Should straight actors still play gay characters? 'It's plited'

gay celebrities playing straight roles

The cisn to st straight actor Jack Whehall as Disney’s first openly gay character stirred the never-endg ntroversy on whether gay characters should be portrayed by non-LGBTI actors. But…

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19 GAY, LBIAN AND BI ACTORS WHO GAVE AMAZG PERFORMANC STRAIGHT ROLSTEFANIA SARBBA·FOLLOW7 M READ·AUG 21, 2018--LISTENSHARECOBIE SMULRS AND NEIL PATRICK HARRIS HAD A GREAT CHEMISTRY ON HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. | PHOTO: CBSTHE CISN TO ST STRAIGHT ACTOR JACK WHEHALL AS DISNEY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER STIRRED THE NEVER-ENDG NTROVERSY ON WHETHER GAY CHARACTERS SHOULD BE PORTRAYED BY NON-LGBTI ACTORS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER WAY ROUND?PLAYG GAY IS OK FOR 70% OF PEOPLEFRH MEAT’S WHEHALL WILL PLAY A ‘HUGELY EFFETE, VERY MP AND VERY FUNNY’ CHARACTER THE UPG MOVIE JUNGLE CISE, ALONGSI DWAYNE ‘THE ROCK’ JOHNSON AND EY BLUNT.FOLLOWG THE STG, YOUGOV SURVEYED 3,276 ADULTS RIDG GREAT BRA AND FOUND 70% OF RPONNTS BELIEVED PLAYG GAY IS FE.YOUNGER PEOPLE (18–24) ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE UPSET AT THE STG OF A CIS, STRAIGHT PERSON AS AN LGBTI CHARACTER. NOHELS, OLR RPONNTS SAID THEY ARE OK WH STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY.THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF ACTG IS, FACT, TO PRETEND TO BE SOMEONE ELSE AND NVEY THE EMOTNS OF THAT GIVEN CHARACTER TO A GREATER DIENCE. THAT IS WHY A LERAL STG MIGHT FEEL RTRICTIVE FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE ACTG AS A PROFSN.HOWEVER, AS LONG AS OPPORTUNI FOR LGBTI ACTORS REMA UNEQUAL — AND THAT IS TE PECIALLY FOR TRANS ARTISTS WHO FACE A STGGLE TO BE ST AS ANYTHG BUT TRANS — A STG CISN WILL ALWAYS BE MORE THAN JT THAT. MANY ARE URGG STG DIRECTORS AND MOVIE PRODUCTN PANI TO DO BETTER THAN GOG FOR THE SAFT OPTN.LGBTI ACTORS STRAIGHT ROLON THE OTHER HAND, SEVERAL LGBTI ACTORS HAVE PLAYED STRAIGHT ROL THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.WHILE IS TE THAT, CERTA S, MANY DID SO AN ATTEMPT TO NCEAL THEIR SEXUAL INTY OM THE PUBLIC, MORE RECENT TIM OPENLY GAY AND BI ACTORS PLAYED STRAIGHT AND DID SO AMAZGLY.HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER’S NEIL PATRICK HARRIS PORTRAYED WOMANIZER BARNEY STSON ON THE CBS SHOW FOR NE SEASONS. ALTHOUGH BEG ONE OF THE MOST FAMO GAY ACTORS TO HAVE STEPPED THE SHO OF A STRAIGHT CHARACTER, HE WASN’T SURELY THE ONLY