On playing gay roles, Challengers actor Josh O’Connor tells Vanity Fair, “I’m not 100% sure how I do feel about it. I think I have mixed feelings.”
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Josh O’Connor rose to prominence when he starred as Charles, Prince of Wales in Seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown. However, it was his role as Patrick Zweig in Challengers that solidified his superstar status. In the film, O’Connor played a gender fluid man who had chemistry with both Zendaya’s character, Tashi Duncan, and Mike Faist’s Art Donaldson; this was no surprise considering Challengers was directed by Luca Guadagnino who is known for exploring themes of Queerness in his films.
The first trailer for ‘Challengers’ starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist has been released.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 20, 2023
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O’Connor also starred in the critically-acclaimed film God’s Own Country where his performance was particularly lauded by critics. In the movie, Josh and Alec Secăreanu’s characters go through the motions of a passionate and emotional love story that is injected with very intimate moments throughout the film. Josh will also be starring opposite Paul Mescal in a film called The History of Sound where the two embark on a journey to record folk songs of their countrymen. So far, O’Connor has played over six queer roles and he’s been doing a pretty great job at it.
- Max in Hide and Seek (2014)
- James in Peaky Blinders (2014)
- Johnny in God’s Own Country (2017)
- Peter in The Color of His Hair (2017)
- Patrick in Challengers (2024)
- David in The History of Sound (TBA)
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Although Josh has never explicitly stated his sexuality, he is known for being a great representative of the LGBTQIA+ community through his honest and candid portrayal of characters of different sexualities. If you didn’t know he has also written a queer coming-of-age romance film called Bonus Track. So it wouldn’t be a surprise to ask Josh if straight actors should be playing gay roles, to which O’Connor replies:
“Every time I have been honest and said… I don’t know,” he tells GQ magazine.
He explains further by saying:
“I’d always be really open about it. Sexuality…is more complicated than we realize.” He explains ‘queerness’ to his understanding, adding, “It’s fluid and elastic, but we often don’t really have the tools to articulate that in our culture.”
Jonathan Bailey and Josh O’Connor’s Vanity Fair banter for your gay enjoyment pic.twitter.com/3zWVLZkuiV
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) November 13, 2024
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If you’ve seen any of Josh’s work, you would know that he transforms into his character. So it’s no surprise that the actor is selective with the material he wants to work on. Talking about his roles that are queer-representative, he says he doesn’t focus on just that one thing (i.e. sexuality), but the nuances of the character as a whole.
“The truth is that ultimately I will read a script and what affects me, affects me.”
He also adds:
“A character’s sexuality, a character’s background, where they’ve grown up, their dynamic with their family—these are all aspects to any character, and so I take those as seriously as I would any other aspect. But to be totally truthful, I’m not 100% sure how I do feel about it. I think I have mixed feelings.”
God’s own country….it has everything…Josh O’Connor, a gorgeous and soft love interest and a happy ending!!! https://t.co/BqGYTusS8a pic.twitter.com/wZeMY6Kudg
— Maximilian🦁🍯🦡🐝🐙 (@maxielmybeloved) November 12, 2024
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The actor understands that his job is to portray characters that may not always be rooted in reality but can at least capture the essence of what the storytellers, including himself, are trying to convey across the screen. The ultimate reality is that we all have differing opinions. Although it would be amazing for queer actors to play queer roles, the least we could ask for is for any actor, regardless of their sexuality, to approach these roles with respect, passion, and authenticity, bringing out the greatness in each of these queer characters.
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Source: GQ, Vanity Fair