Power of the Dog: Benedict Cumberbatch on Straight Actors Playg Gay – IndieWire

Contents:

• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IS GAY?
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH WEIGHS ON STRAIGHT ACTORS GAY ROL AHEAD OF ‘POWER OF THE DOG’ RELEASE
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH DEFENDS DECISN TO PLAY GAY CHARACTER: 'I FEEL SENSIVE' ABOUT 'DIVERSY'
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH OPENS UP ABOUT STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS
• MARVEL STAR BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH CAN’T FET WHAT HIS COUNTRY DID TO THE FATHER OF AI FOR BEG GAY: “IT’S BARBARIC”
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ASKS TOUGH QUTNS ABOUT THE INDTRY, REPRENTATN—AND HIMSELFTHE RIVETG POWER OF THE DOG STAR ON NAVIGATG THE “BELLY OF THE BEAST” HOLLYWOOD.BY DAVID CANFIELDPHOTOGRAPHY BY MRIZ CATTELAN AND PIERPAOLO FERRARISTYLED BY KATIE GRANDFEBARY 17, 2022T-SHIRT BY CALV KLE; PANTS AND SNEAKERS BY BALENCIAGA; NECKLAC BY DAVID YURMAN; BRACELET BY CHROME HEARTS; WATCH BY JAEGER-LECOULTRE; HAIR PRODUCTS BY MARIA NILA; GROOMG PRODUCTS BY CHARLOTTE TILBURY.PHOTOGRAPH BY MAURIZIO CATTELAN AND PIERPAOLO FERRARI; STYLED BY KATIE GRAND.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH DON’T DODGE TOUGH QUTNS— FACT, HE RAIS SOME OF THE THORNIT ON HIMSELF. OVER A LONG OUTDOOR BREAKFAST AT THE MALIBU RACQUET CLUB, WE’RE PREPARG TO DISCS TWO OF THE MOST SIGNIFINT FILMS OF HIS REER, SPIR-MAN: NO WAY HOME AND THE POWER OF THE DOG, BOTH OF WHICH ME OUT THIS PAST YEAR. CUMBERBATCH NSIRS THEIR HEFT. “AM I WORKG FOR THE GOLIATH THAT’S KILLG THE DAVID?” HE SAYS.TECHNILLY, ’S TWO GOLIATHS—MARVEL AND NETFLIX, RPECTIVELY—BUT THE DAYS THE DAVIDS N’T AFFORD TO BE ADVERSARIAL. CUMBERBATCH KNOWS HOW DIFFICULT IS TO GET A MOVIE MA WHOUT A PARTICULAR STAR POWER: “UNLS YOU HAVE A MARVEL STAR, FANCG ANY FILM IS VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT—NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT THE STORY, NO MATTER HOW URGENT THE STORY, NO MATTER HOW TALENTED AND AWARD AND APPRECIATED THE ARTIST IS.” THE DIRECTOR OF THE POWER OF THE DOG, JANE CAMPN, RECENTLY SAID, “I ACTUALLY HATE” SUPERHERO MOVI. CUMBERBATCH FDS BOTH CHALLENGG AND HAS BEEN BALANCG BLOCKBTERS AND PRTIGE PROJECTS WH UNMON EASE—“ARTISTILLY, I NEVER THK OF THE TWO AS PLETELY MUTUALLY EXCLIVE.” HE’S EVERYWHERE HE NEEDS TO BE.