It's been an ~interesting~ journey for queer people in the movie and television industry. Once upon a time, gay and lesbian actors, specifically, had to remain in the closet, and there were next-to-no gay parts on screen.
The idea that openly gay actors can play het characters is a relatively new phenomenon. Previously, out gay actors could only really work when roles for them a) existed, and b) weren't being given to heterosexual actors.
Now it seems much more acceptable for an openly gay actor play a straight character. In fact, here are 18 times an actor has played a straight character on screen, despite being openly gay or queer in real life...
4.Andrew Scott as The Priest in Fleabag
5.Amandla Stenberg as Ruby Daly in The Darkest Minds
6.Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in Bridgerton
7.B.D. Wong as Wally Lin in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
8.Portia de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Funke in Arrested Development
9.Ben Platt as Evan Hansen in the Dear Evan Hansen movie
10.Justice Smith as Simon Aumar in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among T
Let’s Settle This: Can Straight Actors Play Gay Roles?
No way. Adv, maybe? Sometimes. Okay — yes. Of course! We’re all human beings at the end of the day … and sexuality is on a spectrum, right? Acting is acting!
This whirlwind of contradictory answers flutters through my uncharacteristically conflicted brain every moment I attempt to answer this question. It’s a debate we’ve seen time and time again, most recently when many high-profile names leapt to the defence of Jack Whitehall being cast as Disney’s first openly gay character. So I’m by no means the first person to speak on this seemingly unsolvable debate, but with the recent release of Supernova — Hollywood’s latest gay film starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci — I’m throwing my coin into the hat for good measure.
Gaslighting queer folk
Netflix’s Disclosure (well worth a watch) beautifully highlighted the importance of casting trans actors in trans roles — or should I say, the harm of casting cisgender actors in trans roles. But the casting of gay roles remains more of a grey area than you realise. As
It’s very common to see straight actors playing LGBTQ+ characters; however, it is very rare to see a gay actor playing a straight character. This is a discussion that has been revolving around Hollywood for quite a few years now.
Many straight actors have played gay roles and vice versa, and as time passes, it seems fond the practice is becoming normal. Even though the list may not be very long, but there are some famous gay actors who played straight characters and nailed them. Let’s own a look at these stars.
Luke Evans
Luke Evans is an openly gay actor, and he has played several straight characters. Most of you might know him from his famous role in Disney‘s live-action movie “Beauty and the Beast”, in which he played the role of Gaston, the narcissistic chauvinist. Another prominent straight role that Evans played was of Owen Shaw, the boyfriend of Michelle Rodriguez, in “Fast & Furious”.
In an interview with Attitude Men, while talking about playing straight characters, Evans said, “You can be ha
17 straight actors who were praised for playing LGBTQ characters
Hugh Grant played Clive Allen in 1987's 'Maurice.'
Straight actor Hugh Grant took on the role of Clive in James Ivory's "Maurice."
Clive is a gay man who tries to suppress his homosexuality in Edwardian-era England. Grant's performance has been labeled as insightful and "intelligent," and in 1987, The Adj York Times critic Janet Maslin called Grant "so good."
Maslin said that Grant's Clive "embodies all the conservatism and complacency, not to mention all the secret desire, that Forster saw as most repressive in the English society of his day."
Hilary Swank played trans man Brandon Teena in 'Boys Don't Cry' in 1999.
Hilary Swank, who is cisgender, won an Oscar for playing trans man Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry." Her performance here was called "the performance of her career" by film critic James Berardinelli. The film scores 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's critical consensus reading: "Hilary Swank's acclaimed performance pays fitting tribute to the