An open letter to Daniel Day-Lewis.

Dear Daniel Day-Lewis,

I realize that you are no longer as young or as good looking as you were in "My Beautiful Laundrette," a movie I just caught this weekend, but I have to admit that I did not have any sort of feelings for you or crush on you until after I'd seen it. Certainly, you understand that I've often thought of you as a talented actor, particularly in "Gangs of New York" (where you stole the whole damn movie), but I've never, ever before seen you portraying anyone as attractive as you did in "My Beautiful Laundrette."

Allow me to explain why I'd not seen it until this weekend. I usually avoid gay-themed cinema because it's usually filled with the sort of gay people that I don't like being around. The gay characters in most gay cinema represent stereotypes, cope with the threat of AIDS or concentrate on the fact, most often, that they're only defined by their sexuality and craft an entire personality around that preference and its culture.

That concept of sexuality bores me to tears, so I usually avoid the movies. (Occasionally, I have missed out on some good cinema that happened to be about gay people because of my predilection to avoid 'gay cinema' - but, on the whole, I find it's a wise stance to take.)

But, in your big gay movie, it wasn't about the characters being gay, being accepted for the big queens they were or coming to terms with the fact that they liked to, you know, fellate. I don't even think they talked about it or waxed philosophically and endlessly about it. The characters just knew it of themselves and each other - and they knew the thrust of their relationship, even if others didn't.

As a result of making their sexuality just a side note, director Stephen Frears was actually able to devote time to making them into well-written, individual characters.

And, as a result of the fact that you got to play a character who was many things besides gay, I developed a complete and total crush on you - with your bad dye job and lack of a shirt.

So, thank you, Daniel Day-Lewis, for letting me on the bandwagon late. You're absolutely hot, and I love you more than Cillian Murphy, Benno Furmann and David Anders from "Alias."

Thanks,

Benj