In the year 2024, is it still OK for straight actors to play gay?
Or should LGBTQ+ roles go to actual LGBTQ+ actors?
It used to be the norm for straight actors to take all the queer roles. Historically, this was largely in part to the dearth of out actors due to the extreme homophobia in Hollywood and society in general.
And despite the stigma that often came with being a real-life queer, being gay for pay on-screen often led to major accolades and Oscar gold. This has been the case for a bevy of straight actors like Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mahershala Ali, Rami Malek and Jared Leto, among others. Other times the performances were not that fabulous.
In the last decade, more and more LGBTQ+ roles have gone to actual LGBTQ+ actors to resounding success.
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This past year alone we saw out stars like Colman Domingo (Rustin), Jodie Foster (Nyad), Andrew Scott (All Of Us Strangers), Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey (Fellow Travelers) get recognition with acting nods for playing queer characters in movies and shows.
Perhaps as a true sign of progress, many queer actors continue to be cast in straight roles long after coming out dispelling the misnomer that audiences would reject them in these parts once knowing their truth. Domingo in The Color Purple, Bailey in Bridgerton and Kristen Stewart in Spencer are just a few recent examples.
Recently, Eric McCormack, who received an Emmy for playing gay for 11 seasons on Will & Grace, joined the chorus of thespians defending heteros taking on queer roles.
“I didn’t become an actor so that I could play an actor,” McCormack said on Good Morning Britain. “There’s no part I’ve ever played where I wasn’t playing something I’m not. It’s part of the gig”
He continued: “If gay actors weren’t allowed to play straight actors, Broadway would be over. So this is what we do.I came from the theater, and every one of my best friends was a gay man. So I think I took their spirit and their message in what was otherwise just a sitcom and represented, I hope.”
In the past, other actors like Stanley Tucci, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Mescal (who played gay in All of Us Strangers), and even Andrew Scott have defended straight actors being allowed to take on queer roles.
One person who is not on board with non-queers playing queer is Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies.
The screenwriter and producer – who also created It’s A Sin and is a showrunner on Doctor Who – spoke to the nuance and lived experience that comes with portraying a queer character authentically.
“I’m not being woke about this… but I feel strongly that if I cast someone in a story, I am casting them to act as a lover, or an enemy, or someone on drugs or a criminal or a saint… they are not there to ‘act gay’ because ‘acting gay’ is a bunch of codes for a performance,” Davies told the Radio Times in 2021. “It’s about authenticity.”
He added: “You wouldn’t cast someone able-bodied and put them in a wheelchair, you wouldn’t black someone up. Authenticity is leading us to joyous places.”
So, what do you think? Have we evolved to a place where any actor (queer or straight) should be allowed to take on a role regardless of their sexual orientation? Or should queer roles be left solely to individuals within the LGBTQ+ community? Sound off in the comments below….
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