DEBATE: Should straight actors play gay characters?

[MuscledHorse]

Honestly, this is an absurd level of Wokeness. Gay actors have been playing straight roles for years (Rock Hudson, Robert Reed, etc.). It's about who is right for the role. Could you see anyone else playing Jerry Lewis (straight) besides Sean Hayes (gay)? Or any other actor more perfect to play Freddie Mercury (gay) than Rami Malek (straight)?

 

[bigboaster]

Honestly, this is an absurd level of Wokeness. Gay actors have been playing straight roles for years (Rock Hudson, Robert Reed, etc.). It's about who is right for the role. Could you see anyone else playing Jerry Lewis (straight) besides Sean Hayes (gay)? Or any other actor more perfect to play Freddie Mercury (gay) than Rami Malek (straight)?

Thanks for the reply. I mostly do agree with your view that it "shouldn't matter" but I do take some issue with the examples you cited.

Both Hudson and Reed were closeted at the height of their careers (and that was for a reason). Even To this day. It absolutely isn't commonplace for out gay men to play openly straight characters compared to the inverse.

From Reed's wiki page:

Reed kept the fact that he was actually gay a close secret, since public knowledge of his sexual orientation would have damaged his career during that era.

Florence Henderson spoke about Reed being in the closet during a 2000 interview : "Here he was, the perfect father of this wonderful little family, a perfect husband. Off camera, he was an unhappy person – I think had Bob not been forced to live this double life, I think it would have dissipated a lot of that anger and frustration. I never asked him. I never challenged him. I had a lot of compassion for him because I knew how he was suffering with keeping this secret."

Barry Williams told ABC News during a 2000 interview that "Robert didn't want to go there. I don't think he talked about it with anyone. I just don't think it was open for discussion – period. [Had it ever come out that Robert Reed was gay] it probably would have caused the demise of the show. I think it would have hurt his career tremendously.

 

[lmb99]

I don't like tokenizing, but I would say no, because it doesn't seem like gay men get the same chance at roles as straight actors do, especially when it comes to playing gay men. Plus, when straight actors do play gay characters, they are often cast by the media as some type of brave "straight savior"; and then, they turn out to be homophobic like Matt Damon, and the media completely ignores it.

I also feel it is very powerful to see a gay role played by a gay man. It does bring some more dimension to the role. I found it more authentic and empowering when the roles were played by gay men. Straight actors just don't understand the difficulties gay men face in society, similarly to how white people don't understand the difficulties of life as a black person, or men don't understand the difficulties of life as a woman, etc.

 

[bigboaster]

I don't like tokenizing, but I would say no, because it doesn't seem like gay men get the same chance at roles as straight actors do, especially when it comes to playing gay men. Plus, when straight actors do play gay characters, they are often cast by the media as some type of brave "straight savior"; and then, they turn out to be homophobic like Matt Damon, and the media completely ignores it.

Appreciate your perspective (especially since it's in the minority here). Thanks for replying.

Even though I don't mind straights playing gay overall. I do agree with you re the cringey "brave" thing that sometimes happens. Lol. I also wish out gays got more prominent roles in general (gay or straight at this point)

 

[trav.]

Yes but only if they’re good looking!

 

[HeroSignalCosplay]

Something crossed my mind someone said eailer in this thread about how hollywood thinks that women wouldnt be swooning over a guy no matter how good looking he is if they found out in real life he only likes men and I can believe Hollywood would think that way and so would women (straight women at least) cause they think they would have no chance with them so why bother.....to that Id like to add a big WTF
1. There are tons and tons of sexy gay actors in Hollywood hell we listed a good bit of them in this thread.
And 2. Those women who think like that who lust for guys Jason Mamoa, J2 from Supernatural, Michael B Jordan or literally any sexy straight guy in Hollywood have ZERO CHANCES of ending up in bed with them ANYWAY! And not just cause most of them are already dating or married. I mean let's be real, that's all the way on Periodt

Hell look at all of us not only in this thread but this whole forum we are constantly checking out str8 guys and majority of us arent straight our damn selves we just don't care

 

[deleted1074483]

Yes but only if they’re good looking!

not all gay men are good looking ;-)

 

[bigboaster]

Something crossed my mind someone said eailer in this thread about how hollywood thinks that women wouldnt be swooning over a guy no matter how good looking he is if they found out in real life he only likes men and I can believe Hollywood would think that way and so would women (straight women at least) cause they think they would have no chance with them so why bother.....to that Id like to add a big WTF
1. There are tons and tons of sexy gay actors in Hollywood hell we listed a good bit of them in this thread.
And 2. Those women who think like that who lust for guys Jason Mamoa, J2 from Supernatural, Michael B Jordan or literally any sexy straight guy in Hollywood have ZERO CHANCES of ending up in bed with them ANYWAY! And not just cause most of them are already dating or married. I mean let's be real, that's all the way on Periodt

Hell look at all of us not only in this thread but this whole forum we are constantly checking out str8 guys and majority of us arent straight our damn selves we just don't care

I do think that stereotype is a bit overplayed for sure. Although a small part of me still does feel that "coming out" seems to depress your desirability overall among female audiences (and sadly maybe even among some gays too?) to a certain degree, just maybe not as much as Hollywood execs think. I have no data or evidence to back up this feeling mind you lol.

