20 of our favore straight actors as gay characters | CNN

Contents:

• 20 GREAT ROL: OUR FAVORE STRAIGHT ACTORS WHO HAVE PLAYED GAY CHARACTERS
• STANLEY TUCCI: IT’S OK FOR STRAIGHT ACTORS TO PLAY GAY ROL IF DONE ‘THE RIGHT WAY’
• STANLEY TUCCI IS PRETTY FE WH STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS
• STANLEY TUCCI SAYS IT'S 'FE' FOR STRAIGHT ACTORS TO PLAY GAY CHARACTERS
• SHOULD STRAIGHT ACTORS STILL PLAY GAY CHARACTERS? 'IT'S PLITED'
• 8 GAY ACTORS WHO PLAYED STRAIGHT CHARACTERS
• GOOD MORNG BRA HOSTS TIRED BATE ON WHETHER STRAIGHT ACTORS SHOULD PLAY GAY ROL
• STANLEY TUCCI SHAR HIS THOUGHTS ON STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY ROL: 'YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PLAY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. YOU JT ARE.'
• STRAIGHT ACTORS WHO HAVE PLAYED GAY CHARACTERS
• STANLEY TUCCI SAYS HE THKS STRAIGHT ACTORS SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY GAY CHARACTERS
• 14 MOST MEMORABLE GAY CHARACTERS PLAYED BY NON-GAY ACTORS
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH OPENS UP ABOUT STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS

20 GREAT ROL: OUR FAVORE STRAIGHT ACTORS WHO HAVE PLAYED GAY CHARACTERS

"Roger Ebert wrote: "He plays the role not as a man pretendg to be a woman, and not as a woman trapped a man's body, and not as a parody of a woman, and not as a gay man, but as a drag queen, perd: Lola, a tall, athletic performer thigh-high red boots who l the stage of a drag club as if she were born there, and is a pretty good sger, too. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, both straight, were both Osr-nomated for their performanc (Ledger lead, Gyllenhaal supportg) this film about two men fallg love and ntug their affair for film sred 87% on Rotten Tomato, wh the se's cril nsens readg: "A betifully epic Wtern, 'Brokeback Mounta''s gay love story is imbued wh heartbreakg universaly, helped by the movg performanc of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Harvey Milk is one of the most important gay activists history, and straight actor Sean Penn won an Osr for playg him. We have some of the most pellg liv, so 's not surprisg that everyone wants to tell our s gotten better recent years, throughout history, most great gay rol have gone to straight actors, wh over a dozen wng Osrs for playg LGBTQ+ characters.

Sometim n be tirome seeg straight actors get all of this praise for brgg gay people to life, but other tim s tly are our ten favore performanc by straight actors playg queer characters movi and TV om 2022. While she spends most of her time at work yellg at men who flirt wh the sk clerk she's cshg on and ly tellg guts that she n't help them, Victoria is secretly holdg a ep secret: she's gay, but has never been wh a woman.

STANLEY TUCCI: IT’S OK FOR STRAIGHT ACTORS TO PLAY GAY ROL IF DONE ‘THE RIGHT WAY’

The bt movie of the year was centered around a relatnship between a mother and her gay dghter. While straight actors have been known to play gay characters, the same is also te for gay actors playg straight rol.

About beg a gay man playg straight characters, Le Evans once said an terview that “you n be happy wh yourself and you n also be whoever you want. In 2006, NPH me out sayg that he was “happy to dispel any mors or misnceptns, ” that he is “que proud to say that I am a very ntent gay man livg my life to the fullt and feel most fortunate to be workg wh wonrful people the bs I love. Before g out as gay 2014, his heartwarmg speech livered at the Time to Thrive nference which aims to promote LGBT youth welfare, and later as a transgenr man 2020, Ellt Page was st as the tular role of the edy classic Juno.

STANLEY TUCCI IS PRETTY FE WH STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS

He believ that “livg a gay life whout publicly acknowledgg is simply not enough to make any signifint ntributn to the immense work that li ahead on the road to plete equaly.

Heather Matarazzo was the keynote speaker at the 15th annual Gay, Lbian, and Straight Edutn Network of Boston’s nference 2005. Like, for example, how Isaiah Washgton was fired om the show after g a homophobic slur directed at T.

STANLEY TUCCI SAYS IT'S 'FE' FOR STRAIGHT ACTORS TO PLAY GAY CHARACTERS

In his acceptance speech, Jonathan Bailey prais the productn for beg “a lovely and celebratory snapshot of gay love” what he scribed as “a time where acknowledgg the very existence of LGBT people our schools is beg qutned. Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron and Hilary Swank won Osrs for playg gay or transgenr characters. Whether ’s for televisn or a feature film, ’s not easy to pull off a gay role as a straight actor.

Hilary Swank, “Boys Don’t Cry” (while Swank’s character Brandon Teena was transgenr, not gay, the role was inic for many gays and lbians).

