Should straight actors play gay roles ?

[westham1980]

I hear you Parsifal, espeically your last statement, yes he's a very successful golf pro.

[KernowChris]

Taking this to it's hyperbolic extreme the potential casts for 'Henry VIII and his six Wives' and 'Sweeney Todd' remakes would be very restricted.

[ladsnet]

I reckon that woman in the Queens Gambit can't really play chess.
It's a fookin disgrace !!!!!

[Vic]

Taking this to it's hyperbolic extreme the potential casts for 'Henry VIII and his six Wives' and 'Sweeney Todd' remakes would be very restricted.

And Eddie Redmayne would have been very worried about starring in The Theory of Everything

[ecudat]

He's my one mulligan. Otherwise I've been fine boycotting Republicans and I don't miss them.

There again, the fun of Frasier is they have so many great episodes about gay misunderstandings that it becomes part of the farce. Indeed, Frasier certainly employed more gay actors than any show at the time. Even Bulldog and Gil!

All of my replies come with the understanding that I really love a lot of those performances. Michael Cimino especially loves Victor dearly. All of the cast respect and love LGBTQ people and are active allies. As are all the straight men who've played gay in the past.

However, in the case of Love, Simon and now Love, Victor...they couldn't find gay actors for ANY of the leads? Really? Not even George Sear's initial boyfriend?

I happened to be reading some stuff yesterday. According to Wiki, the guy who played Bram "identifies as queer"

[Welsh Cake]

Taking this to it's hyperbolic extreme the potential casts for 'Henry VIII and his six Wives' and 'Sweeney Todd' remakes would be very restricted.

And Eddie Redmayne would have been very worried about starring in The Theory of Everything

Not to mention The Danish Girl!

[James57464]

Nationality is arguably an even more important point of identity than sexuality. Think of all the actors who have played people of different nationalities (for example, essentially every Brit in Hollywood).

[Kev]

Or Meryl Streep

[Heinrich]

I do wonder why we cast so many Brits as Americans. Like, well, George Sear in Love, Victor!

[Parsifal]

Nationality is arguably an even more important point of identity than sexuality. Think of all the actors who have played people of different nationalities (for example, essentially every Brit in Hollywood).

Fake accents?

[pinkpunk]

Rumour has it the The Queen will be playing herself in the next series of The Crown 

I vaguely recall some story about someone who played himself and was deemed unconvincing.

(And in the early days of Channel 4 there was some issue that meant that ads were fronted by the actual businessmen. Some were OK, but may appalling)

[Vic]

I do wonder why we cast so many Brits as Americans. Like, well, George Sear in Love, Victor!

It works the other way too. No one over here who heard it will ever forget Dick Van Dyke's "Cockney"

[Tiuri]

Bridgerton returns for a second season

I wonder whether this will come up again when the second season of Bridgerton is released. It will focus on Lord Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, who is gay. A gay actor playing a straight character, whatever will Russell T Davies say.

[ladsnet]

Oh it only works one way. Apparently.
We need to oppress the str8s

[jumbler]

I do wonder why we cast so many Brits as Americans. Like, well, George Sear in Love, Victor!

Well, there are always limits. I thought Neil Patrick Harris’s performance in It’s a Sin was excellent - except his accent.

Sounded more Welsh than English.

---

But back on topic. It’s pretty likely that some movies or series like It’s a Sin would lack some sort of bite if they had majority straight performers playing gay roles.

You need that sort of conviction when you’ve got boys snogging, getting into bed and so on.

[ladsnet]

And thus, the entire profession of 'acting' is binned in one post.

[jumbler]

Not quite. It comes back to the whole authenticity thing.

You can’t have white actors playing non-white roles any more, it’s deemed insensitive. Even if the actors have been born or lived abroad.

Not exactly the same, but I don’t think straight lads will ever have the same connections with guys they’re meant to be ‘in love with’. The odd missing look or gesture. Little things that make it more real.

[Parsifal]

Do most straight movie-goers even know who is gay and who is straight?  Do they care?
I think the obsession of knowing who is gay in the movie world is pretty much restricted to gays.


When I see posts in view e.g. "So-and-so came out as gay."
a. I couldn't care less (unless he's very handsome and I have a realistic chance of having a date with him).
b. I usually never heard of the guy.
c. I usually don't even click on the thread.

Just give me a good movie with a good cast. 

[jumbler]

I’d agree with most of that too.

[jdcyl]

Not quite. It comes back to the whole authenticity thing.

You can’t have white actors playing non-white roles any more, it’s deemed insensitive. Even if the actors have been born or lived abroad.

Not exactly the same, but I don’t think straight lads will ever have the same connections with guys they’re meant to be ‘in love with’. The odd missing look or gesture. Little things that make it more real.

Bullshit.  You might as well argue a straight actor playing a straight  character can't act well like he loves his onscreen partner if he truly loves his wife instead.

Not to mention that no actor has control over “little things that make it more real” when “little things” end up on the cutting room floor.

And do explain, if there is any truth at all to what you’re claiming, how come it doesn’t seem to matter as much with straight women vs lesbians?