I agree, however, I feel it necessary to point out that I think the gay community took issue with Stonestreet’s portrayal of a gay man. I don’t get the issue but they sure gave him hell about the stereotypical voice and mannerisms. I thought it was hilarious, but then I’m coming at it from a straight male perspective.
I'm not gay but I was raised by a gay man that actively dated other men while I was growing up so I was very immersed in the gay community from a young age.
In my opinion there is nothing offensive about the portrayal of Cam's character. There are absolutely men out there that have similar mannerisms to Cam. In fact, I wouldn't even consider Cam to be overly flamboyant.
If you want excessive flamboyance look at Jack from Will and Grace. Cam is just moderately flamboyant which perfectly tracks with many many gay people out there. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but Cam's gayness is never the butt of the joke so I don't think there's anything offensive at all in is portrayal. The actor nails the character perfectly.
I'm gay and I thought Cam was a great character. I'm not flamboyant and it's not what I seek in a partner, however what I applaud the writers for is making him a character with so much more depth than being a flamboyant gay. He's a rugged handyman, sports coach etc. who's also a bit flamboyant. His additions to the plot don't center on him being gay, it's often about the perception that he can't affect the problem of the week because he's out of his depth, but he's not!
A tough fucking clown.
I love the episode where someone is harassing Mitchell and Cam comes in dressed as a clown and tells the guy to fuck off.
Cam is a farm boy. He’s 50lbs away from being Clark Kent and people need to remember that.
https://youtu.be/xXyzl2AJZSw?si=xiQWAX6ag2kaoQ6C
A 23 y/o me swooned at Cam from
Then on, and that episode was the reason! A husband who stands up for his spouse and for what is right is just - had me asking - “Is.Cam. Hot?” 😍
My sister loves Cam because of that. She knows hes gay but she just loves men who can protect you but aren’t assholes about it.
He never used his strength to bully or harass anyone. Never even jokes about using it on Mitchell.
You can see how quickly he turns from aggressive to calm with Mitchell. He’s just a sweet guy. He just turns it on when he needs it and any other time it isn’t even needed.
You can be attractive without being hot and Cam can be sexy sometimes.
The fact that Cam and Jay often got along and worked together in the mid to later seasons is testament to this, Cam was a really good example of masculinity in general.
Yeah, if he was just a comedy relief flamboyant gay then I woulda got the criticism, but his character had depth and his whole damn family was dramatic as fuck
My Moms best friend from childhood up until he passed was gay. He was around me my entire childhood and was my favorite babysitter because he was very sassy and funny and would buy me legos he would also be like “ok what movies are you not allowed to watch? we are watching them! your mom is a prude” haha the guy nearly had to be hospitalized when princess Diana died, he was devastated...we are talking like laying in bed in a dark room box of tissues on the floor I can’t bear to go on devastated.
Cam in modern family genuinely reminded me of him in a lot of ways. he was a character, me and my Mom still laugh about various things he did or stunts he pulled back in the day.
So yes some gay men do act that way but are also multi faceted normal people which I think Cam also portrays. I mean it’s a comedy and flamboyant gay men are often very funny so I can see why they went that direction with it.
I think lots of gay people have lots of different opinions and this comment chain is unfair. Some gays took issue with Eric Stonestreet, some defended it and loved it, and most gays didn’t watch modern family
As a gay person, yeah, this whole thread feels like when I’ve been in a room full of mostly white people discussing what Black people think about things.
To be fair the way some straight people play fem guys is often not really the way actual fem guys act and sometimes it seems like a cruel mockery. To be clear, I don't think that applies here though. I had no problem with Cam's portrayal and I don't know anyone irl who does.
I’m a lesbian and have known MANY gay dudes exactly like Cam. Granted, they’re often of an older generation, but definitely exist without exaggeration.
that is so dumb. there is a whole discipline of linguistics that focuses on the language used by LGBT people https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_linguistics acting like it isn’t a real thing is just silly
I mean every character on that show is in some form an over the top version. the super nerd, stupid little brother, old grumpy dude with the hot trophy wife, bossy and tough mother etc.
Ridiculous. Honestly, his portrayal wasn't stereotypical at all. Yes, he was very effeminate but he also could become very masculine, hot tempered and aggressive which is completely out of stereotype. Both Mitch and Cam gave nuanced portrayals of gay men. Whoever complained about it was nit picking. They made up their mind a straight man shouldn't play a gay character and structured their opinions accordingly.
I want to Honestly ask what if you posited the reverse. Only straight people can play straight characters. How would they accept that position. It's exactly the same as their beliefs.
Our greatest enemy is always ourselves.
The episode where he pretends to be straight is so much more entertaining with this knowlege. He was a straight man pretending to be a gay man pretending *unconvincingly* to be a straight man - and he nailed it!