ONE.HERE IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE BT PERFORMANC BY LGBTI ACTORS HETEROSEXUAL ROL.1. DAVID BURTKANEIL PATRICK HARRIS PLAYG STRAIGHT BARNEY IS MON KNOWLEDGE, BUT DID YOU KNOW HIS HBAND, AN ACTOR AND PROFSNAL CHEF, PLAYED A STRAIGHT ROLE ON THE SAME SHOW?DAVID BURTKA, FACT, WAS SOTER, LILY’S (ALYSON HANNIGAN) PUPPY-EYED EX-BOYIEND NSTANTLY TRYG TO W HER BACK.HARRIS AND BURTKA TIED THE KNOT ITALY 2014, WH ELTON JOHN PLAYG AT THE CEREMONY OFFICIATED BY HIMYM’S DIRECTOR PAMELA FRYMAN.2. CYNTHIA NIXONCURRENT GUBERNATORIAL NDIDATE FOR NEW YORK CYNTHIA NIXON HAS PLAYED STRAIGHT THE UNFETTABLE ROLE OF OUTSPOKEN, SASSY MIRANDA HOBB SEX AND THE CY. HER CHARACTER GETS MARRIED TO STEVE BRADY.THE OPENLY BISEXUAL ACTRS BEGAN DATG CHRISTE MARONI AFTER THE END OF HER MARRIAGE TO DANNY MOZ. THE TWO WOMEN MARRIED 2009 AND WELED A SON 2011. NIXON ALSO HAS TWO CHILDREN OM HER PREV MARRIAGE, ONE OF WHOM IS TRANSGENR.3. MATT BOMERVERY MUCH LIKE HARRIS, MATT BOMER ROSE TO POPULARY FOR HIS PORTRAYAL OF N ARTIST NEAL CAFEY WHE COLLAR. CHARMG, CUNNG AND STRAIGHT AS HELL, CAFEY HAS SEVERAL FEMALE PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE SIX SEASONS.HE ALSO PLAYED KEN, A STRAIGHT STRIPPER MARRIED TO MIRCEA MONROE 2015 CULT MOVIE MAGIC MIKE.4. ELLEN PAGEBEFORE G OUT TO THE WORLD HER BETIFUL SPEECH AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S TIME TO THRIVE 2014, THE CANADIAN ACTRS PORTRAYED THE TULAR ROLE JUNO, ALONGSI MICHAEL CERA AND JENNIFER GARNER.THE 2007 MOVIE, WHERE PAGE PLAYS A BRAZEN TEENAGER ALG WH AN UNPLANNED PREGNANCY, WAS A HUGE H. THE ACTRS WAS NOMATED THE BT ACTRS TEGORY AT THE AMY AWARDS BUT LOST TO MARN COTILLARD. SCREENWRER DIABLO CODY WON THE OSR FOR BT SCREENPLAY.SUBSEQUENTLY, PAGE PLAYED STRAIGHT SEVERAL OTHER MOVI AND NOTABLY A GAY CHARACTER FREEHELD, STARRG OPPOSE JULIANNE MOORE.5. WENTWORTH MILLERAMERIN ACTOR WENTWORTH MILLER PLAYED THE ROLE OF MATE MICHAEL SFIELD PRISON BREAK. SFIELD MARRI DR. SARA TANCREDI THE SHOW.DPE SEVERAL NIALS, MILLER FALLY ME OUT AS GAY 2013. HE THEN REPRISED HIS ROLE PRISON BREAK FOR A FIFTH SEASON 2017.6. PORTIA ROSSIATRALIAN ACTRS PORTIA ROSSI PLAYED STRAIGHT ON SEVERAL OCSNS.ELLEN DEGENER’ WIFE ROSE TO FAME FOR THE ROLE OF LAWYER NELLE PORTER AND JOHN CAGE’S LOVE TERT LEGAL DRAMEDY ALLY MCBEAL.SHE ALSO PORTRAYS THE STRAIGHT, PROMISCUO LDSAY BLUTH FüNKE ARRTED DEVELOPMENT, ORIGALLY AIRED BETWEEN 2003 AND 2006 AND LATER PICKED UP BY NETFLIX FOR A REVIVAL.7. JIM PARSONSOPENLY GAY ACTOR JIM PARSONS PORTRAYS SHELDON COOPER ON THE S THE BIG BANG