Should gay roles be portrayed only by gay actors? Or is all fair in Love and Hollywood? Considering Ewan McGregor’s casting as iconic (and gay) fashion designer, Halston – it’s safe to say the Scottish actor prefers the latter.
McGregor was cast to play the American game-changing designer Halston in Ryan Murphy’s latest production for Netflix. The Golden Globe winning actor’s portrayal of Roy Halston Frowick however has been met with criticism – yet another straight male actor snagging a role of a gay man. But should critics have something negative to say about this choice of casting, considering a gay man (Murphy) chose to cast McGregor in this role.
Billy Porter (the only openly gay black actor to win a prime time Emmy for a lead role) has said that he has been turned down for gay roles numerous times throughout his career while straight actors were able to book those roles with ease (and be awarded for them). Porter referred to it as “tiresome” while appearing on The Hollywood Reporter’s Actor Roundtable.
Murphy told Vogue that casting McGregor in the role was “the only choice”:
“He was, to us, the only choice. The thing that Ewan got about Halston was that Halston had a vision in his mind of who he wanted to be in life. He was self-created.”
McGregor is standing by his choice to take on the role of the designer. He says that it’s okay for him to portray this character because it’s not just about Halston’s sexuality, it’s about his life and career. McGregor told The Hollywood Reporter that Halston’s sexuality was “just one part of who he was.”
“If it had been a story about Halston’s sexuality more, then maybe it’s right that gay actors should play that role. But in this case — and I don’t want to sound like I’m worming out of this, because it’s something I did think a lot about — I suppose ultimately I felt like it was just one part of who he was.”
McGregor has stepped in the shoes of gay characters on several occasions throughout his career. He has previously played gay in Velvet Goldmine, I Love You Phillip Morris, and The Pillow Book.
Halston reached the height on his career and found international fame in the mid 1970’s. His fame and success led him to live a life of sex, drugs and rock and roll. He died at the age of 57 due to AIDS related complications.
“Halston” premieres on Netflix on May 14. Will you be tuning in?
All images courtesy of Ryan Murphy’s Instagram
It’s hot when a straight actor plays a gay character. For some reason, a gay actor playing a straight one is not so hot.
This “controversy” continues to be the dumbest thing. It’s called ACTING. Newsflash: The actors playing serial killers, cops, lawyers, superheroes, monsters, aliens, or soldiers are not really serial killers, cops, lawyers, superheroes, monsters, aliens, or soldiers. They are acting. Stop promoting the nonsense that they must only act as themselves. It’s not about the actor, it’s about the character, and if they can pull it off, that’s what matters.
Gay actors should now be required apologize for taking “straight” character parts.
I’m Gay, but I don’t think Gay roles necessarily HAVE to be played by Gay actors, just like I don’t think Straight roles HAVE to be played by Straight actors. Hell, Gay actors have been playing Straight roles for as long as we’ve had movies, though in most cases the audiences didn’t know the actors were Gay.
Consider Sean Penn, who played Harvey Milk in the film, “Milk.” Penn isn’t Gay, but he was able to play the role convincingly, and he also bore enough of a resemblance to Milk to make it work. Neil Patrick Harris is a very out Gay actor, but he played a somewhat predatory Straight role in “Gone Girl.”
One thing I DO feel strongly about is that transgender roles should only be played by trans actors.