“IF I’M THE BELLY OF THE BEAST, THEN SURELY I N START ASKG QUTNS OF .”IN DECEMBER, CUMBERBATCH’S IRASCIBLE, MAGIC-WIELDG DOCTOR STRANGE HELPED RCATE THE BOX OFFICE—FOR IP-DRIVEN BLOCKBTERS, ANYWAY—BY UNG SPIR-MEN OF DIFFERENT UNIVERS FOR A RERD-SHATTERG SPECTACLE. THIS MAY, THE DOCTOR GETS HIS OWN SEQUEL WH SAM RAIMI’S DOCTOR STRANGE THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNS. THIS LIKELY SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR A CLASSILLY TRAED BRISH ACTOR, BUT CUMBERBATCH WEL THE CHALLENGE. “IT’S A BIG MOMENT FOR STRANGE,” HE SAYS. “WE N BRG OUR GAME TO THIS LARGE TENTPOLE FARE AND GIVE AN THENTICY AND A HEARTBEAT AND SOMETHG THAT MAK NOT JT EFFECTS-LAN NONSENSE.”SEE VANY FAIR’S 2022 HOLLYWOOD ISSUEARROWCUMBERBATCH ME TO PROMENCE THE TLE ROLE OF THE BBC SERI SHERLOCK, WHICH SPARKED A RABID ONLE FOLLOWG WHEN BUTED 2010. HE HAD, AND HAS, AN TENSE PRENCE THAT’S ALL THE MORE RIVETG FOR BEG SLIGHTLY ODD AND HARD TO QUANTIFY. WHAT’S GOG ON THE HEADS OF HIS HNTED CHARACTERS? WELL, CLEARLY A LOT—AND CUMBERBATCH REVEALS WHO THE PEOPLE ARE WH SLOW, MMERIZG RE. IN THE POWER OF THE DOG, HE PLAYS PHIL BURBANK, A CLOSETED RANCHER ’20S MONTANA WHOSE CEL STREAK EPENS DRAMATILLY WHEN HIS BROTHER MARRI A WIDOW AND SHE BRGS HER QUIET, PROTECTIVE SON (PLAYED BY KODI SM-MCPHEE) TO LIVE WH THEM. THE FACT THAT CUMBERBATCH HAS PLAYED GAY MEN MORE THAN ONE HIGHLY RATED FILM ROLE—ANOTHER BEG HIS OSR-NOMATED TURN AS ALAN TURG THE IMATN GAME—HAS PROVOKED BATE AROUND SEXUALY AND REPRENTATN. “WHILE MY LIVED EXPERIENCE IS VERY FAR OM PHIL BURBANK’S, THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT ALL OF IS,” HE SAYS REFULLY. “BUT THAT’S WHERE WE GET TO THE REALM OF MY PRIVACY.” (CUMBERBATCH IS MARRIED TO THE THEATER DIRECTOR SOPHIE HUNTER; THEY HAVE THREE CHILDREN.) AFTER A PSE, HE NTU: “I DON’T WANT TO SOUND FENSIVE BEE I’M NOT. THIS IS G OM A CULTURAL QUTNG OF APPROPRIATN, AND THAT’S SOMETHG I’M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF AS A PRODUCER AND AN ACTOR.” HE MAT MORE ON THE TOPIC, TALKG ABOUT GHT SUBJECTS WH EMPATHY AND NUANCE. “IF YOUR MUNY’S UNRREPRENTED, THEN THAT’S WHY PEOPLE WILL BE RIGHTFULLY ANGRY,” HE SAYS. “I UNRSTAND . I DO UNRSTAND …. MAYBE I’M ENTERG A NEW ERA WHERE I HAVE TO BE MUCH MORE SENSIVE ABOUT .”IT’S SURELY A HEARTENG SIGN THAT A DRAMA AS CHARACTER-DRIVEN AND TIMATE AS THE POWER OF THE DOG WAS DISTRIBUTED BY A GOLIATH LIKE NETFLIX, BUT CUMBERBATCH DO HAVE ONE MISGIVG. AS HE PUTS , “IF I’M THE BELLY OF THE BEAST, THEN SURELY I N START ASKG QUTNS OF .” THE KEY QUTN IS THIS: WHY DID NETFLIX GIVE THE