THEORY.ALTHOUGH THE THEORETIL PHYSICIST VELOPS A ROMANTIC TERT FOR FELLOW SCIENTIST AMY FARRAH FOWLER (MAYIM BIALIK), MANY NSIR SHELDON TO BE ASEXUAL. THE SHOW’S CREATORS HAVE ALWAYS NIED SUCH CLAIMS.PARSONS MARRIED ART DIRECTOR TODD SPIEWAK 2017, AFTER A TEN-YEAR-LONG RELATNSHIP.8. SARA GILBERTPARSONS ISN’T THE ONLY GAY ACTOR ON THE BIG BANG THEORY. LBIAN ACTRS SARA GILBERT PLAYS SCIENTIST LLIE WKLE, A STRAIGHT CHARACTER SEXUALLY VOLVED WH TWO MA CHARACTERS, HOWARD (SIMON HELBERG) AND LEONARD (JOHNNY GALECKI).FUNNILY ENOUGH, GALECKI AND GILBERT -STARRED ON THE ORIGAL ROSEANNE AND BRIEFLY DATED BEFORE THE ACTRS REALIZED SHE WAS TO WOMEN.GILBERT MARRIED TO 4 NON BLONS ONTWOMAN LDA PERRY 2014.9. KRISTEN STEWARTBISEXUAL ACTRS KRISTEN STEWART HAS PLAYED MOSTLY STRAIGHT CHARACTERS HER WHOLE LIFE.FROM HER PORTRAYAL OF BELLA SWAN THE TWILIGHT SAGA, WHERE SHE STARRED OPPOSE HER THEN-BOYIEND ROBERT PATTSON, TO HER MOST RECENT ROL, STEWART HAS NEVER BEEN A SAME-SEX STORYLE. UNTIL NOW.SHE WILL BE BRIDGET SULLIVAN THE UPG VICTORIAN THRILLER LIZZIE. CHLOë SEVIGNY WILL PLAY THE TULAR ROLE AND THE TWO WILL HAVE A RELATNSHIP LEADG TO TERRIBLE NSEQUENC. THE MOVIE WILL H THEATERS ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2018.10. LE EVANSWELSH ACTOR LE EVANS HAS BEEN OUT AS A GAY MAN EVER SCE 2002. HOWEVER, HE HAS MOSTLY PLAYED STRAIGHT CHARACTERS.HE PORTRAYED WONR WOMAN’S CREATOR WILLIAM MOULTON MARSTON 2017 MOVIE PROFSOR MARSTON AND THE WONR WOMEN. IN THE FILM, HE AND HIS WIFE ELIZABETH (REBEC HALL) BEE VOLVED A POLYAMORO RELATNSHIP WH STUNT OLIVE (BELLA HEATHTE).EVANS WAS ALSO THE OBNOX GASTON THE 2017 DISNEY CLASSIC’S LIVE-ACTN BETY AND THE BEAST. FURTHERMORE, HE PLAYED THE ROLE OF STT HIPWELL THE GIRL ON THE TRA.11. JODIE FOSTERTHE LBIAN ACTRS HAS PLAYED HETEROSEXUAL ROL FOR ALL OF HER LIFE.FROM HER TOP PERFORMANC THE ACCED AND THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS — THE LATTER PERCEIVED AS BLATANTLY NCEALG HER CHARACTER’S SEXUALY — FOSTER PLAYED MEL GIBSON’S WIFE 2011 MOVIE THE BEAVER, WHICH SHE ALSO DIRECTED.FURTHERMORE, SHE PORTRAYED PENELOPE LONGSTREET, JOHN C. REILLY’S WIFE, CARNAGE, DIRECTED BY ROMAN POLANSKI.12. T. R. KNIGHTT. R. KNIGHT IS KNOWN PRIMARILY FOR THE ROLE OF GEE O’MALLEY ON ABC’S GREY’S ANATOMY.DPE THE SHOW CREATED BY SHONDA RHIM HAS BEEN A ONTNNER PORTRAYG RELATABLE LGBTI STORYL, O’MALLEY WAS ONE OF THE HETEROSEXUAL DOCTORS WORKG AT SEATTLE GRACE HOSPAL.AS FANS OF THE SHOWS MAY RELL, O’MALLEY FALLS FOR THE MA CHARACTER MEREDH GREY (ELLEN POMPEO), GETS MARRIED TO BISEXUAL DOCTOR CALLIE