Gore Vidal wrote the script, or was one of the writers on "Ben Hur," and in an interview said that he and the director, trying to find motivation for the enmity between Ben Hur and Messala, decided that they had been lovers as boys. When they met again as adults, Messala wanted to continue the relationship, but BH was repelled. They explained this to Stephen Boyd, who agreed to go along with it, but kept it a secret from Charlton Heston, whose reaction would have been interesting, to say the least. It's a different movie when you watch it with this subtext. And to think Heston is the one who got the Oscar!