FILM SUCH A PERFUNCTORY N THEATERS?BACK SEPTEMBER, THE DRAMA SCREENED EXCLIVELY AT FTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD. (CUMBERBATCH TRAVELED WH AND WAS BEDRIDN WH COVID LONDON AFTER ATTENDG A CROWD GATHERG, WHICH HE LLS “A SOBER REMR OF LIMS.”) THE GRIPPG WTERN HAD ONLY BEEN PLAYG SELECT THEATERS FOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE H THE STREAMER. “THIS IS FOR STT [STUBER] AND TED [SARANDOS] AND EVERYONE WHO NS NETFLIX: COULD YOU NOT AFFORD TO HAVE A LONGER THEATRIL RELEASE?” CUMBERBATCH ASKS NOW. “MAYBE NOT. I DON’T KNOW. I’M POSNG THIS AS A QUTN PUBLICLY VANY FAIR. I HAVEN’T ACTUALLY HAD THIS NVERSATN WH THEM, BUT I WOULD AND I WILL.” SO GO THE JOURNEY OF AN ACTOR AN DTRY TRANSFORMG BY THE DAY.PHOTOGRAPH BY MAURIZIO CATTELAN AND PIERPAOLO FERRARI; STYLED BY KATIE GRAND.TAILOR, CAROLA BRONISLAVA JAKUBOWSKA; GROOMING, DONALD MCINNES. SET DESIGN, STEFAN BECKMAN. PRODUCED ON LOCATION BY PRODN AT ART + COMMERCE. DIRECTED BY CATERINA VIGANÒ; DOP, DOMINIC HAYDN RAWLE; VFX & COLOR GRADING, SOUND DESIGN & MIX, SMIDER. FOR DETAILS, GO TO NEXT: PENéLOPE CZTHE GLOBAL SUPERSTAR AND OSR WNER DUG EP FOR HER ROLE PARALLEL MOTHERS, HER EIGHTH PROJECT WH LONGTIME LLABORATOR PEDRO ALMODóVA. CONTUE READG »BACK TO THE PORTFOLMORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR’S HOLLYWOOD ISSUE— VANY FAIR’S HOLLYWOOD ISSUE 2022: SEE THE FULL PORTFOL FEATURG NILE KIDMAN, KRISTEN STEWART, AND MORE— THE MAKG OF VANY FAIR’S 28TH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD PORTFOL— POSE IS OVER, BUT MICHAELA JAé RODRIGUEZ IS JT GETTG STARTED— ANDREW GARFIELD ON JONATHAN LARSON AND LYG ABOUT SPIR-MAN— KRISTEN STEWART ON LOVE—ONSCREEN AND OFF— NILE KIDMAN IS A MOVIE STAR, BUT SHE APPROACH ROL LIKE “I’VE JT COME OUT OF DRAMA SCHOOL”— GLOBAL SUPERSTAR PENéLOPE CZ MAY NAB OSR NUMBER TWO FOR PARALLEL MOTHERS— IDRIS ELBA ON PLUMBG THE “DARK SI OF HUMAN BEGS” AND MAKG ROOM FOR MIC— SIMU LIU IS THE SUPERHERO WE NEED NOW— RADHIKA JON ON THE STARS LIGHTG UP VANY FAIR’S NEW HOLLYWOOD ISSUE— NOT A SUBSCRIBER? JO VANY FAIR TO RECEIVE FULL ACCS TO  AND RECEIVE A EE TOTEDAVID CANFIELD
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH EXPLAS WHY HE'S PLAYG GAY NEW WTERN FILM
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ON STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY ‘POWER OF THE DOG’: ‘IT WASN’T DONE WHOUT THOUGHT’
• BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ADDRS SAM ELLTT'S 'ODD' RANT ABOUT POWER OF THE DOG'S GAY THEM