TORR (SARA RAMIREZ) AND LATER BE VOLVED WH HIS BT IEND IZZIE STEVENS (KATHERE HEIGL).13. JANE LYNCHBACK 2011, LBIAN ACTRS JANE LYNCH ADDRSED THE NTROVERSY SAYG GAY ACTORS WOULD NEVER LAND LEAD STRAIGHT ROL.DURG HER LONG REER, LYNCH HAS PLAYED SEVERAL HETEROSEXUAL CHARACTERS. THE MOST INIC STRAIGHT ROLE IS SURELY THAT OF PLA ON THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRG. SHE ALSO PLAYED STRAIGHT ON ARRTED DEVELOPMENT AND GLEE.HOWEVER, SHE PLAYED A LBIAN 2000 ENSEMBLE MOVIE BT IN SHOW.14. ZACHARY QUTOQUTO ME OUT AS GAY 2011 AND HE HAS PLAYED SEVERAL GAY CHARACTERS EVER SCE.HOWEVER, HE PLAYED SPOCK STAR TREK. THE CHARACTER BE ROMANTILLY VOLVED WH MUNITN OFFICER UHURA, PLAYED BY ZOE SALDANA, THE 2009 STALLMENT OF THE ANCHISE.QUTO ALSO PLAYED DR. OLIVER THREDSON ON AMERIN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM. THE PSYCHIATRIST VELOPS AN OBSSN FOR LANA WTERS (SARAH PLSON).15. SARAH PLSONNOW A RELATNSHIP WH FELLOW ACTRS HOLLAND TAYLOR, PLSON HAD PREVLY DATED CHERRY JON. SHE ALSO DATED MEN AND FED HER SEXUALY AS ‘FLUID’.PLSON HAS PLAYED LGBTI CHARACTERS, NOTABLY ON AHS AND 2015 MOVIE CAROL. NOHELS, SHE HAS PORTRAYED HETEROSEXUAL CHARACTERS AS WELL, SUCH AS AMANDA BLUE JAY, ALONGSI MARK DUPLASS. THE BLACK AND WHE MOVIE CENTERS AROUND TWO HIGH-SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS WHO BUMPED TO EACH OTHER AFTER TWENTY YEARS.THE ACTRS ALSO RECENTLY PLAYED A STRAIGHT, BORED WIFE AND MOTHER OCEAN’S 8.16. VICTOR GARBERCANADIAN ACTOR VICTOR GARBER PLAYED STRAIGHT ON BOTH TV SHOWS ALIAS AND CHARMED.HE ALSO PLAYED PROFSOR MART STE ON LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, ONE OF THE SHOWS OF CW’S ARROWVERSE. STE IS MARRIED TO CLARISSA, PLAYED BY ISABELLA HOFMANN.GARBER HAS BEEN A RELATNSHIP WH MOL RAER ANDREEN SCE 2000, BUT ONLY PUBLICLY ADDRSED HIS HOMOSEXUALY 2012. THE PAIR GOT MARRIED 2015.17. RAVEN-SYMONéWHILE RAVEN MIGHT HAVE BEEN A B TOO BOY-OBSSED ON DISNEY CHANNEL’S SHOW THAT’S SO RAVEN AND THE SUBSEQUENT REVIVAL RAVEN’S HOME, THE ACTRS PORTRAYG THE FUNNY CHARACTER IS TO WOMEN.SHE ONLY ME OUT AS A LBIAN 2016, AFTER HAVG REFED TO OFFICIALLY INTIFY AS SUCH PREV TERVIEWS. SHE WAS A RELATNSHIP WH MOL AZMARIE LIVGSTON FOR THREE YEARS BEFORE THE PAIR SPL UP 2015.18. JONATHAN D. BENTIT’S ONLY THANKS TO JONATHAN D. BENT IF ‘OCTOBER 3RD’ HOLDS A SPECIAL MEANG FOR ALL THE MEAN GIRLS OUT THERE.THE ACTOR, WHO ME OUT AS GAY 2017, PLAYED AARON SAMUELS, REGA GEE’S (RACHEL MCADAMS) BOYIEND AND THEN CADY HERON’S (LDSAY LOHAN) LOVE TERT 2004 LTLE GEM MEAN GIRLS.19. HEATHER MATARAZZO

