After nearly five decades, Udo Kier has picked up a new leading role in the indie dramedy Swan Song, and better yet, critics have been raving about his performance. After he was discovered by chance after sitting next to director Paul Morrisey on a plane, Kier was thrust into the spotlight with a major role as the monster in 1973's Andy Warhol's Frankenstein. He has appeared in many, many memorable supporting roles since, but Swan Song is his first leading role in almost 50 years.

"I am really, really, a little bit surprised but pleasantly surprised that I made 50 years of movies, and now everybody writes: 'After 50 years, finally Udo Kier is a leading man!'" Kier recently told Variety at the movie's Los Angeles premiere. "Which is very nice of you all, the press. But for me, it's going to be difficult because now in the future, I only want to do leading roles - unless it's David Lynch or some great director. That's a different story. I'm very, very, very happily surprised."

In Swan Song, Kier plays Mr. Pat, a character described as a "gay hairdresser who dared to live his life out loud in a less enlightened time and place; now grappling with challenging senior years he returns to his former home to honor the last request of a long-estranged client (Linda Evans), who's asked that he style her hair for her funeral and discovers the unexpected impact he's had."

Written and directed by Todd Stephens, Swan Song is inspired by true events with Mr. Pat based on a real man from Stephens' hometown. The filmmaker says the real Mr. Pat was someone who gave him hope and made him feel like he found his family when they saw each other at the local gay bar. And he apparently had no idea just how much he meant to people in his local community, like Stephens.

"Pat had no clue that he changed anybody's life, and I'm sure he felt like his life didn't mean that much, but he had the courage to be himself at a time when that was when that was like changing the world," Stephens said.

For his part, Stephens realized Kier was the right man for the role when the actor "introduced me to his dog Liza Minelli - that was like a done deal. And the real Mr. Pat had really big, beautiful blue eyes just like Udo. So as soon as I met him, I knew he was the one."

"The thing that's so cool about this is that he's a legend that is having a resurgence of being a legend," adds Kier's co-star Jennifer Coolidge. "He's done like 250 movies! There's a reason everyone wants him, and there's a reason he works so much. Because he has incredible presence - in person, but on-screen too, just this incredible command of energy. I can't even describe what it is. It's just a magical thing."

After premiering at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March, Swan Song officially debuted in theaters on Aug. 6 and will be available on demand no Aug. 13. At the age of 76, Kier is also showing no signs of slowing down, as he has many other projects in the works. It's unclear when exactly he'll be back in the lead, but let's hope it's soon. This news comes to us from Variety.