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IS GAY?

At one time mors were very actively spread that actor Benedikt Cumberbatch was gay.

To some extent, the gossip is also related to the fact that the actor played the part of Alan Turg the movie "The Game of Imatn", which cracked the of the German Enigma encryptn mache durg the Send World War, and was later prosecuted for his homosexualy.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH WEIGHS ON STRAIGHT ACTORS GAY ROL AHEAD OF ‘POWER OF THE DOG’ RELEASE

”Sexualy is at the foreont of Cumberbatch’s hotly anticipated film, The Imatn Game, which he plays Alan Turg, a gay man who was wily creded wh crackg the Enigma durg World War II. Tragilly, Turg mted suici after the war when he was nvicted of “engagg homosexual relatns”. ”Cumberbatch, who officiated his iends’ Seth Cummgs and Rob Rr’s civil ceremony Ibiza last year, also spoke about how difficult is for gay actors Hollywood.

“I thk if you’re gog to sell yourself as a leadg man Hollywood to say ‘I’m gay’, sadly, is still a huge obstacle, ” he said. “We all know actors who are [gay] who don’t want to talk about or brg up, or who ny .

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH DEFENDS DECISN TO PLAY GAY CHARACTER: 'I FEEL SENSIVE' ABOUT 'DIVERSY'

Human rights movements and sexual and gay rights movements have ma huge social progrs the last 40 years, whout a doubt, but there’s a lot more work to be done. Benedict Cumberbatch plays a sexually reprsed wboy the 1920s – when homosexualy was wily stigmatized and many plac, crimalized – the upg Netflix film “The Power of the Dog. Hollywood has for s st actors heterosexual relatnships gay rol.

Some of the creators volved those films, like director Todd Hayn of “Carol” and Lu Guadagno, who directed “Call Me By Your Name, ” which also starred straight actors, are gay themselv. The film “Moonlight, ” which followed a gay Black man three stag of his life, was celebrated for sisteppg queer stereotyp, though starred some straight actors.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH OPENS UP ABOUT STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY CHARACTERS

Whereas stg cisgenr actors transgenr rol has recently fallen out of popular practice – LGBTQ media advocy anizatn GLAAD says stg this way “perpetuat this belief that trans people aren’t real” – there is not a siar nsens when to actors playg gay characters. (The anizatn didn’t immediately rpond to CNN’s requt for ment regardg straight actors portrayg gay characters. Vany Fair cric Richard Lawson wrote a review of the 2020 film “The Prom” that there’s no “hard and fast le about who should play gay men on screen.

” Nuance, though, is necsary for any actor playg a gay character, he said. That’s part of why Jam Corn’s stg “The Prom” as a flamboyant fad Broadway star was wily cricized: Corn, who is married to a woman, played to stereotyp of gay men, acrdg to many crics, who said his performance was “sultg” and lled him “offensively misst.

MARVEL STAR BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH CAN’T FET WHAT HIS COUNTRY DID TO THE FATHER OF AI FOR BEG GAY: “IT’S BARBARIC”

“In general, y, I wish more gay actors got the chance to tell our stori, embody our people, rather than straight men gettg aclas for beg brave – or cheers for beg sassy, ” Lawson wrote his review of the film. But the ia that playg a gay role is a “brave” cisn for a straight actor is beg ls domant, cric Guy Lodge said an terview wh the Guardian, evinced by the lack of buzz for films such as “Ammone” and “Supernova, ” which both foced on queer love stori portrayed by straight actors.

“I thk the ia of beg ‘brave’ for playg gay is gog away, ” Lodge said. Benedict Cumberbatch is fendg his role as a gay man his latt movie.

