Matt Smith Defends His Right to Play Gay

Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown) headlines the upcoming biopic Mapplethorpe as influential photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who died in 1989 from AIDS-related complications. Smith addressed the question of whether the provocative gay photographer should have been played by a gay actor,

Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown) headlines the upcoming biopic Mapplethorpe as influential photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who died in 1989 from AIDS-related complications.

Smith addressed the question of whether the provocative gay photographer should have been played by a gay actor,

“I think your sexual orientation, or your sex and your choices outside of work, shouldn’t influence—in either way, positive or negative—what happens,” Smith replied. “So, to me, it doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight. That has no bearing on whether you should get the part.”

“Where does it stop?” the 36-year-old British actor continued. “Like, do we then say, do we apply that logic to going, ‘Okay, I’ve got a part, and it’s playing a brother, and he’s addicted to heroin.’ Do we then go to people that have only taken heroin?”

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by Anonymousreply 60February 26, 2019 10:12 PM

[QUOTE]“Where does it stop?”

When openly gay actors are treated equally with straight actors.

by Anonymousreply 2February 26, 2019 1:47 AM

R2 To be fair, only murderers can play murderers using your logic

by Anonymousreply 3February 26, 2019 1:50 AM

R3 Except that's bullshit. And how tedious this needs to be explained on a gay site.

Straight actors can play all the roles they want. Openly gay actors cannot. Studio executives will blather on about marketability in the flyover states or less tolerant countries, or some bullshit excuse. However, they can't use that excuse with gay roles, as homophobes aren't likely to go see a gay themed film anyway.

As such, that means openly gay actors have a very small number of roles they can actually play without that executive bullshit blacklisting them from being cast. So in that circumstance, it's absolutely fair that you limit those roles to gay people. Once that executive bullshit goes away, and once openly gay actors are considered for all roles, just as straight actors are, that circumstance goes away.

If you'd taken just a second to look past your self-loathing, you might've been able to work all this out yourself, rather than making yourself look foolish with such a stupid comparison.

by Anonymousreply 5February 26, 2019 1:56 AM

R5 though Hallmark channel are consistently casting openly gay actors as the STRAIGHT male romantic lead in their holiday movies.

by Anonymousreply 6February 26, 2019 1:58 AM

R7 Luke Macfarlane is openly gay and has starred in SIX Hallmark movies as the STRAIGHT romantic lead

See his imdb page

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by Anonymousreply 8February 26, 2019 2:03 AM

R7 Openly gay actor Peter Porte is openly gay and has starred in FIVE Hallmark movies as the STRAIGHT romantic lead

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by Anonymousreply 9February 26, 2019 2:06 AM

That shut up r7 quick. Well done.

by Anonymousreply 10February 26, 2019 2:08 AM

R7 One more - Openly gay actor Brant Daugherty has starred in only ONE Hallmark movies as the STRAIGHT romantic lead

So R7 I think that is enough to prove me point, don't you think?

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by Anonymousreply 12February 26, 2019 2:10 AM

I'm sorry, I don't get the problem at all. Maybe somebody can spell it out for me. So straight actors shouldn't play gay? Why not? Isn't playing somebody else the essence of acting? I am pretty sure that's why they get paid, to play somebody they actually are not in real life.

by Anonymousreply 13February 26, 2019 2:14 AM

Those guys are cute. I should watch more Hallmark movies. I wonder how they end up picking gay guys for their straight romantic leads.

As far as Matt Smith.... what's the big deal if the person is a good actor?

by Anonymousreply 14February 26, 2019 2:15 AM

Matt and many of the other actors wear some of the WORST wigs in movie history in Mapplethorpe. Have you watched the trailer?

A gay actor would never have stood for this. Mapplethorpe must be rolling over in his grave of humiliation.

by Anonymousreply 15February 26, 2019 2:16 AM

[quote] I wonder how they end up picking gay guys for their straight romantic leads.

They cost less and the openly gay actors will jump at the chance to play "straight romantic lead"

by Anonymousreply 16February 26, 2019 2:17 AM

Matt Smith has a pass to play as many gay roles as he wants.

by Anonymousreply 17February 26, 2019 2:17 AM

If someone delivers a moving portrayal of gay person I really don't care who they fuck.

by Anonymousreply 18February 26, 2019 2:19 AM

Oops forgot, Jonathan Bennett has also done a handful of Hallmark films as the straight romantic lead, and he was cast AFTER he came out

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by Anonymousreply 19February 26, 2019 2:23 AM

It shouldn't even be an issue because according to DL, almost every actor is gay.