SHOULD STRAIGHT ACTORS STILL PLAY GAY CHARACTERS? 'IT'S PLITED'

The bate over whether or not straight actors should play gay rol isn’t gog to die down any time soon. While we fely prefer that most gay rol go to gay actors, and we love the thenticy they brg to the rol and the projects they’re , we n’t help but have a special soft spot for a few straight stars, like Brendan Fraser, are great people and great at playg gay, but aren't really known for . We want a future where every talented queer actor n get whatever rol they want and where queer actors fally w awards for playg queer rol, but until then, the ten actors show that not every straight actor should be banned om playg gay on screen.

Theron won an Osr for playg queer serial killer Aileen Wuornos Monster, and then played gay aga the next year 2004’s Head the Clouds. But we really loved her as a bisexual actn star Atomic Blon, and as a gay in rol like Fura Mad Max: Fury Road, and Andy The Old Guard. Firth was nomated for an Osr and won the BAFTA for his role as a gay Brish profsor livg 1960’s California the film A Sgle Man.

8 GAY ACTORS WHO PLAYED STRAIGHT CHARACTERS

He’s also played gay oppose Stanley Tucci Supernova, and plays Harry Bright, one of Sophia’s potential fathers (and a gay man) the Mamma Mia! We loved when McGregor played a gay mate Phillip Morris the dark edy I Love You Phillip Morris, and aga when he played real-life legendary fashn signer Halston the Netflix miseri Halston. This year, he returns to playg gay Cassandro, a film about the legendary gay lucha libre wrtler.

Gyllenhaal broke all of our hearts as a gay wboy Brokeback Mounta and then played an eccentric queer art cric Velvet Buzzsaw. He’s also producg and starrg an upg film adaptatn of the mil Fun Home as Alison Bechl’s gay dad.

GOOD MORNG BRA HOSTS TIRED BATE ON WHETHER STRAIGHT ACTORS SHOULD PLAY GAY ROL

Early her reer, Lyonne played the inic role of the cheerlear the semal lbian movie But I’m a Cheerlear, and sce then, she’s never stopped playg gay. From smaller movi like The Daytrippers and Ltle Chaos, to his inic gay rol The Devil Wears Prada, Burlque, and Supernova (oppose fellow straight-actor-we-love Col Firth), he always do the gay muny right. Chalamet hasn’t had as many gay rol as the rt of the people on this list (he’s only 27, after all), but he ma que the imprsn on the queer muny wh his touchg and realistic performance as a lovtck teen Lu Guadagno’s classic g-of-age romance Call Me by Your Name.

Stanley Tucci tak no issue wh straight actors playg gay characters — as long as ’s done “the right way.

“And I’m always very flattered when gay men e up to me and talk about ‘The Devil Wears Prada, ’ when they talk about ‘Supernova, ’ and they say that was ‘jt so betiful. Is not about havg only gay people play the gay parts but to ensure that all parts are open to all actors. ” “It’s important that gay characters are portrayed as well-round and pletely human dividuals, ” add Parsons, who noted that “there are plenty of straight actors who have played gay characters brilliantly.

STANLEY TUCCI SHAR HIS THOUGHTS ON STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY ROL: 'YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PLAY DIFFERENT PEOPLE. YOU JT ARE.'

Grant qutned a 2019 terview wh the Sunday Tim how anyone uld still “jtify heterosexual actors playg gay characters. ”And “Glee” alum Darren Criss ma headl 2018 for sayg that he might stop playg gay characters, tellg Btle, “I want to make sure I won’t be another straight boy takg a gay man’s role. While there may not be a simple answer, Stanley Tucci—who has played gay rol The Devil Wears Prada and 2020's Supernova (not to mentn Emma Stone’s father who was inilly gay once Easy A)—recently weighed , sayg that he believ ’s perfectly acceptable as long as ’s done “the right way.

“I am always very flattered when gay men e up to me and talk to me about The Devil Wears Prada or they talk about Supernova, and they say that, ‘It was jt so betiful, ’ you know, ‘You did the right way.

STRAIGHT ACTORS WHO HAVE PLAYED GAY CHARACTERS

”While Tucci didn’t elaborate on this particular form of bad-fah actg, ’s pretty easy to assume that he was referrg to the myriad of films which LGBTQ+ people have been rced to harmful, homophobic stereotyp over the years. ) Or perhaps he was referencg the super ol clatn of, erm, certa actors to fensively claim that the gay films they star are not jt “a gay story about the guys beg gay. When asked by host Lren Laverne to weigh on the bate surroundg straight actors playg gay actors, Tucci rpond, “Obvly, I believe that’s fe.

