Actors Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci are justifying their casting as gay characters in the film Supernova, though both men are straight in real life.
Supernova writer and director Harry Macqueen knew that he wanted the veteran performers to play the lead characters for his intimate drama about a gay couple — but today, such decisions can be met with backlash, as activists demand “representation” for particular demographics strictly via actors who belong to those same demographics.
“This was a discussion, and it was a very serious one,” Firth told Yahoo Entertainment.
“I was undecided for a bit,” Tucci added. “It’s always a question, because all you want to do is do it right. You want to be truthful to the film, you want to be truthful to the character and to the community.”
Firth said that for an actor, any role is a gamble, because the performer lacks the “lived experience” of the character:
“Taking on a role feels like an insufferable presumption,” admits Firth. “You know nothing about this person’s lived experience and yet you are presuming to take a step into it and convince everybody that this is a deeply felt experience. That always feels outrageous to me, but it’s also the job. So I feel like we are then challenged to really explore this with as much sensitivity and integrity and honesty, and make it as personal as you possibly can. Then you just hope it resonates in a way that is somewhat truthful.”
While both actors have played gay characters in the past, it is now considered controversial for straight actors to take on roles of gay characters.
“I don’t think we should subscribe to a world in which straight folks come into the queer world and get Oscars, and we can’t even get the opportunity to get into the room to audition for said role,” actor Robin de Jesús, who is gay, told Yahoo Entertainment last year — referring to movies like Brokeback Mountain and Dallas Buyers Club.
The actor, however, added that he would also like to see gay actors cast in straight roles.
“But also, I want to be able to play straight roles — I want to have that opportunity as well,” said de Jesús. “We need to have more of our own people represent our own people before we can fully have that fluidity, but the goal always is fluidity.”
Last month, straight actor James Corden was blasted by critics for his portrayal of a gay character in the Netflix movie The Prom. Critics called the actor’s flamboyant performance “offensive,” “the worst gay-face,” and “horrifically bad.”
Last summer, actress Halle Berry bowed out of a film where she would play a transgender character, saying in response to backlash: “As a cisgender woman, I now understand that I should not have considered this role, and that the transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories.” In 2018, Scarlett Johansson similarly abandoned a project over LGBT objections.
The industry is also facing criticism for able-bodied actors playing characters with disabilities. Last year, Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer appeared in a PSA where she declared: ““Casting able-bodied actors in roles for characters with disabilities is offensive, unjust, and deprives an entire community of people from opportunities.” Months later, CBS came under for for casting actor Henry Zaga as a deaf character though he is not hearing-disabled.
Not everyone agrees with critics who suggest straight actors should play characters who share their same sexuality.
Last week, actor Neil Patrick Harris — a gay actor who played a straight character for nine years in the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother — said that he believes it’s better to hire the “best actor” for a role.
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