Cumberbatch, who is straight and has prevly played a gay character, spoke about his latt turn the upg The Power of the Dog. Still, Cumberbatch knows the nversatn that along wh a straight actor takg on a gay character. The actor prevly played mathematician Alan Turg, a gay man, 2014's The Imatn Game.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ASKS TOUGH QUTNS ABOUT THE INDTRY, REPRENTATN—AND HIMSELFTHE RIVETG POWER OF THE DOG STAR ON NAVIGATG THE “BELLY OF THE BEAST” HOLLYWOOD.BY DAVID CANFIELDPHOTOGRAPHY BY MRIZ CATTELAN AND PIERPAOLO FERRARISTYLED BY KATIE GRANDFEBARY 17, 2022T-SHIRT BY CALV KLE; PANTS AND SNEAKERS BY BALENCIAGA; NECKLAC BY DAVID YURMAN; BRACELET BY CHROME HEARTS; WATCH BY JAEGER-LECOULTRE; HAIR PRODUCTS BY MARIA NILA; GROOMG PRODUCTS BY CHARLOTTE TILBURY.PHOTOGRAPH BY MAURIZIO CATTELAN AND PIERPAOLO FERRARI; STYLED BY KATIE GRAND.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEBENEDICT CUMBERBATCH DON’T DODGE TOUGH QUTNS— FACT, HE RAIS SOME OF THE THORNIT ON HIMSELF. OVER A LONG OUTDOOR BREAKFAST AT THE MALIBU RACQUET CLUB, WE’RE PREPARG TO DISCS TWO OF THE MOST SIGNIFINT FILMS OF HIS REER, SPIR-MAN: NO WAY HOME AND THE POWER OF THE DOG, BOTH OF WHICH ME OUT THIS PAST YEAR. CUMBERBATCH NSIRS THEIR HEFT. “AM I WORKG FOR THE GOLIATH THAT’S KILLG THE DAVID?” HE SAYS.TECHNILLY, ’S TWO GOLIATHS—MARVEL AND NETFLIX, RPECTIVELY—BUT THE DAYS THE DAVIDS N’T AFFORD TO BE ADVERSARIAL. CUMBERBATCH KNOWS HOW DIFFICULT IS TO GET A MOVIE MA WHOUT A PARTICULAR STAR POWER: “UNLS YOU HAVE A MARVEL STAR, FANCG ANY FILM IS VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT—NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT THE STORY, NO MATTER HOW URGENT THE STORY, NO MATTER HOW TALENTED AND AWARD AND APPRECIATED THE ARTIST IS.” THE DIRECTOR OF THE POWER OF THE DOG, JANE CAMPN, RECENTLY SAID, “I ACTUALLY HATE” SUPERHERO MOVI. CUMBERBATCH FDS BOTH CHALLENGG AND HAS BEEN BALANCG BLOCKBTERS AND PRTIGE PROJECTS WH UNMON EASE—“ARTISTILLY, I NEVER THK OF THE TWO AS PLETELY MUTUALLY EXCLIVE.” HE’S EVERYWHERE HE NEEDS TO BE.“IF I’M THE BELLY OF THE BEAST, THEN SURELY I N START ASKG QUTNS OF .”IN DECEMBER, CUMBERBATCH’S IRASCIBLE, MAGIC-WIELDG DOCTOR STRANGE HELPED RCATE THE BOX OFFICE—FOR IP-DRIVEN BLOCKBTERS, ANYWAY—BY UNG SPIR-MEN OF DIFFERENT UNIVERS FOR A RERD-SHATTERG SPECTACLE. THIS MAY, THE DOCTOR GETS HIS OWN SEQUEL WH SAM RAIMI’S DOCTOR STRANGE THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNS. THIS LIKELY SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR A CLASSILLY TRAED BRISH ACTOR, BUT CUMBERBATCH WEL THE CHALLENGE. “IT’S A BIG MOMENT FOR STRANGE,” HE SAYS. “WE N BRG OUR GAME TO THIS LARGE TENTPOLE FARE AND GIVE AN THENTICY AND A HEARTBEAT AND SOMETHG THAT MAK NOT JT EFFECTS-LAN NONSENSE.”SEE VANY FAIR’S 2022 HOLLYWOOD ISSUEARROWCUMBERBATCH ME TO PROMENCE THE TLE ROLE OF THE BBC SERI SHERLOCK, WHICH SPARKED A RABID ONLE FOLLOWG WHEN BUTED 2010. HE HAD, AND HAS, AN TENSE PRENCE THAT’S ALL THE MORE RIVETG FOR BEG SLIGHTLY ODD AND HARD TO QUANTIFY. WHAT’S GOG ON THE HEADS OF HIS HNTED CHARACTERS? WELL, CLEARLY A LOT—AND CUMBERBATCH REVEALS WHO THE PEOPLE ARE WH SLOW, MMERIZG RE. IN THE POWER OF THE DOG, HE PLAYS PHIL BURBANK, A CLOSETED RANCHER ’20S MONTANA WHOSE CEL STREAK EPENS DRAMATILLY WHEN HIS BROTHER MARRI A WIDOW AND SHE BRGS HER QUIET, PROTECTIVE SON (PLAYED BY