Omar Apollo celebrates major milestone while rumors swirl about a new queer movie role
Is the musician about to have his 'Call Me By Your Name' moment?
It’s an especially great week to be Omar Apollo.
The rising gay pop star has made major waves in the music industry over the past year, releasing his first album, Ivory, in 2022 to critical acclaim and later earning a Best New Artist nod at the Grammys (not to mention, he was the runner-up for Breakthrough Musical Artist at the Queerties).
And, if the latest news and rumors are any indication, Apollo’s not letting up any time soon.
Firstly, there’s the announcement that Ivory has now been officially certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America—a milestone honoring albums that have sold over a million copies—which is a first for Apollo.
The artist first celebrated the news on his Instagram story: “sheeeeeeesh,” Apollo writes. “Platinum crazy maaan lil plaque papi i’m tryna buy somebody sumn”—referencing the honorary plaque he’ll receive commemorating his debut album’s platinum status.
In a follow up, he shared an Instagram video of actress Salma Hayek enjoying lavish room service dining in a gold skincare face mask, joking, “me after the plaque got to my crib [for real.]”
Actually Hayek seems to be the inspiration as Apollo continues to celebrate the big news, posting a series of photos on Instagram from his “life lately,” adding he feels “very blessed” and that “Mexicans deserve luxury.”
“I’m taking notes from Salma.,” he writes. But that platinum plaque might not be all that Apollo has to celebrate—and, if the rumors are true, there’s one more thing he and Hayek have in common…
Will Omar Apollo make his acting debut in Call Me By Your Name director’s next movie?
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Apollo stans are freaking out after film and TV news account Cinema Solace posted about the musician being in spotted in Rome, Italy where Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino is filming his next movie, Queer, based on the novella by William S. Burroughs.
And, sure, it could just be a coincidence that Apollo and the filmmaker are in the same city and the same time—except there’s even a photo of them hanging out together!
Does this mean Apollo might be making his screen acting debut in Queer? Maybe! Or, maybe he’s hanging around set because he’s involved with the film’s music. (Interestingly, Guadagnino worked with Blood Orange musician Dev Hynes on the score for his HBO miniseries We Are Who We Are, and even gave Hynes a cameo in an episode, so perhaps something similar is happening here.)
Or maybe—just maybe—it really is a big coincidence.
But we’re not so sure! At the end of May, Apollo surprised fans when he revealed he had shaved off his mustache and facial hair—could it be for a role?
Notably, he is freshly shaven in that photo with Guadagnino—as well as in many of the shots from his recent Instagram post.
And, if we’re going to take our social media sleuthing one step further: Among his recent photos is a selfie with actress Taylor Russell. She may not be a confirmed part of Queer‘s cast, but her most recent role? Guadagnino’s previous film, the cannibal romance Bones & All. We definitely don’t think it’s an accident Apollo’s been seen with both of them of late.
So, if Apollo is in Queer, what role could he be playing? That’s anyone’s guess at this point. But we do know that the source novella—and film itself—is set in Mexico (despite filming in in Italy), which is where Apollo’s family immigrated from. So it’s not a a stretch to imagine him having a part, whether big or small.
If that is the case, he’d be joined by Daniel Craig playing the lead role of Lee—a fictionalized version of the book’s author—fighting addiction and living in Mexico City among a number of young, broke American ex-pats.
Other actors officially announced for the project are Rushmore‘s Jason Schwartzman, Phantom Thread‘s Lesley Manville, The Stand‘s Henrique Zaga, and Outer Banks‘ Drew Starkey, playing a young man named Allerton who becomes a sexual obsession of Craig’s Lee.
It all sounds very, very… well, queer! And it could be even more so with Apollo involved, so let’s hope these are more than just rumors.
Queer is filming now, with an official release date yet to be announced. In the meantime, the very busy Guadagnino’s next film, Challengers—a queer-friendly sports romance with Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist—is due to hit U.S. theaters on September 15, 2023.
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