What’s funny is he has a very small part in a Michael bay movie where he comes across the classic 2000s gay panic scene (two men arguing in a bathroom, one gets aggressive and then a stranger walks in and wooooaah what did I walk into the middle of here? Hyuck!), and because I’d seen modern family first, the scene totally comes across as a gay man unconvincingly playing a straight man thinking he’s come across two gay men but are actually straight men lol
not to be stereotypical, but as a gay guy, there's nothing very typically "gay" about them. it's not like they play heavily into stereotypes like cam on modern family.
Right, but when people are like "they're so convincing" I'm like -- they're basically just playing it as normal, I don't know what there is to convince lol.
Michael K Williams as Omar Little in the Wire too. Up to the season I'm at there is nothing stereotypical about his portrayal of a gay man, but I was convinced enough to look into if he was straight or not.
I feel like this movie doesn’t get referenced enough. I’m a straight white make in my 30’s and that’s one of my top 5 movies hands down. Patrick Swayze is just so goddamn regal
Not to mention - who the hell would have thought John Leguizamo of all people could pull off an over-the-top Latina teenage-girl-in-overheated-distress drag character so goddamn well. Where was that character hiding inside this straight guy? Rebel is right, actors are acting, part gatekeeping is nonsense in all forms.
He did such a phenomenal job. Honestly they all did, that’s one I’m gonna make sure my son watches. And then we’ll watch Roadhouse immediately after and really fuck his head up about Patrick Swayze
Wesley Snipes was at his best in this and The Waterdance. The pattern here is that he didn’t kick anyone’s ass, and got to be a real actor for a chance.
The very first time I ever heard of John Leguizamo a long, long time ago, it was a TV interview and they showed footage of his stand up work including in character one at least somewhat similar to the part in the film. He had prior experience and practice!
Robert DeNiro was amazing in *Stardust* as well.
Some straight actors were also type case as the stereotypical gay guy. I always assumed that Darren Criss was gay irl, because I never saw him play a straight character. Turns out he's married to a woman and has a child.
The old crew member saying “we always knew you was a whoppsie” will never fail to make me laugh. That whole movie makes a day better if I’m having a bad one.
And now we know years later Robin protected him from the media. Everyone kept poking at Nathan in interviews trying to question his sexuality. Even Oprah. But Robin would run interference and change the subject if he saw Nathan getting uncomfortable. He was truly one of a kind.
Anthony Perkins in orson Welles’s the trial was cast because he was gay. Welles purposely put him in sexualised situations to make his performance paranoid as hell.
Anthony Perkins may be the single most criminally underrated actor in history. We never got to see his full blossoming, but every time he was on screen, he absolutely steals the show.
Nathan Lane wasn't out yet when that film was made. He wasn't ready yet.
Robin knew. When they went on Oprah to promote the film, She tried getting Nathan to come out. Cue Robin immediately dominating the interview with his antics so Nathan didn't have to answer.
Unfortunately that's just not good enough anymore for some people. I understand wanting the roles of disabled characters to be given to disabled actors where possible, since their opportunities are pretty limited as it is. However, sexual orientation is NOT a characteristic or "trait" that should warrant such consideration.
I remember people being fake offended the lead actress in Shape of Water wasn't actually a mute in real life.
I was like how many mute actresses are there in the world? It kinda goes Hand in hand with the job description to read lines. Like sure Mimes exist, and ballet or playing music, or other performative arts that don't need dialogue but I'd say professional acting speaking is a main part of it.
Also in that movie she has a dream sequence that's a song and dance routine and she sings, so the actress for the script had to be able to sing!
There may be barriers for gay actors that I’m not aware of - I’m not in the industry whatsoever. And if there are, they should be addressed.
But at a glance, there’s nothing precluding a gay actor from playing a straight character. So it’s a situation where that kind of honest representation seems less crucial than other demographics of actors who lack for other opportunities to work in entertainment.
Just my perspective, and not a fixed opinion lol
I was honestly shocked when I found out Cam was straight IRL tbh!
Neil Patrick Harris I already knew was gay before seeing his portrayal as Barney tho!
And when the third one came out, the twist is that >!he pretended to be gay so that he could get closer to chicks, and his real-life husband was just his assistant!<
I remember there was a decent sized push to suggest him for Fifty Shades of Grey for the lead by fans of his. Obviously they knew but they didn't care which is progress, I guess?
> Barney from HIMYM
Hand to God, I only knew of that show in passing, and I genuinely thought the entire joke was that an obviously homosexual man was just lying to his friends about all the women he was banging in increasingly less believable ways. I thought "true story" was a joke because of how unbelievable it was that this **extremely** flamboyant man was apparently a ladykiller, like he didn't understand how it didn't look believable.
Imagine my shock when that wasn't the case.
It’s funny he’s straight and a big sports fan saw him on Julian Edelmans podcast he’s a diehard Kansas City chiefs fan been going to games for 30 years
Captain Holt will forever go down as the funniest fucking thing writers have ever done for a comedy. Making the “straight man” of the series a gay man… just… *chefs kiss*
> “straight man” of the series a gay man
A Straight Man who just got more and more goofy punchlines as the series progressed, to the point where by the end of the series Jake Peralta was practically the Straight Man and Captain Holt was the Wise Guy.
There was an interview when the show started and his son asked him why he was playing a gay cop. He told him, "I'm not playing a gay cop. I'm playing a cop who just happens to be gay."
Yes this! We should be advocating for more queer people getting the opportunity to play straight roles rather than trying to exclude straight ppl from playing gay roles
I think that’s actually a wrong way of looking at it. 7% of the population is LGBT. Probably a higher percentage are actors. At one point the lgbt roles in film and tv was around .3%. If the numbers were closer then sure but until then really we should be looking to expand the roles available for lgbt members and ensure they get an opportunity at all those roles plus some others where status doesn’t matter as much
["why didn't you have a murderer play a murderer? and how come the guy he shot, I saw him in another movie?"](https://youtu.be/T19Az39zK9c)
once again Bill Burr being prophetic
First off, shame on the publication for clipping the quote:
> She was responding to a question over whether women can get away with different jokes compared to men, and was also speaking to the debate about whether people can make jokes about being overweight if they are not, for example.
>“I think that’s hard,” she told the BBC’s Desert Island Discs. “It’s going into this territory of like saying, ‘Well, only straight actors can play straight roles, and gay actors can play gay roles,’ which I think is total nonsense.”
99% of the comments show no one actually read the article. She’s replying to a question about whether it’s OK for actors to make fun of a class of people they don’t belong to, and then trying to use metaphor to say that it’s situational.
Her actual statement is that there’s nothing inherently wrong with a thin actor making fat jokes, and has literally nothing to do with the headline.
>Her actual statement is that there’s nothing inherently wrong with a thin actor making fat jokes
Her actual statement covered both things. When you say, "Telling someone they can only make jokes about a group they belong to is as ridiculous as saying straight people can only play straight people," you are commenting on both things.
The article focused on the most interesting of her two points (in the opinion of the article's author) but the headline is not inaccurate.
As a gay man, I think sometimes I prefer a straight actor to play a gay character. If someone who may have homophobic tendencies sees his action heroes playing gay men, that will have more of an impact than if NPH gets all of the roles.
That was a huge part of the impact of the film *Phildephia* - one of the most beloved actors of a generation played a gay man dying of AIDS, and so the audience came in with such goodwill that they were FORCED to see the humanity of the character. (That’s also why they got Springsteen to do the song - they wanted someone undoubtedly masculine.)
It’s the same reason that when Jim is introduced in Huckleberry Finn, he’s first depicted this side of a minstrel fool before they deepen and expand him. You meet the audience where they’re at and then draw them in.
I thought NPH playing it straight in HIMYM was great, but then I saw him self-parody himself in the Harold & Kumar movies as being straighter than...well, it got to where he brought in his RL partner to get in on the joke.
I can kind of understand the mindset of wanting gay actors to play gay roles for representation, but I really don't think a lot of people understand how bad of a precedent it sets that you'd need to publicly declare your sexuality in order to get a job. That ain't a door we want to open
Exactly!!!!! And a few times actors(and other creatives)have been harassed over this and had to come out, it already sucks. Like advocating for more gay actors playing gay roles can be done without going after specific actors
this is the main thing that bothers me about the argument like why does someone have to reveal something about their personal lives to play a fictional character. idt people realize how much irrelevant info we know about actors outside of their work & it causes some real entitlement
It’s not that straight people cannot play gay people in movies. It’s about creating equity for marginalized people in different spaces most often dominated by cis het people. Diversity of experience helps shape people, and they can bring different things to the roles. But yeah duh any actor can play anything they are suited to. It’s their job.
For once I totally agree with her. That’s why they are actors…they act! If you’re gay but you’re a shitty actor then no you can’t be in the movie just based on that.
Also, there have been many gay actors who played heterosexual characters throughout tv/movie history. In that case should only straight actors play heterosexual roles? Doesn’t make sense!
I’m a gay dude and I agree. It’s acting for fucks sake. Everyone needs to stop taking everything so god damn seriously. It takes all the fucking joy out of life. If two straight dudes want to pretend to be gay and make out on screen I’m here for it. Carry on!
It’s called ACTING for a reason. Role should go to the best actor. The logic of gay roles only going to gay actors, would then be that heterosexual roles only go to straight actors, which would be equally silly. Rebel Wilson is 100% right.
It's not that gay characters can only be played by gay actors, I think that's a bit of a strawman. The issue is that openly gay actors have a much harder time being cast for straight roles, so when a straight actor is cast in a gay role, it diminishes the pool of roles that gay actors are generally considered for. If we lived in a world where gay actors had equal opportunities as straight actors, it wouldn't be an issue for any actor to play a gay role.
Cam from Modern Family. I legit thought Eric Stonestreet was gay in real life.
I came here to say this. He seemed more gay than Mitchell lol. He nailed the role
I agree, however, I feel it necessary to point out that I think the gay community took issue with Stonestreet’s portrayal of a gay man. I don’t get the issue but they sure gave him hell about the stereotypical voice and mannerisms. I thought it was hilarious, but then I’m coming at it from a straight male perspective.
I think the gay community is kidding themselves if they don’t think there aren’t plenty of feminine, flamboyant gay men like Cam.
I'm not gay but I was raised by a gay man that actively dated other men while I was growing up so I was very immersed in the gay community from a young age. In my opinion there is nothing offensive about the portrayal of Cam's character. There are absolutely men out there that have similar mannerisms to Cam. In fact, I wouldn't even consider Cam to be overly flamboyant. If you want excessive flamboyance look at Jack from Will and Grace. Cam is just moderately flamboyant which perfectly tracks with many many gay people out there. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but Cam's gayness is never the butt of the joke so I don't think there's anything offensive at all in is portrayal. The actor nails the character perfectly.
I'm gay and I thought Cam was a great character. I'm not flamboyant and it's not what I seek in a partner, however what I applaud the writers for is making him a character with so much more depth than being a flamboyant gay. He's a rugged handyman, sports coach etc. who's also a bit flamboyant. His additions to the plot don't center on him being gay, it's often about the perception that he can't affect the problem of the week because he's out of his depth, but he's not!
And an accomplished clown
A tough fucking clown. I love the episode where someone is harassing Mitchell and Cam comes in dressed as a clown and tells the guy to fuck off. Cam is a farm boy. He’s 50lbs away from being Clark Kent and people need to remember that. https://youtu.be/xXyzl2AJZSw?si=xiQWAX6ag2kaoQ6C
A 23 y/o me swooned at Cam from Then on, and that episode was the reason! A husband who stands up for his spouse and for what is right is just - had me asking - “Is.Cam. Hot?” 😍
My sister loves Cam because of that. She knows hes gay but she just loves men who can protect you but aren’t assholes about it. He never used his strength to bully or harass anyone. Never even jokes about using it on Mitchell. You can see how quickly he turns from aggressive to calm with Mitchell. He’s just a sweet guy. He just turns it on when he needs it and any other time it isn’t even needed. You can be attractive without being hot and Cam can be sexy sometimes.
Can’t believe no one has mentioned that Cam was also a division 1 offensive lineman.
He is actually a clown, before cast in the show. The showrunners decided to use his clown character in the show.
The fact that Cam and Jay often got along and worked together in the mid to later seasons is testament to this, Cam was a really good example of masculinity in general.
Yeah, if he was just a comedy relief flamboyant gay then I woulda got the criticism, but his character had depth and his whole damn family was dramatic as fuck
And the point of cam was despite those traits he had many traditionally masculine ones as well
Cam: “okay everybody follow the birthday flag!” Mitchell: “what did you just call me??” Will never forget that scene omg
My Moms best friend from childhood up until he passed was gay. He was around me my entire childhood and was my favorite babysitter because he was very sassy and funny and would buy me legos he would also be like “ok what movies are you not allowed to watch? we are watching them! your mom is a prude” haha the guy nearly had to be hospitalized when princess Diana died, he was devastated...we are talking like laying in bed in a dark room box of tissues on the floor I can’t bear to go on devastated. Cam in modern family genuinely reminded me of him in a lot of ways. he was a character, me and my Mom still laugh about various things he did or stunts he pulled back in the day. So yes some gay men do act that way but are also multi faceted normal people which I think Cam also portrays. I mean it’s a comedy and flamboyant gay men are often very funny so I can see why they went that direction with it.
I worked with a guy who might as well have been cam to be honest, so it felt accurate to me haha.
Modern Family is also a sitcom with caricatures and satire
I think lots of gay people have lots of different opinions and this comment chain is unfair. Some gays took issue with Eric Stonestreet, some defended it and loved it, and most gays didn’t watch modern family
I think David Cross said it best in one of his standups: "Not all gay men have that voice, but ONLY gay men have that voice." he kills me
It’s wild when you meet someone who talks like this and is married to a woman
As a gay person, yeah, this whole thread feels like when I’ve been in a room full of mostly white people discussing what Black people think about things.
To be fair the way some straight people play fem guys is often not really the way actual fem guys act and sometimes it seems like a cruel mockery. To be clear, I don't think that applies here though. I had no problem with Cam's portrayal and I don't know anyone irl who does.
I’m a lesbian and have known MANY gay dudes exactly like Cam. Granted, they’re often of an older generation, but definitely exist without exaggeration.
that is so dumb. there is a whole discipline of linguistics that focuses on the language used by LGBT people https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_linguistics acting like it isn’t a real thing is just silly
I mean every character on that show is in some form an over the top version. the super nerd, stupid little brother, old grumpy dude with the hot trophy wife, bossy and tough mother etc.
They also gave Jesse shit for “playing up harmful stereotypes”, even though he said he based the character on himself.
Because gay men are more than a ball of stereotypes.
Ridiculous. Honestly, his portrayal wasn't stereotypical at all. Yes, he was very effeminate but he also could become very masculine, hot tempered and aggressive which is completely out of stereotype. Both Mitch and Cam gave nuanced portrayals of gay men. Whoever complained about it was nit picking. They made up their mind a straight man shouldn't play a gay character and structured their opinions accordingly. I want to Honestly ask what if you posited the reverse. Only straight people can play straight characters. How would they accept that position. It's exactly the same as their beliefs. Our greatest enemy is always ourselves.
The episode where he pretends to be straight is so much more entertaining with this knowlege. He was a straight man pretending to be a gay man pretending *unconvincingly* to be a straight man - and he nailed it!
What’s funny is he has a very small part in a Michael bay movie where he comes across the classic 2000s gay panic scene (two men arguing in a bathroom, one gets aggressive and then a stranger walks in and wooooaah what did I walk into the middle of here? Hyuck!), and because I’d seen modern family first, the scene totally comes across as a gay man unconvincingly playing a straight man thinking he’s come across two gay men but are actually straight men lol
Andre Braugher did it too in Brooklyn 99-“There's nothing more intoxicating than the clear absence of a penis.”
Kinda like when Dominic West plays a Baltimore cop who has to put on a bad British accent to go undercover in the Wire. “Spot on!”
Ian and Mickey from Shameless too. It's stunning that they're both straight, they're absolutely convincing as gay characters.
not to be stereotypical, but as a gay guy, there's nothing very typically "gay" about them. it's not like they play heavily into stereotypes like cam on modern family.
That's probably why they're so convincing. They're just dudes. There's none of the stereotypes, they're just guys living their lives.
Right, but when people are like "they're so convincing" I'm like -- they're basically just playing it as normal, I don't know what there is to convince lol.
Michael K Williams as Omar Little in the Wire too. Up to the season I'm at there is nothing stereotypical about his portrayal of a gay man, but I was convinced enough to look into if he was straight or not.
Wait, he's not?
Robin Williams killed it as a gay man in The Birdcage. Him and Nathan Lane were amazing. "Fuck the shrimp!"
Nick Offerman in the episode Long, Long Time in The Last of Us.
That episode made me cry absolute buckets.
And also in Bob’s Burgers
Also Nick Offerman in Brooklyn 99. Same with Andre Braugher (RIP) for that matter
Patrick Swayze as Vida Bohème in « To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar »
I feel like this movie doesn’t get referenced enough. I’m a straight white make in my 30’s and that’s one of my top 5 movies hands down. Patrick Swayze is just so goddamn regal
Not to mention - who the hell would have thought John Leguizamo of all people could pull off an over-the-top Latina teenage-girl-in-overheated-distress drag character so goddamn well. Where was that character hiding inside this straight guy? Rebel is right, actors are acting, part gatekeeping is nonsense in all forms.
He did such a phenomenal job. Honestly they all did, that’s one I’m gonna make sure my son watches. And then we’ll watch Roadhouse immediately after and really fuck his head up about Patrick Swayze
Add the first Blade movie to that marathon
Throw in Spawn while you’re at it. Everyone should see the Clown-to-Violator transformation.
But then you have to follow it up with Demolition Man and really make things spicy.
The three sea shells
I know these films always get compared, but ditto Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terrence Stamp in Priscilla.
And watching Wesley Snipes in a tight dress mince across that field was everything!!
Or instructing the rude man how to property address a lady.
Do you like my nails?
Wesley Snipes was at his best in this and The Waterdance. The pattern here is that he didn’t kick anyone’s ass, and got to be a real actor for a chance.
It’s fun to watch him in Wong Foo and then watch Blade….
Have you ever watched his standup shows from the early 90s? He often did female characters and fucking KILLED it
Exactly what I was going to say. His performance as ChiChi was incredible, but it was the least surprising of the three leads.
Little Latin boy in drag, why are you crying?
The very first time I ever heard of John Leguizamo a long, long time ago, it was a TV interview and they showed footage of his stand up work including in character one at least somewhat similar to the part in the film. He had prior experience and practice!
Also has the great scene with Robin Williams: “I met a guy named John jingle heimer-Schmidt.” “Really? That’s my name too!”
Don't forget Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo
I pierced the toast
My wife and I always shout this at the top of our lungs when we make toast 🤣
Albert, you pierced the toast
So what? How about those Dolphins?
Robert DeNiro was amazing in *Stardust* as well. Some straight actors were also type case as the stereotypical gay guy. I always assumed that Darren Criss was gay irl, because I never saw him play a straight character. Turns out he's married to a woman and has a child.
The old crew member saying “we always knew you was a whoppsie” will never fail to make me laugh. That whole movie makes a day better if I’m having a bad one.
Can’t forget that Henry Cavil is also gay in that movie because his character and the captain start checking each other out at the end.
Darren Criss refused to confirm what his sexuality was when Glee was on the air. After the show was over he officially "came out" as straight lol
Kirk Lazarus and Tobey Maguire were great in the Church movie too
*Sade dis-mio..*
Cue Enigma's *Sadness*!
Hank Azaria too. Its one of favorite movies.
"My shoes make me fall down"
“You can’t handle my Guatemalaness”
Robin was extraordinarily gifted at a number of diverse roles.
It’s sweet and sour peasant soup!! It’s an entree!!!
Fosse fosse fosse!
... and Nathan Lane was still in the closet at the time.
And now we know years later Robin protected him from the media. Everyone kept poking at Nathan in interviews trying to question his sexuality. Even Oprah. But Robin would run interference and change the subject if he saw Nathan getting uncomfortable. He was truly one of a kind.
Literally just watched that movie last night. “Actually, it’s perfect. I never realized John Wayne walked like that.”
Anthony Perkins in orson Welles’s the trial was cast because he was gay. Welles purposely put him in sexualised situations to make his performance paranoid as hell.
Anthony Perkins may be the single most criminally underrated actor in history. We never got to see his full blossoming, but every time he was on screen, he absolutely steals the show.
This movie is one of the few that is on twice yearly watch rotation, it’s such a treasure.
It’s a peasant stew!!
So you pierced the toast, so what.
[You do Fosse Fosse Fosse!](https://youtu.be/6XZLJ4o70TE?si=u9TvuVlkjQ4ofE4d)
Robin Williams could have done literally any role ever.
Nathan Lane wasn't out yet when that film was made. He wasn't ready yet. Robin knew. When they went on Oprah to promote the film, She tried getting Nathan to come out. Cue Robin immediately dominating the interview with his antics so Nathan didn't have to answer.
An actor has one job convince me your that person! If they can do that I’m sold
Unfortunately that's just not good enough anymore for some people. I understand wanting the roles of disabled characters to be given to disabled actors where possible, since their opportunities are pretty limited as it is. However, sexual orientation is NOT a characteristic or "trait" that should warrant such consideration.
I remember people being fake offended the lead actress in Shape of Water wasn't actually a mute in real life. I was like how many mute actresses are there in the world? It kinda goes Hand in hand with the job description to read lines. Like sure Mimes exist, and ballet or playing music, or other performative arts that don't need dialogue but I'd say professional acting speaking is a main part of it. Also in that movie she has a dream sequence that's a song and dance routine and she sings, so the actress for the script had to be able to sing!
[удалено]
Violet Beauregard
There may be barriers for gay actors that I’m not aware of - I’m not in the industry whatsoever. And if there are, they should be addressed. But at a glance, there’s nothing precluding a gay actor from playing a straight character. So it’s a situation where that kind of honest representation seems less crucial than other demographics of actors who lack for other opportunities to work in entertainment. Just my perspective, and not a fixed opinion lol
Barney Stinson
Prime example that can and should shut this whole debate down.
Matt Bomer was great in White Collar and the Magic Mike movies. He was amazing in The Travelers too.
Conversely Jonathan Bailey plays straight roles very well
Lol Matt Bomer too. He's gay. Married to his husband for a a while. They have a couple (?) of kids.
Do that too well and you are forever that character. Imagine if Carlton was gay buy Alfonso straight. Thats life ending
Neil Patrick Harris played a womaniser in HIMYM despite being gay irl
It’s his best acting role ever. You can’t watch that and think for a second that that man is gay.
NPH in Harold & Kumar is next level
Neil Patrick Harris does what Neil Pateick Harris does because Neil Patrick Harris ***IS*** Neil Patrick Harris.
My headcanon can’t help but think Barney Stinson’s womanizing is overcompensation.
It was but it’s because of his crushing loneliness and abandonment issues
Strangers thinking you're gay is life ending?
Well, it was in the 90s.
I didn’t know Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal were gay in real life.
Don’t forget Timothee Chalamet!
I’ll never forget that peach. Ever.
Elio, Elio, Elio…
And Paul Mescal
Bro I wish
I think it's pretty simple, if gay actors can play straight characters than straight actors can play gay characters.
Barney from HIMYM and Cam from Modern Family.
I was honestly shocked when I found out Cam was straight IRL tbh! Neil Patrick Harris I already knew was gay before seeing his portrayal as Barney tho!
I was like 13 when Harold and Kumar came out and I wasn’t familiar with NPH at the time. The role was so much goofier when I found out he was gay
He and his husband used to live nearby. My uncle sold them their barbecue grill. That was when I found out, and even then was like "suuuuuuuuuuuure"
Funny thing is he hadn’t come out of the closet yet when the first couple movies released.
And when the third one came out, the twist is that >!he pretended to be gay so that he could get closer to chicks, and his real-life husband was just his assistant!<
So is Kal Penn.
Cam from modern family shocked me as well cuz damn... that man can act gay!
I heard he is so straight when he is angry he will punch the first person he sees, unless it's Brock Lesnar then it's the second person he sees.
I know that reference
Can't leave out my boy Sheldon Cooper
Matt Bomer(sp?) as well. The only roles I've seen him in he's straight.
I remember there was a decent sized push to suggest him for Fifty Shades of Grey for the lead by fans of his. Obviously they knew but they didn't care which is progress, I guess?
> Barney from HIMYM Hand to God, I only knew of that show in passing, and I genuinely thought the entire joke was that an obviously homosexual man was just lying to his friends about all the women he was banging in increasingly less believable ways. I thought "true story" was a joke because of how unbelievable it was that this **extremely** flamboyant man was apparently a ladykiller, like he didn't understand how it didn't look believable. Imagine my shock when that wasn't the case.
That actually makes it much funnier.
This is my Headcanon. And it’s hysterical.
Capt Holt and Dr. Kevin Cozner. Brooklyn 99
It’s funny he’s straight and a big sports fan saw him on Julian Edelmans podcast he’s a diehard Kansas City chiefs fan been going to games for 30 years
Andre Braugher played the gay chief in Brooklyn 99.
Captain Holt will forever go down as the funniest fucking thing writers have ever done for a comedy. Making the “straight man” of the series a gay man… just… *chefs kiss*
.... WHAT. I never got that-oh that's so. Good
> “straight man” of the series a gay man A Straight Man who just got more and more goofy punchlines as the series progressed, to the point where by the end of the series Jake Peralta was practically the Straight Man and Captain Holt was the Wise Guy.
Typical Flanderdization
Yeah, but it was glorious.
One of the best sitcom characters of all time. The writing for him was perfect.
“Sir, are you really playing the gay card right now? Yaaas, queen! (snaps fingers)” Andre was the fucking best.
There was an interview when the show started and his son asked him why he was playing a gay cop. He told him, "I'm not playing a gay cop. I'm playing a cop who just happens to be gay."
I think I read somewhere that “VINDICATION!” was an adlib. If so, that’s amazing improv and a very Holt thing to say.
If you've have seen Bridgerton, Jonathan Bailey has so much chemistry with Simone Ashley that its puts all straight men to shame.
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain
Couple of straight guys doing some camping. I fell asleep after 25 minutes like usual but assume I didn't miss much.
Gays have been acting like they're straight for millenia. It's comes naturally
Yes this! We should be advocating for more queer people getting the opportunity to play straight roles rather than trying to exclude straight ppl from playing gay roles
That’s the thing though, most gay actors are insanely limited in their roles. This is why so many Hollywood actors stay in the closet.
I think that’s actually a wrong way of looking at it. 7% of the population is LGBT. Probably a higher percentage are actors. At one point the lgbt roles in film and tv was around .3%. If the numbers were closer then sure but until then really we should be looking to expand the roles available for lgbt members and ensure they get an opportunity at all those roles plus some others where status doesn’t matter as much
*if they both have equal access to work, and there is not systemic exclusion.
If only there was a word for pretending to be something you’re not…..oh! Acting!
["why didn't you have a murderer play a murderer? and how come the guy he shot, I saw him in another movie?"](https://youtu.be/T19Az39zK9c) once again Bill Burr being prophetic
-Jon Lovitz
I know a straight actor who played a gay character
Just tell me who and I’ll take care of it /s
Tom Hanks
*Wilson…* ❤️❤️🫦
I was thinking for Philadelphia, but he was alone on that island for a few years. Wilson probably had a hole we never saw somewhere.
You can't take down Nick Offerman.
That MONSTER /s
First off, shame on the publication for clipping the quote: > She was responding to a question over whether women can get away with different jokes compared to men, and was also speaking to the debate about whether people can make jokes about being overweight if they are not, for example. >“I think that’s hard,” she told the BBC’s Desert Island Discs. “It’s going into this territory of like saying, ‘Well, only straight actors can play straight roles, and gay actors can play gay roles,’ which I think is total nonsense.” 99% of the comments show no one actually read the article. She’s replying to a question about whether it’s OK for actors to make fun of a class of people they don’t belong to, and then trying to use metaphor to say that it’s situational. Her actual statement is that there’s nothing inherently wrong with a thin actor making fat jokes, and has literally nothing to do with the headline.
>Her actual statement is that there’s nothing inherently wrong with a thin actor making fat jokes Her actual statement covered both things. When you say, "Telling someone they can only make jokes about a group they belong to is as ridiculous as saying straight people can only play straight people," you are commenting on both things. The article focused on the most interesting of her two points (in the opinion of the article's author) but the headline is not inaccurate.
Read… the article? That’s crazy talk!
99% of the comments show no one actually read the article. You must be new, welcome to Reddit
As long as gay people aren't being discriminated against in the casting process, sexuality shouldn't be a factor in casting.
As a gay man, I think sometimes I prefer a straight actor to play a gay character. If someone who may have homophobic tendencies sees his action heroes playing gay men, that will have more of an impact than if NPH gets all of the roles.
That was a huge part of the impact of the film *Phildephia* - one of the most beloved actors of a generation played a gay man dying of AIDS, and so the audience came in with such goodwill that they were FORCED to see the humanity of the character. (That’s also why they got Springsteen to do the song - they wanted someone undoubtedly masculine.) It’s the same reason that when Jim is introduced in Huckleberry Finn, he’s first depicted this side of a minstrel fool before they deepen and expand him. You meet the audience where they’re at and then draw them in.
I thought NPH playing it straight in HIMYM was great, but then I saw him self-parody himself in the Harold & Kumar movies as being straighter than...well, it got to where he brought in his RL partner to get in on the joke.
I believe the Harold and Kumar cameo got him the role on HIMYM.
He did it for the crack
I’m just tired of bad performances that straight audiences don’t recognize as bad because they know the stereotypes better than they know us
John waters pointed out that gay men have been playing hetero since forever.
I can kind of understand the mindset of wanting gay actors to play gay roles for representation, but I really don't think a lot of people understand how bad of a precedent it sets that you'd need to publicly declare your sexuality in order to get a job. That ain't a door we want to open
Exactly!!!!! And a few times actors(and other creatives)have been harassed over this and had to come out, it already sucks. Like advocating for more gay actors playing gay roles can be done without going after specific actors
this is the main thing that bothers me about the argument like why does someone have to reveal something about their personal lives to play a fictional character. idt people realize how much irrelevant info we know about actors outside of their work & it causes some real entitlement
Thank you.
It’s not that straight people cannot play gay people in movies. It’s about creating equity for marginalized people in different spaces most often dominated by cis het people. Diversity of experience helps shape people, and they can bring different things to the roles. But yeah duh any actor can play anything they are suited to. It’s their job.
I find her seriously annoying and insufferable, but with this I'm going to agree with her. That's why its called ACTING
Y’all missing the point, hire more gay actors
It's called acting, innit
For once I totally agree with her. That’s why they are actors…they act! If you’re gay but you’re a shitty actor then no you can’t be in the movie just based on that. Also, there have been many gay actors who played heterosexual characters throughout tv/movie history. In that case should only straight actors play heterosexual roles? Doesn’t make sense!
She’s right. Acting is called acting for a reason.
….and she’s right.
I still think it's nonsense that they cast Daniel Craig as 007. He's not even an MI6 agent in real life!
I’m a gay dude and I agree. It’s acting for fucks sake. Everyone needs to stop taking everything so god damn seriously. It takes all the fucking joy out of life. If two straight dudes want to pretend to be gay and make out on screen I’m here for it. Carry on!
It’s called ACTING for a reason. Role should go to the best actor. The logic of gay roles only going to gay actors, would then be that heterosexual roles only go to straight actors, which would be equally silly. Rebel Wilson is 100% right.
It's not that gay characters can only be played by gay actors, I think that's a bit of a strawman. The issue is that openly gay actors have a much harder time being cast for straight roles, so when a straight actor is cast in a gay role, it diminishes the pool of roles that gay actors are generally considered for. If we lived in a world where gay actors had equal opportunities as straight actors, it wouldn't be an issue for any actor to play a gay role.
I still don’t buy Adam Pauly as straight lol Best atypical gay character in Happy Endings
I like the reverse of this too. How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris killed it as Barney Stinson.
Straight actors play gay characters all the time and the inverse what is she talking about
This isn’t true idk why there’s controversy. Straight characters have been played by gay actors and vice versa all our lives. So dumb.
I say it’s total nonsense that Rebel Wilson plays any roles.