KODI SM-MCPHEE) TO LIVE WH THEM. THE FACT THAT CUMBERBATCH HAS PLAYED GAY MEN MORE THAN ONE HIGHLY RATED FILM ROLE—ANOTHER BEG HIS OSR-NOMATED TURN AS ALAN TURG THE IMATN GAME—HAS PROVOKED BATE AROUND SEXUALY AND REPRENTATN. “WHILE MY LIVED EXPERIENCE IS VERY FAR OM PHIL BURBANK’S, THAT’S NOT TO SAY THAT ALL OF IS,” HE SAYS REFULLY. “BUT THAT’S WHERE WE GET TO THE REALM OF MY PRIVACY.” (CUMBERBATCH IS MARRIED TO THE THEATER DIRECTOR SOPHIE HUNTER; THEY HAVE THREE CHILDREN.) AFTER A PSE, HE NTU: “I DON’T WANT TO SOUND FENSIVE BEE I’M NOT. THIS IS G OM A CULTURAL QUTNG OF APPROPRIATN, AND THAT’S SOMETHG I’M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF AS A PRODUCER AND AN ACTOR.” HE MAT MORE ON THE TOPIC, TALKG ABOUT GHT SUBJECTS WH EMPATHY AND NUANCE. “IF YOUR MUNY’S UNRREPRENTED, THEN THAT’S WHY PEOPLE WILL BE RIGHTFULLY ANGRY,” HE SAYS. “I UNRSTAND . I DO UNRSTAND …. MAYBE I’M ENTERG A NEW ERA WHERE I HAVE TO BE MUCH MORE SENSIVE ABOUT .”IT’S SURELY A HEARTENG SIGN THAT A DRAMA AS CHARACTER-DRIVEN AND TIMATE AS THE POWER OF THE DOG WAS DISTRIBUTED BY A GOLIATH LIKE NETFLIX, BUT CUMBERBATCH DO HAVE ONE MISGIVG. AS HE PUTS , “IF I’M THE BELLY OF THE BEAST, THEN SURELY I N START ASKG QUTNS OF .” THE KEY QUTN IS THIS: WHY DID NETFLIX GIVE THE FILM SUCH A PERFUNCTORY N THEATERS?BACK SEPTEMBER, THE DRAMA SCREENED EXCLIVELY AT FTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD. (CUMBERBATCH TRAVELED WH AND WAS BEDRIDN WH COVID LONDON AFTER ATTENDG A CROWD GATHERG, WHICH HE LLS “A SOBER REMR OF LIMS.”) THE GRIPPG WTERN HAD ONLY BEEN PLAYG SELECT THEATERS FOR TWO WEEKS BEFORE H THE STREAMER. “THIS IS FOR STT [STUBER] AND TED [SARANDOS] AND EVERYONE WHO NS NETFLIX: COULD YOU NOT AFFORD TO HAVE A LONGER THEATRIL RELEASE?” CUMBERBATCH ASKS NOW. “MAYBE NOT. I DON’T KNOW. I’M POSNG THIS AS A QUTN PUBLICLY VANY FAIR. I HAVEN’T ACTUALLY HAD THIS NVERSATN WH THEM, BUT I WOULD AND I WILL.” SO GO THE JOURNEY OF AN ACTOR AN DTRY TRANSFORMG BY THE DAY.PHOTOGRAPH BY MAURIZIO CATTELAN AND PIERPAOLO FERRARI; STYLED BY KATIE GRAND.TAILOR, CAROLA BRONISLAVA JAKUBOWSKA; GROOMING, DONALD MCINNES. SET DESIGN, STEFAN BECKMAN. PRODUCED ON LOCATION BY PRODN AT ART + COMMERCE. DIRECTED BY CATERINA VIGANÒ; DOP, DOMINIC HAYDN RAWLE; VFX & COLOR GRADING, SOUND DESIGN & MIX, SMIDER. FOR DETAILS, GO TO NEXT: PENéLOPE CZTHE GLOBAL SUPERSTAR AND OSR WNER DUG EP FOR HER ROLE PARALLEL MOTHERS, HER EIGHTH PROJECT WH LONGTIME LLABORATOR PEDRO ALMODóVA. CONTUE READG »BACK TO THE PORTFOLMORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR’S HOLLYWOOD ISSUE— VANY FAIR’S HOLLYWOOD ISSUE 2022: SEE THE FULL PORTFOL FEATURG NILE KIDMAN, KRISTEN STEWART, AND MORE— THE MAKG OF VANY FAIR’S 28TH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD PORTFOL— POSE IS OVER, BUT MICHAELA JAé RODRIGUEZ IS JT GETTG STARTED— ANDREW GARFIELD ON JONATHAN LARSON AND LYG ABOUT SPIR-MAN— KRISTEN STEWART ON LOVE—ONSCREEN AND OFF— NILE KIDMAN IS A MOVIE STAR, BUT SHE APPROACH ROL LIKE “I’VE JT COME OUT OF DRAMA SCHOOL”— GLOBAL SUPERSTAR PENéLOPE CZ MAY NAB OSR NUMBER TWO FOR PARALLEL MOTHERS— IDRIS ELBA ON PLUMBG THE “DARK SI OF HUMAN BEGS” AND MAKG ROOM FOR MIC— SIMU LIU IS THE SUPERHERO WE NEED NOW— RADHIKA JON ON THE STARS LIGHTG UP VANY FAIR’S NEW HOLLYWOOD ISSUE— NOT A SUBSCRIBER? JO VANY FAIR TO RECEIVE FULL ACCS TO  AND RECEIVE A EE TOTEDAVID CANFIELD

