He's wealthy, formerly famous, accomplished, openly gay in 1950s Hollywood, and dying. As Whale, Ian McKellen is an obvious Oscar nominee.
Whale is in rapidly declining health.
Living well in the house Frankenstein built, Whale is mildly amused that the hunky handyman Boone has no real idea of the contributions Whale has made to cinema. Boone, a tightly wound ex-Marine, actually has seen the films, prompting him to ask if Whale did all of the series. The very naive Boone doesn't realize the nature of Whale's interest in him at first. When he fears he's a sex object, Boone turns into a true homophobe and reacts with a fountain of bile. Flashbacks to Whale's painful early years along with some glimpses of Boone's own pointless existence paint the two men as likely candidates for each other's companionship.