The Searchg for Italy host has played gay characters the 2006 edy The Devil Wears Prada and 2020 drama Supernova, which his love tert was portrayed by longtime iend Col Firth. “I am always very flattered when gay men e up to me and talk about [my role ] The Devil Wears Prada or they talk about Supernova, and they say that, ‘It was jt so betiful, ’ you know, ‘You did the right way, " he said. While homophob are by gettg mad at Tom Holland for havg a gay scene his current show The Crowd Room, they’re missg somethg important: he’s not the first Spir-Man actor to play gay.

In fact, Holland is followg a long and proud tradn of Spir-Man actors playg are some prev tim that actors who have played Peter Parker have crossed over to the other si and played gay characters movi, TV, and on stage. The first live-actn Spir-Man has played gay several tim his reer, both before and after playg Spir-Man. In a fake trailer for an Osr-ba movie the film, Maguire plays himself, who is starrg a movie about two gay 18th Century monks lled Satan’s Alley.

STANLEY TUCCI SAYS HE THKS STRAIGHT ACTORS SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY GAY CHARACTERS

Garfield, who played Parker the rebooted Spir-Man movi by Marc Webb, has actually gotten wispread cril acclaim for playg gay. In 2017, he started playg the role of Prr Walter, a gay man wh AIDS, the celebrated play Angels Ameri at the Natnal Theatre London. In The Crowd Room, Holland, who plays Spir-Man the Marvel Cematic Universe, plays a troubled young man named Danny Sullivan, who ms some heo crim, but also has gay sex.

Homophob are plag that their beloved Spir-Man would do such a thg (the gay stuff, not the rap). In early December, Netflix dropped s highly anticipated mil edy “The Prom, ” starrg Meryl Streep, Nile Kidman, Andrew Rannells and Jam Corn as fadg Broadway stars who set out to help a lbian teen take her girliend to the film, helmed by out director Ryan Murphy, got mixed reviews, but some lambasted as “homophobic” and “offensive” bee of the stg of Corn, a straight actor, what they saw as an “aggrsively flamboyant” riture of a gay character, Barry Glickman, is a narcissistic theater actor who dons sparklg tuxedo jackets, talks wh a stereotypil gay lisp while flailg his hands around and scrib himself as “gay as a bucket of wigs. "Melda Sue Gordon / NetflixErik Anrson, who ns the film se Awards Watch, lled “The Prom” a “geo and vibrant productn” but tweeted that Corn’s “performance is gross and offensive, the worst gayface a long, long time.

”The ntroversy threw fuel on an already simmerg bate: Should non-LGBTQ actors still be st lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer rol?

14 MOST MEMORABLE GAY CHARACTERS PLAYED BY NON-GAY ACTORS

Hugh Culber on CBS All Accs' “Star Trek: Disvery, ” he ma history playg gay high school stunt Ricky the ‘90s show “My So Called Life.

” It was the first time an openly gay actor played a gay character a leadg role a TV part “helped fluence a whole generatn of people who beme wrers and actors and ntent creators, who wanted to see more people like Ricky, more LGBTQ people of lor, and I thk we're seeg the benef of that today, ” said Cz, who served as executive producer of Apple TV’s "Visible: Out on Televisn, ” a 2020 doceri about the history of the LGBTQ movement through the lens of Amerin Cz ma his but “My So Called Life, ” televisn has been creasgly hirg LGBTQ actors to play LGBTQ characters. In 2020 alone, queer actor Kristen Stewart played a lbian Hulu’s Christmas rom- “Happit Season, ” out actors Sarah Plson and Cynthia Nixon played love terts Ryan Murphy’s Netflix seri “Ratched, ” gay actor Dan Levy played a queer character the Emmy-wng Canadian show “Scht’s Creek"and several openly gay actors starred the Netflix adaptn of the Tony Award-wng queer play “The Boys the Band.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH OPENS UP ABOUT STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS

6 percent) released 2019 featured LGBTQ characters, wh gay male characters reprentg the bulk at nearly 70 percent and no transgenr characters. Straight and cisgenr ‘privilege’While straight and cisgenr actors are given many opportuni to play rol outsi their own genr and sexualy, many gay and trans actors say they are given far ls leeway.

He said the movie bs is “a very heterosexual bs” that’s “n mostly by heterosexual men” and lamented that straight actors takg gay rol has a stiflg effect on gay actors who, like him, are no longer nsired for heterosexual parts. Most notably, perhaps, Tom Hanks, who won an Amy Award for his portrayal of a gay man dyg of AIDS the 1993 film “Philalphia, ” and Hilary Swank, who won the Osr for her performance as transgenr man Brandon Teena the 1999 film “Boys Don’t Cry. ” The amy also nomated actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal for their rol the 2005 gay wboy film “Brokeback Mounta, ” Jared Leto for his portrayal of a trans woman the 2013 film “Dallas Buyers Club, ” actor Cate Blanchett for her role the 2015 lbian romantic drama “Carol” and Eddie Redmayne for his portrayal of a trans woman the 2015 film “The Danish Girl.