Grey Henson, who plays Damian the Broadway productn of 'Mean Girls,' tells how he updated the inic gay character for 2018.
Contents:
- ‘TOO GAY TO FUNCTN’? MEAN GIRLS ACTOR OUT LETTER TO CHARACTER TEN YEARS AFTER FILM RELEASE
- TOO GAY TO FUNCTN
- FOR MEAN GIRLS ON BROADWAY, "TOO GAY TO FUNCTN" IS A MANTRA
- TOO GAY TO FUNCTN
‘TOO GAY TO FUNCTN’? MEAN GIRLS ACTOR OUT LETTER TO CHARACTER TEN YEARS AFTER FILM RELEASE
Ten years after the release of the film, an actor who played Damien Mean Girls has e out as gay. * too gay to function character *
Ten years after the release of the film, an actor who played Damien Mean Girls has e out as gay. In a letter to the character, dubbed “too gay to functn” the h teen edy, Daniel Franze has wrten a letter to the character addrsg issu such as typestg. In the letter, origally published on IndieWire mends the character Damien for beg “lghed wh stead of at”, but says he turned down other gay characters for fear of beg trapped by the “gay glass ceilg”.
TOO GAY TO FUNCTN
15 years sce Mean Girls' release, the actor reflects on Hollywood's "gay glass ceilg," holdg out for eper queer characters, and his favore moments om the inic film. * too gay to function character *
But this was a natural and te reprentatn of a gay teenager – a character we lghed wh stead of at. However, I did turn down many offers to play flamboyant, feather-boa-slgg stereotyp that always seemed to be lghed at BECAUSE they were gay.
How uld I go om playg an spiratnal, progrsive gay youth to the embarrassg, cliched butt-of-a-joke? I didn’t go to any gay bars, have any flgs and I lied to anyone who asked if I was gay. (It’s important to note that I was actually DISCOVERED sgg a Florida gay bar by stg director, Carmen Cuba, for my first role Larry Clark’s ‘Bully.
”In 2004, when Mean Girls was released, characters like Damian — also known as the Gay Bt Friend trope — were few and far between. The stg director that put me Party Monster lled me for Damian; the script said that he was “probably fat and fely gay, ” which I thought was hysteril. Nobody was gog to stop do you thk Damian f to the leage of the “gay bt iend” trope film?
FOR MEAN GIRLS ON BROADWAY, "TOO GAY TO FUNCTN" IS A MANTRA
A male who is blatantly gay but acts like he is still the closet and no one knows, when around other mal, he nnot help but be fltered and out of sorts" name="Dcriptn" property="og:scriptn * too gay to function character *
I thk Damian was the first gay role I saw where the character was jt fortable beg himself and there wasn’t too much foc on his beg gay. But they told her that my character was gay and that’s why she let me sg the movie. But I don’t thk would have affected the role at all if I was out or not bee I thk Ta probably thought I was gay when she first hired me anyway.
But then, immediately after, I was offered all the other gay parts that were all so stereotypil — jt makg fun of gays. It jt felt so serendipo — felt like somethg I was supposed to be dog, to be on a set where ’s not only okay to be gay but was ol to be gay. Oliver T'sien, the "rabow sheep" of the wealthy Young fay, falls to the Gay Bt Friend Trope.
Instead of the terrible Mean Girls sequel we got, I would have preferred a sp-off movie about Damian gog to llege and gettg to live his bt gay life. Advertisement - Contue Readg Below2 Simon - 'Love, Simon''Love, Simon'//20th Century StudsLove, Simon is notable as the first major stud film to center around a gay teenage romance. Advertisement - Contue Readg Below4 Damian - 'Mean Girls''Mean Girls'//ParamountThe qutsential "gay bt iend" om the 2004 high school edy classic, Mean Girls, provid some of the most quotable moments the film.
TOO GAY TO FUNCTN
* too gay to function character *
From "too gay to functn" to "she don't even go here, " Damian tght 's okay to have a self-pretg sense of humor.