Straight actora and actresses who play gay characters

60 Straight Actresses Who Play Gay The Most

No way. Well, maybe? Okay — yes. Of course! Acting is acting! This whirlwind of contradictory answers flutters through my uncharacteristically conflicted brain every time I attempt to answer this question. But the casting of gay roles remains more of a grey area than you realise.

As an actor and a gay man, I find myself caught in the middle of this debate, straddling both sides of the argument. On the one hand, I am increasingly protective of queer storylines being told by queer people, both behind and in front of the camera. This scepticism has little to do with my not being convinced by the various portrayals.

On the contrary, many times I have been utterly moved. This never fails to laser away any affirmation felt from watching a queer storyline. I could go as far as to say that it is almost a gaslighting experience, leaving us with the underlying sentiment that gay stories are profitable, human-interest stories — often filled with trauma.

But once the camera stops rolling, we are snapped back into the heteronormative reality of queer actors being sidelined because they are not as profitable or appealing as straight actors. Cynical, but true. Sure, in a world of equal opportunity, we may be able to entertain the idea that all actors can portray all sexualities and have equal access to all manner of roles.

But we are far from that world. Therefore, I am unwavering about my belief that there needs straight actora and actresses who play gay characters be some serious rebalancing before we can embrace this idealistic approach. A quick look at the most popular gay films of the past five years highlights this effortlessly: Call Me By Your NameRocketmanBohemian RhapsodyCarolThe Favourite — in all of these, not a gay actor in sight.

And now Supernova. A sobering statistic is that, to this day, no openly gay man has ever won the Best Actor Oscar. But over a dozen acting Oscars have been picked up by straight actors in LGBT roles, plus many more nominations. And let me be clear: the oppressive system of queer actors being sidelined and deemed unemployable is not the same as straight actors being asked to take a step back for a while in order to create space for more diversity.

Will this lack of understanding affect their performance? Perhaps not. But it does raise the question of whether we are looking for commercially successful performances or authentic ones. But maybe things are looking up? Russell T. At the end of the day, queer actors exist.

Is the casting of Supernova offensive and discriminatory? Also no. So — I will continue to be sceptical when I see the next straight, white, strapping Hollywood actor announced to play the latest tormented gay role.