But it's a vibe I just get nonetheless just based on years of being a part of gay message boards and a combination of real life experiences. I feel like straight men will always have the leg up in this regard (for now at least). Unfortunate and I hope I am more wrong than I realize. Sorry I'm just naturally more of a pessimist. lol

 

[HeroSignalCosplay]

I do think that stereotype is a bit overplayed for sure. Although a small part of me still does feel that "coming out" seems to depress your desirability overall among female audiences (and sadly maybe even among some gays too?) to a certain degree, just maybe not as much as Hollywood execs think. I have no data or evidence to back up this feeling mind you lol.

But it's a vibe I just get nonetheless just based on years of being a part of gay message boards and a combination of real life experiences. I feel like straight men will always have the leg up in this regard (for now at least). Unfortunate and I hope I am more wrong than I realize. Sorry I'm just naturally more of a pessimist. lol

sad to say that's how it is, cause again celebs who have come out it's like their work is cut in half of reduced to gay roles only. IDK why cause once again there have been plenty of straight actors put in gay roles and theyre working just fine afterwards. I mean gay actors can be desired by women, I mean some men being into men is a turn on to some women but either way even if they are straight those women would have no chance of sleeping with them, besides it's all about their bodies anyway

 

[Nightseeker_]

Saw this thread and I was interested, so here's my reply:

I think for the sake of proper representation of the LGBT community, straight actors should only play gay roles if they won't be a stereotype, that's why I respect certain actors and actresses since they can portray a character and not seem like a general stereotype like Zendaya for example who acts as Rue who is either gay or bisexual, the way she acts is generally normal and she doesn't play up to a stereotype. But stereotypes may not always be a bad thing like I learned from Persona 4 where the VA of Kanji voiced his shadow with a stereotypical gay voice and act but his actions and motives weren't truly stereotypical to where it was insulting, it was more a way to see that Kanji was battling with his conflicted feelings and how he saw himself

I think tho that it's easier for a woman to play a gay role and be able to shake it off since it won't truly affect her since norms are different, while if a guy does a gay role it'll likely pigeonhole him or discreetly doom his roles since the main bulk of the west doesn't want to see major badass guys playing roles like that, I mean us gays and bis do make up a big demographic but we're still not really strong enough to change the main heterosexual view points. Especially with blacks like myself, IG comments and people in general showed me that they don't want to see a sexy or hyper masculine black man do a gay role because for some reason, the general female demographic doesn't like bisexual men, while with girls it's hot for guys if their girl goes ways.

I myself never understood that disdain, I'm currently in a sort of relationship with this guy and he's gay but he does have occasional moments where he does show sexual desire for girls which I find cute and he doesn't mind that I like girls more myself. I think it's different for everyone tho

 

[bigboaster]

sad to say that's how it is, cause again celebs who have come out it's like their work is cut in half of reduced to gay roles only. IDK why cause once again there have been plenty of straight actors put in gay roles and theyre working just fine afterwards. I mean gay actors can be desired by women, I mean some men being into men is a turn on to some women but either way even if they are straight those women would have no chance of sleeping with them, besides it's all about their bodies anyway

Oh yes there is absolutely a demographic of women who are very much into gay romance stories and such and they likely would not care that an actor is gay or not irl I assume.

The whole idea of "being able to sleep with them" despite having zero chance to ever do it, I agree obviously a silly line of logic. But I do think that there's a decent chunk of women who are turned off by the idea of their husband/boyfriend being into guys despite being otherwise pro lgbt. I've certainly come across that IRL, surprisingly open biphobia among some populations of women.

 

[HeroSignalCosplay]

Oh yes there is absolutely a demographic of women who are very much into gay romance stories and such and they likely would not care that an actor is gay or not irl I assume.

The whole idea of "being able to sleep with them" despite having zero chance to ever do it, I agree obviously a silly line of logic. But I do think that there's a decent chunk of women who are turned off by the idea of their husband/boyfriend being into guys despite being otherwise pro lgbt. I've certainly come across that IRL, surprisingly open biphobia among some populations of women.

Oh that is DEFINITELY a real thing especially when it comes to women who find out Men theyre with or want to be with are bi or pansexual it's like something that repels them by logic that if they've been with men then they might have an std which is complete BS. But the others who are smart enough to know better would think either their guy would rather be with another guy at some point or would leave her for another guy which is again BS. Cause by that logic they could also just as well leave them for another girl plain and simple. And like you I've come across the behavior as well, being pansexual mostly people dont fully grasp what that is, and others thing you'll screw anything with a pulse. But in my case one of my exes dumped me when she found out I dated one of her male friends before I met her and thought I was sleeping with dudes behind her back....here's the twist I wasnt but she was and used my open sexuality as a way to justify it. So yeah Ive also been there but those people with phobias against the lgbtq regardless if its the fact that we like more than one gender arent worth our time or effort cause clearly they know nothing

 

[Brodie888]

Woke culture has gone too far.