The nversatn surroundg whether heterosexual actors should play gay characters has been buildg recent years.

In December 2018, Glee star Darren Criss said he would no longer play gay characters after his breakout role as Blae Anrson Ryan Murphy's h show.

"But I want to make sure I won't be another straight boy takg a gay man's role. It’s a topic on which Hollywood has yet to reach a nsens: whether or not ’s appropriate for straight actors to portray gay characters film and ’s also a topic that Benedict Cumberbatch is faiar wh, havg been nomated for an Amy Award for his performance as mathematician Alan Turg, a man both prosecuted and persecuted for his sexual orientatn, 2014’s “The Imatn Game.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH EXPLAS WHY HE'S PLAYG GAY NEW WTERN FILM

“The choice then for men who were arrted and prosecuted for beg gay was the choice between two years’ imprisonment or two years’ chemil stratn through weekly trogen jectns. Later the movie, was revealed that Alan Turg was homosexual but was not registered as so, the movie follows the life of the enigma and how thgs revolved around him. The fact that Cumberbatch has played gay men more than one highly rated film role—another beg his Osr-nomated turn as Alan Turg The Imatn Game—has provoked bate around sexualy and reprentatn.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ON STRAIGHT ACTORS PLAYG GAY ‘POWER OF THE DOG’: ‘IT WASN’T DONE WHOUT THOUGHT’

Is Benedict Cumberbatch Gay? For one: how Phil’s malevolence om a place of self-loathg and self-protectn as a closeted gay man livg Montana 1925. Cumberbatch is already gettg Osr buzz for his role the upg wtern as a gay Montana ttle rancher the 1920s.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ADDRS SAM ELLTT'S 'ODD' RANT ABOUT POWER OF THE DOG'S GAY THEM

But not everyone is keen on straight actors playg gay rol, and this is somethg Cumberbatch was aware of when he took the role, and he talked to IndieWire about why he ultimately cid the role was for him. While is important to provi real-life queer people wh jobs the dtry and nothg go as far as thenticy, there shouldn’t be a mand for actors to publicly state their sexualy before they accept actg bate over whether straight actors should play gay has been ragg pecially hard over the last year or so.

“I’m not beg woke about this, but I feel strongly that if I st someone a story, I am stg them to act as a lover, or an emy, or someone on dgs or a crimal or a sat, ” he told the Rad Tim, “They are not there to ‘act gay’ bee ‘actg gay’ is a bunch of s o a performance. ”Everyone om Neil Patrick Harris, to Jim Parsons, to Ben Platt has weighed on the issue, wh some sayg they’re favor of straight actors playg gay, but many sayg they’d like to see that trend e to an isn’t Cumberbatch’s first time playg gay a big movie. In 2014, he played gay puter geni Alan Turg The Imatn Game, and was nomated for an Amy Award, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Goln Globe for the role.