Straight actors who played gay characters
Do queer roles really demand to be played by queer actors?
It’s a Hollywood cliche that, for a straight male actor, playing a gay role is a shortcut to an Oscar (alongside starring in a film about the Holocaust, disability or mental illness). There have been many prominent examples (Tom Hanks won Best Player for playing a same-sex attracted man with AIDS in Philadelphia (), Sean Penn for starring in a biopic about gay civil rights activists in Milk), but if such a strategy exists, it’s no longer as viable today: it certainly didn’t out for Bradley Cooper this year, whose performance as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro was snubbed, or Paul Mescal, who wasn’t even nominated for All of Us Strangers.
But there is still a residual perception of prestige for the straight actor playing same-sex attracted, and while they are far less likely to be described as “brave” for doing so, it still seems to be a mark of seriousness, a way of proving your chops. In proof, now that it tends to be associated with auteur-led, independent cinema rather than middle-brow Oscar bait, it’s more clouty than ever before. In recent mont
17 straight actors who were praised for playing LGBTQ characters
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Hugh Grant played Clive Allen in 's 'Maurice.'
Straight actor Hugh Grant took on the role of Clive in James Ivory's "Maurice."
Clive is a gay man who tries to suppress his homosexuality in Edwardian-era England. Grant's performance has been labeled as insightful and "intelligent," and in , The New York Times critic Janet Maslin called Grant "so good."
Maslin said that Grant's Clive "embodies all the conservatism and complacency, not to mention all the hidden desire, that Forster saw as most repressive in the English society of his day."
Hilary Swank played trans guy Brandon Teena in 'Boys Don't Cry' in
Hilary Swank, who is cisgender, won an Oscar for playing trans man Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry." Her performance here wa
Let’s Settle This: Can Straight Actors Act Gay Roles?
No way. Well, maybe? Sometimes. Okay — yes. Of course! We’re all human beings at the terminate of the morning … and sexuality is on a spectrum, right? Acting is acting!
This whirlwind of contradictory answers flutters through my uncharacteristically conflicted intellect every time I attempt to respond this question. It’s a debate we’ve seen time and time again, most recently when many high-profile names leapt to the defence of Jack Whitehall being cast as Disney’s first openly gay character. So I’m by no means the first person to say on this seemingly unsolvable debate, but with the recent release of Supernova — Hollywood’s latest gay film starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci — I’m throwing my coin into the hat for pleasant measure.
Gaslighting queer folk
Netflix’s Disclosure (well worth a watch) beautifully highlighted the importance of casting transitioned actors in transgender roles — or should I utter , the harm of casting cisgender actors in trans roles. But the casting of gay roles remains more of a grey area than you realise. As
14 Straight Actors Who Won Oscars For Playing LGBTQ+ Roles
While we love seeing LGBTQ+ characters on big screen, we&#;d be remiss if we didn&#;t mention that a lot of the most awarded—queer roles have gone to non-queer actors&#;.
Peter Finch was the first to be nominated by the Academy for his role as a gay surgeon in the film Sunday Bloody Sunday and the groundbreaking nomination paved the way for dozens of straight thespians to accept nods for taking on queer , lesbian and transgender roles. Before the 94th annual Academy Awards take place on Sunday Protest 27, here’s a look support at 14 standout performances (from straight actors) of LGBTQ+ characters that won Oscar gold.
William Damage for Kiss of the Spider Woman
(Released: )
William Hurt was the first actor to win an Oscar for playing a same-sex attracted character on the big screen. Hurt portrayed Luis Molina, an incarcerated gay man, in the film Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Tom Hanks for Philadelphia
(Released: )
Tom Hanks took home the Foremost Actor for his role in Philadelphia. The film was one of the first mainstream Holly