by Anonymousreply 20February 26, 2019 2:25 AM

TWO gay actors playing in shitty obscure Hallmark channel movies. Yep, you have proven your point. To you.

by Anonymousreply 22February 26, 2019 2:28 AM

It’s hot seeing straight boys kiss. If I was a director, I’d have hot straight boys doing all types of nasty shit in my movies then I’d cut it down for the final edit and save the good stuff for my personal collection.

by Anonymousreply 23February 26, 2019 2:31 AM

R22 it is FOUR openly gay actors as the STRAIGHT romantic lead in over 20 Hallmark films.

by Anonymousreply 24February 26, 2019 2:32 AM

Isn't Brant Daugherty openly straight?

by Anonymousreply 25February 26, 2019 2:47 AM

I really hope Matt recreates the photo with the whip shoved up Mapplethorpe's rectum.

by Anonymousreply 26February 26, 2019 2:59 AM

The Advocate.com (FEBRUARY 25, 2019 ) reminds us that there was sufficient gay this year in the nominated performances, but

[quote] At this year’s Oscars, Olivia Colman, Rami Malek, and Marhershala Ali — all straight actors — won Academy Awards for their work playing queer roles. In addition, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Melissa McCarthy, and Richard E. Grant were also nominated for playing LGBTQ actors.

[quote] While there were a record number of queer characters celebrated at the 2019 Oscars, no out actors took home awards — except for Lady Gaga, who won for Best Original Song.

And listing Gaga is probably stretching it.

by Anonymousreply 27February 26, 2019 3:08 AM

[quote] In addition, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Melissa McCarthy, and Richard E. Grant were also nominated for playing LGBTQ actors.

?????

They were playing LGBTQ characters, not LGBTQ actors.

by Anonymousreply 28February 26, 2019 3:16 AM

Because then it would mean gay men could only play gay roles. Can you imagine the screaming in Hollywood if that happened? “Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I can’t play a straight role!”

by Anonymousreply 31February 26, 2019 7:30 AM

r12, I didn't know that Brant Daugherty came out. Good for him.

by Anonymousreply 32February 26, 2019 7:37 AM

Hollywood and its studio executives (and casting agencies) are to blame that openly gay actors are not considered for bigger roles in big productions. Even the A-List actors are just bit players who can't tell the higher ups who to cast for which roles.

Showrunners like Ryan Murphy and Greg Berlanti cast openly gay actors to play straight roles for their TV shows. So far nobody on the big blockbuster movie side of Hollywood does the same. And that is the real shame.

I don't think shaming straight actors for taking gay roles that have been offered to them is going to change the higher up's attitude. They prefer to hire some straight (or closeted) name actor instead of taking their chances with an openly gay actor who may only appeal to a small demographic.

There is a DL thread called Bad Gay Movies which shows that the overall support for low budget, independent gay movies isn't there. Now, it's perfectly understandable to say "Well, why should I support some shitty gay movie with some shitty gay actors?". You don't have to, but you can't expect profit oriented Hollywood to offer you something better if the gay demographic doesn't show itself to have any real power to make a mainstream movie a success on their own. Hell, even gay porn like Helix Studios and Cockyboys relies on gay allies (like so called Fraus) to keep the lights on.

by Anonymousreply 33February 26, 2019 7:55 AM

[quote] What is a Hallmark film?

Scat fetish porn, Rose.

by Anonymousreply 35February 26, 2019 8:36 AM

Erm, Matt Smith isn’t good looking enough to play Mappllethorpe. That’s the problem.

by Anonymousreply 36February 26, 2019 8:52 AM

Hallmark is a greetings card company that branched into television movies. They have their own channel and make dozens of low quality cliche feel good romantic films especially for the Christmas holiday.

by Anonymousreply 37February 26, 2019 9:01 AM

Daugherty apparently married a woman in 2018.

by Anonymousreply 38February 26, 2019 1:14 PM

If he reenacts the famous whip pose that would transcend any question of sexual identity and bring the performace into the realm of timeless art where all conversation stops and rightly so.

by Anonymousreply 39February 26, 2019 1:25 PM

Whoops. I clicked yes by accident with a twitchy clicker finger and skewed the results. No is my answer.

by Anonymousreply 40February 26, 2019 1:27 PM

Sure, OK, but how gay is gay enough? "I sucked a few dicks in college but now I'm settled down with a wife"? Or does it have to be "Never touched a stinkfish, never will!" Or does it depend on the role? Maybe, in the same way different actors are used to portray a character in childhood vs adulthood, we need different actors for stories like Freddie Mercury's. For the part of the story where he was fucking Mary: A sorta-bi actor. For the part of the story where he came out as a Castro Clone: a leather queen. It's the only way to ensure proper representation.

by Anonymousreply 41February 26, 2019 1:36 PM

Whiteface can rebrand itself to "inclusive" colourblind casting so why not gayface? We should all be very thankful how enlighten our entertaining industries are heading.

by Anonymousreply 42February 26, 2019 1:48 PM

As long as the actor can act, I don’t really care.

by Anonymousreply 43February 26, 2019 1:58 PM

I can’t believe we have a Hallmark troll.

