Richard Chamberlain: Homophobia Keeps Gay Actors in the Closet

Is the issue really homophobia or is it how a star’s real-life identity — when it comes to their sexuality or anything else — bleeds into their screen persona?

One of the primary reasons the movie star is pretty much dead today is due to their own acts of deconstruction. Whether it’s politics or reality shows or interviews, we’re constantly faced with a lack of class and dignity, which in turn damages the brand. Great movie stars allow the public to project whatever they want into the image up on the screen. Or, through their personal behavior, a savvy star will feed into their screen persona. Regardless, it’s just a fact that the more an actor tells us — for good or bad — about who they really are, the harder it can be to see them in certain roles.

When it comes to openly gay actors, Richard Chamberlain and Rupert Everett would disagree. They blame a lack of acting opportunities on homophobia:

“It’s complicated. There’s still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. It’s regrettable, it’s stupid, it’s heartless, and it’s immoral, but there it is,” [Richard Chamberlain] told the magazine. “For an actor to be working is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren’t, so it’s just silly for a working actor to say, “Oh, I don’t care if anybody knows I’m gay” — especially if you’re a leading man. Personally, I wouldn’t advise a gay leading man-type actor to come out.”

And while things have gotten better, he’s skeptical that attitudes have changed enough:

“Despite all the wonderful advances that have been made, it’s still dangerous for an actor to talk about that in our extremely misguided culture. Look at what happened in California with Proposition 8. Please, don’t pretend that we’re suddenly all wonderfully, blissfully accepted.”

The sentiment is shared by Rupert Everett, the ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ star who has been out for over twenty years.

“The fact is that you could not be, and still cannot be, a 25-year-old homosexual trying to make it in the British film business or the American film business or even the Italian film business,” he said in 2009. “It just doesn’t work and you’re going to hit a brick wall at some point. You’re going to manage to make it roll for a certain amount of time, but at the first sign of failure they’ll cut you right off.”

For those who agree with Chamberlain and Everett, I would then ask you to explain Jodie Foster.

Jodie Foster makes no secret of the fact that she’s a lesbian. We all know it and yet we still accept her in straight roles without giving it much thought. The reason for this is that Foster lives a very private life. She has no desire to see her name in the tabloids or to become some sort of an activist. Her identity is not her sexuality, so up on the screen we don’t see anyone but the Jodie Foster we’ve grown up with and adored for going on 40 years now.

Another example is Chamberlain himself. Knowing he’s gay wouldn’t ruin a rerun of the “Thorn Birds” anymore than knowing Rock Hudson was gay hurts his work with Doris Day.

On the other hand, there’s Ellen Degeneres. Who doesn’t love Ellen? I love Ellen. She’s America’s kid sister. But part of her identity is her sexuality and with that comes limits, though she still has a huge career. Furthermore, America knows Ellen is gay and yet national advertisers like Cover Girl and American Express have made her the face of their product without a hint of controversy. Would two of the biggest brands in the world risk those brands with an openly gay spokesperson if America was homophobic.

Any actor who chooses to make something — anything, including their sexuality — a part of their identity, limits how the public will perceive them up on the screen. This is true for straight actors as well, especially those who have made their sexuality a big part of who they are. Beneath all that Barbie doll there might be a genuine actress, but Pam Anderson’s very public sex kitten persona limits her roles. And just to be fair and non-partisan… In his later years, it simply wouldn’t have been possible for Charlton Heston to play an anti-gun ACLU type without harming the audience’s ability to suspend their disbelief. The whole idea would’ve come off as some kind of in-joke, and if that joke wasn’t meant to be part of the overall story you have something of a disaster on your hands.

Assuming the rumors are true, were an actor like Tom Cruise or Richard Gere to come out of the closet, the American public would be the least of their problems. Like Jodie Foster, I think both men could make their announcement and pick up right where they left off because most of us are pretty indifferent to issues of sexuality and don’t really care one way or another. The misery for Gere and Cruise would come from the Left, those who would BULLY them into becoming activists, those who would call them cowards and accuse them of being selfish for not making sexuality a large part of their identity.