Jam Corn's performance as a gay man "The Prom" was lambasted, but Ewan McGregor's turn "Halston" has been acclaimed. * gay celebrities playing straight roles *

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.

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

Bros is jt the latt project that prov LGBTQ+ actors n slay performanc of any character, gay or straight. * gay celebrities playing straight roles *

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.

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.

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. John Benjam Hickey — whose Col “In Treatment” is heterosexual — has been outspokenly gay for years, but Emmy-nomated Emma Corr was not yet publicly queer when she was st as Prcs Diana “The Crown.

GAY ACTORS, STRAIGHT ROL: A LSON IN MAKG SURE YOUR ARGUMENT IS LOGIL

* gay celebrities playing straight roles *

Knight, Emmy-nomated 2007 for playg hetero heartthrob Gee “Grey’s Anatomy” and who now — alongsi fellow out “The Flight Attendant” st member Griff Matthews — plays gay that Emmy-nomated seri.

STANLEY TUCCI IS PRETTY FE WH STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS

We loved the straight actors playg gay! * gay celebrities playing straight roles *

”“In the 22 years we’ve worked together, we’ve always brought gay and straight actors for straight and gay rol, ” says Emmy-nomated Sharon Bialy of Bialy/Thomas & Associat, speakg of herself, bs partner Sherry Thomas and associate Rsell Stt. "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.

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

The bate over whether or not straight actors should play gay rol isn’t gog to die down any time soon. * gay celebrities playing straight roles *

) But while a st of all gay actors playg straight rol is new, out actors playg straight isn' of the bt actg rol om some of our favore LGBTQ+ actors are when they've been playg straight rol.

Fabrega and fellow queer edian Jul Torr created Los Espookys along wh Fred Armisen, and while Torr plays a gay character the show, Fabrega plays one of the few straight characters. He won a Tony and Grammy for his role the Broadway play, but the movie versn was ls enthiastilly many viewers assumed that Evan Hansen was gay, the character is fely not. While Plson plays gay a lot, cludg projects like Amerin Horror Story, Ratched, and Carol, she was most recently nomated for an Emmy for playg real-life straight woman Lda Tripp Impeachment: Amerin Crime Story.

STRAIGHT ACTORS WHO HAVE PLAYED GAY CHARACTERS

Let's take a look at the logic -- or lack thereof -- a recent argument that gay actors n't play straight characters. * gay celebrities playing straight roles *

| Photo: CBSThe cisn to st straight actor Jack Whehall as Disney’s first openly gay character stirred the never-endg ntroversy on whether gay characters should be portrayed by non-LGBTI actors.

Playg gay is OK for 70% of peopleFrh Meat’s Whehall will play a ‘hugely effete, very mp and very funny’ character the upg movie Jungle Cise, alongsi Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Ey Blunt.

Many are urgg stg directors and movie productn pani to do better than gog for the saft actors straight rolOn the other hand, several LGBTI actors have played straight rol throughout the is te that, certa s, many did so an attempt to nceal their sexual inty om the public, more recent tim openly gay and bi actors played straight and did so I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris portrayed womanizer Barney Stson on the CBS show for ne seasons. Although beg one of the most famo gay actors to have stepped the sho of a straight character, he wasn’t surely the only is a list of some of the bt performanc by LGBTI actors heterosexual rol. Jane LynchBack 2011, lbian actrs Jane Lynch addrsed the ntroversy sayg gay actors would never land lead straight her long reer, Lynch has played several heterosexual characters.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS SHAR HIS THOUGHTS ON STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS

Bent if ‘October 3rd’ holds a special meang for all the mean girls out actor, who me out as gay 2017, played Aaron Samuels, Rega Gee’s (Rachel McAdams) boyiend and then Cady Heron’s (Ldsay Lohan) love tert 2004 ltle gem Mean Girls. 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.

15 GAY ACTORS WHO PLAYED STRAIGHT ROL TO PERFECTN

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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY CELEBRITIES PLAYING STRAIGHT ROLES

20 of our favore straight actors as gay characters | CNN .

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