They call it acting because it's fiction. If a straight man can play a gay role then he should be allowed to.

 

[Dutchstud]

If course straights can play gay men. That is what "acting" is...

 

[Stephenmass]

It goes both ways. Gays can play straight and have been doing so for years, and straight can play gay as well. If the acting is well done the sexuality of the actor truly shouldn't matter.

 

[bigboaster]

Sir Ian McKellen weighs in on gay-for-pay actors

 

[HeroSignalCosplay]

Sir Ian McKellen weighs in on gay-for-pay actors

God I love that man, he never pulls any punches when it comes to real talk and knows just what to say.....honestly he was always able to get from me after I came out and he still can. But Real talk it just comes to the same bottom line. It. Is. Called. ACTING!

 

[bbslut]

There are plenty of straight roles for straight actors. An endless amount. Gay characters are in everything these days, but there's still a lack of actual gay actors getting parts - regardless of the character's sexuality. So when a straight actor plays a gay character, I think it does give them perspective and helps them live a moment in a gay person's shoes. It helps open their eyes (even if they weren't homophobic). It shows that they can be an ally, even if it's just an acting role. Some actors refuse to play gay characters and it's not because they don't want to take roles away from gay people - it's just plain homophobia. So if such a straight actor played gay and did it well, then I think it can be commendable.

But again, gay actors are still hardly being hired for any decent roles, despite the numerous gay (LGBT+) roles nowadays, so hiring a cis/straight person for a gay (or LGBT) role is like feeding a healthy person the medicine a sick person needs. We shouldn't need to continue pandering to audiences by making a gay character more digestible because the actor playing such character isn't actually gay.

It's like they will only allow the gayness to be pretended and not real gayness on screen. But I'm not wholly against straight playing gay. But there are closeted actors, so they might actually be exploring being "gay in public" via a character so complaining so and so is straight...they actually might not be.

Trans characters is where I get more territorial. If you don't hire trans people, then don't bother having trans characters. Especially if it's based on a real person or the studio is self patting themselves on the back for being "progressive" with LGBT characters but not even employing LGBT actors to play them! Trans people being played by cis actors shouldn't be a way of making the topic/character more watchable and tolerable (similar to gay roles used to be/kind of still are). There aren't many open trans actors and barely get any work as it is, so if a cis person is taking such a role, they are keeping trans people away from acting bc it's not like they are being hired for cis roles anyways.

 

[Boaxy]

Depends on the character/actor/circumstances.

Generally I would prefer if the actors were LGBTQ themselves in some capacity. But at the end of the day it's acting. So I guess it doesn't matter. I just prefer if they were LGBTQ themselves.

Because I feel Hollywood/media still makes it harder for open LGBTQ entertainers.

It's also nice for inspiration/motivation reasons.

For example Ncuti Gatwa is the first ever gay Black "Doctor Who" Doctor, and he's gay in real life. As a Gay Black American man, that inspires me in some way. When the longest all the Doctor Who Doctors were all white men. So it's nice So yeah lol.

But at the end of the day it's acting. So yeah.

 

[bigboaster]

Depends on the character/actor/circumstances.

Generally I would prefer if the actors were LGBTQ themselves in some capacity. But at the end of the day it's acting. So I guess it doesn't matter. I just prefer if they were LGBTQ themselves.

Thanks for reviving this dead ass thread btw.

I think this topic like all things, require some nuance. So I mostly agree with what you said. Should it be mandatory or a requirement? No.

But it is "nicer" to me when the actors are actually queer. Just my perspective. It feels more honest and it's more relatable in a way.

Because I feel Hollywood/media still makes it harder for open LGBTQ entertainers.

It's also nice for inspiration/motivation reasons.

This is main reason I guess why this topic/debate exists at all. It's an admittedly silly question/idea that is in response to the double standards and long standing homophobia of Hollywood. I think those to answer no to this question might be taking things too far in the opposite direction but I understand their motivations at least even if I disagree.

For example Ncuti Gatwa is the first ever gay Black "Doctor Who" Doctor, and he's gay in real life. As a Gay Black American man, that inspires me in some way. When the longest all the Doctor Who Doctors were all white men. So it's nice So yeah lol.

But at the end of the day it's acting. So yeah.

Yes it's nice to see actors like Ncuti in leading roles, to me it is far more inspiring and motivational to see real life queer/gay actors succeeding (regardless of role) than simply seeing fictional gay "characters" that are often not enough for me to really connect to deep down. There is always that separation between fantasy and reality after all