say that, but in horror people have to die.”

Soon after Weapons debuted, there was talk of a potential Aunt Gladys prequel movie. Since then, Cregger has confirmed that it is real and he’s in talks with Warner Bros about the project.

Cregger told Fangoria: “There’s a story and I’m pretty excited about it. It’s not bulls**t.”