Academy Award winning actress Kate Winslet just spilled the tea on some of her Hollywood peers, highlighting the fact that homophobia in Tinseltown is still alive and well.
In a recent interview with The Times, the Ammonite actress (a film in which Winslet plays a lesbian paleontologist) says she knows “at least four actors” who are “terrified” of exposing their sexuality publicly because they know it will prevent them from securing certain roles.
“I cannot tell you the number of young actors I know — some well known, some starting out — who are terrified their sexuality will be revealed and that it will stand in the way of their being cast in straight roles. Now that’s f—ed up.”
On more than one occasion, heterosexual A-List actors have played gay characters – even winning entertainments highest honor for their portrayals, yet there was no penalty at the expense of their career. Mahershala Ali and Jared Leto have both experienced Oscar Glory after walking in the shoes of LGBTQ characters. If anything, their gay stunt has elevated their Hollywood status.
“I can think of at least four actors absolutely hiding their sexuality…It’s painful because they fear being found out. And that’s what they say, ‘I don’t want to be found out’.”
Winslet firmly believes that this type of alleged homophobic discrimination in Hollywood should be illegal and that the only way to cause change is for “more people to speak the way I am.”
Do you think more actors in Hollywood need to address Homophobia and other types of discrimination within the Industry?
Source: Thetimes.co.uk