Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor star in the mature coming out gay film Beginners, which opens in select cities on June 3.

It is the first time playing a gay character for the 81-year-old Plummer.

In the film, Oliver (played by McGregor) tells the story of his father, Hal (Plummer), trying to catch up on lost time after coming out gay at the age of 75. Hal begins to openly embrace his sexuality by socializing with other gay men and dating a man about the same age as his son (Goran Visnjic).

Hal is also attempting to reconnect with his son after being told he's terminally ill. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

Plummer told People magazine that Hal's coming out appealed to him.

“The joy he has in coming out of the closet is so appealing to me. There's no shame to it – it frees him. It gives you such hope that you can feel happy about the end of your life rather than feel sorry for yourself,” he said.

Focus Features, the company that brought us Milk and The Kids Are All Right, acquired Beginners at its premiere last year at the Toronto International Film Festival. The company recently acquired worldwide distribution rights to the lesbian teen drama Pariah, which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival.