Should Straight Actors Play Gay People?

[webbo3]

https://news.sky.com/story/russell-t-davies-straight-actors-should-not-play-gay-characters-12185652

So Gay people shouldn't play straight people the, I'm guessing there won't be many roles for them.

\\"You wouldn't cast someone able-bodied and put them in a wheelchair, you wouldn't black someone up," Russell T Davies has said.//

Lots of actors have played disabled people.

[Bobbisox1]

I heard this being discussed this morning Dave, an actor plays a part outside of their own persona , so yes they should

[Old_Geezer]

But you should be able to be able bodied and play a disabled person, and should be of one skin colour and be able to use makeup to play another. It's all total nonsense.

[Untitled]

Portraying someone different to yourself is essentially the job description for an actor... provided they can do it convincingly then all roles should be open (and that goes for sex race as well as sexuality IMO).

[bednobs]

im surprised at you webbo, only last year you were telling us it was "factually incorrect" for a black person to play a role. Why has your view changed? https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1726167.html

[Untitled]

You dont need to use makeup to play someone of another race old geezer... in fact that would come across a bit minstrelish. embodying the character's traits and mannerisms is quite sufficient and is part of an actor's job.

[jim360]

The problem comes if straight actors playing gay people has the effect of taking away jobs from gay actors that they "need" in order to survive in the profession. As far as I'm aware, this isn't really happening.

A secondary issue may be that a gay person can bring more realism and real-life experience to their role, or that a straight person would decide to act as stereotypically gay, rather than essentially normal.

But the real issue is that the argument isn't really allowed to be developed before people ridicule it. Nobody is calling for actors to be compartmentalised, or at least nobody should be. The argument is usually quite the contrary, for the acting profession to be opened up.

[Canary42]

As I've stated before, under that ruling Macbeth should always be played by a murdering king, Ariel by a fairy, Viola and Sebastian by twins, and Hamlet's ghost by a spectre. And Bottom by an *** possibly.

[ToraToraTora]

take this to its logical conclusion and acting would be banned.

[nailit]

Ive known (not personally) straight porn stars do homosexual scenes.
Gay for pay.
Not for me personally (but im not a porn star) but dont see the problem.
Its ACTING fgs...

[Old_Geezer]

No it isn't sufficient. It would be failing to portray the character.

[Mexican18]

Casting Richard the third might be tricky!

[ladybirder]

I have a lot of time for Russell T Davies and absolutely loved Queer as Folk but not sure if I agree with him or not. I think gay guys watching a straight person playing a gay person would be more critical and read more into the performance than a straight person. Most gay men I have spoken to and I talk to a lot say they can tell usually straight away whether a man is gay or not. (And I don't mean because he's not mincing around.)

[Togo]

//So Gay people shouldn't play straight people the, I'm guessing there won't be many roles for them.//

No Webbo, far from it. So many of them are gay, that every character that pops out of the dressing up box would just be written as such. Every part available would be written up as non hetro, and 75% bame. You know what, would come next though. Something like a fatwah on the Broadcasting authorities for depicting the "faithful" as homosexual.

[piggynose]

https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/sean-bean-trans-drama-accused-tops-ratings150812/
So should've Sean Bean refused to play this part?

[Mexican18]

Who would play the Invisible Man?

[nailit]

LOL @ Mexican ^^

[Barsel]

I'm a bit undecided still on this.
Raymond Burr played Ironside in a wheelchair. I don't know if this character was in a wheelchair from the beginning, but if he was, then perhaps that part could have been given to a genuine disabled person who didn't get offered many parts.
Rock Hudson was always given male macho parts when in fact not only was he gay, he also had Aids when he was still in kissing scenes with a woman.
Some actors who are gay and camp ( Sean in Corrie) couldn't never be accepted in a straight part surely?
There are straight actors in Corrie and Neighbours who play gay people and I don't see why those parts can't be given to actors who are gay themselves. To me the part would seem more believable.

[Mamyalynne]

Acting roles should be offered to actors, the right actors for the roles should be chosen.

I draw the line at whiting or blacking up (or indeed having limbs removed).

[pixie374]

It's acting.... anyone who can play the part well, should be able to. It might be different, if people weren't getting acting jobs, because of their race, sex, sexuality... etc. But I'm not aware that is happening.

[sanmac]

Who would play the Invisible Man? The Man Who Never Was, obviously.