How is some obscure shitty Hallmark movie proof of mainstream acceptance?

How many of those gay actors are headlining studio films? None

by Anonymousreply 44February 26, 2019 2:16 PM

I find it laughable than anyone would bring those Hallmark barely-movies into this discussion. Come back to me when a single one among the thousands in that homophobic garbage pile features an openly gay couple, played by either a gay or a straight actor.

I know the journos can't help themselves but ask straight guys about gay employment opportunities, but I really wish Smith had the decency to defer this question to gay actors that this actually concerns. Also, "Where does it stop?" I don't know, but it sure would be nice to have ONE gay actor playing a gay role in a mainstream movie, let alone an Oscar-nominated one. Let's wait until that happens first and then you can have all the roles you want, Matt. Otherwise, we'll just keep rewarding straight guys for playing gay roles, while not rewarding (big) gay actors because there fucking are none.

Once the employment opportunities are the same and the rampant bearding in Hollywood stops, his point will become valid.

by Anonymousreply 45February 26, 2019 2:17 PM

r44 You beat me by a minute. And you're right, that person is being ridiculous.

by Anonymousreply 46February 26, 2019 2:18 PM

[quote] I find it laughable than anyone would bring those Hallmark barely-movies into this discussion.

Name a TV or cable movie ten years ago where the male romantic lead was played by an Openly gay actor

by Anonymousreply 47February 26, 2019 2:20 PM

But don't you see? These talented actors have to take these horrible Hallmark roles because Hollywood ignores their epic levels of talent and forces them into this crap. But for the straight Hollywood establishment, these massive talents would be winning Best Actor. And then we would be ragging on them for not being out enough. It's a wonderful life!

by Anonymousreply 48February 26, 2019 2:31 PM

So sad that Whishaw is Oscar-less and closeted queen Rami Malek is an Oscar winner.

by Anonymousreply 49February 26, 2019 3:38 PM

3 out of 4 Oscar acting winners of this year won Oscar for playing gay roles .

by Anonymousreply 50February 26, 2019 3:41 PM

Jesus Christ. That's what makes it A-C-T-I-N-G.

by Anonymousreply 52February 26, 2019 4:29 PM

He's got a big cock so it's fine for him to play gay.

by Anonymousreply 53February 26, 2019 5:12 PM

he played gay very well in "Christopher and His Kind"

by Anonymousreply 54February 26, 2019 5:16 PM

Gay actors play straight on stage all the time. What’s the difference.

by Anonymousreply 55February 26, 2019 5:27 PM

ON STAGE! That's the difference.

by Anonymousreply 56February 26, 2019 6:50 PM

I know a lot of gay actors who have never played a gay role. A LOT! I work in the business and I've seen it. It's because these men can pass for straight. The one's usually complaining are the ones who come to an audition for Superman in a godddamn caftan, open their mouths, and pink purses fly out. Of course they're not going to get the job. They can't convince anyone they're into Lois Lane or another female romantic lead. Would you cast someone who's wrong for the role just to be P.C.? It makes no sense. Granted, there have been several times when the big nelly queen roles have gone to straight actors instead of gay ones who really ARE those characters, but it seems to be getting a little better. If you compare the amount of gay actors and characters on TV now to how it was when Will & Grace first aired, it's a huge difference. Also, in all my years in casting, I've discovered that, sometimes, casting someone who IS the role doesn't always work the way it should. A lot of actors are only good if they're playing something far removed from themselves.

The fact of the matter is that mainstream Hollywood simply isn't interested in making good movies anymore. It's all about making dumb superhero movies for China and other countries. All the good roles and scripts are either small, indie films or on TV. There aren't many opportunities for really anyone in Hollywood features these days. Women over 40 get zilch, too, and the roles for women under 40 aren't that great either. Actors of color are suffering, too. Everyone is. I do think Hollywood will probably implode like it did in the 60's at some point soon. There are only so many superhero stories that can be told before the fatigue starts and audiences start staying home instead.

by Anonymousreply 57February 26, 2019 9:19 PM

R55 The difference is in gay actors don't get any film roles and straight and closeted actors winning awards for playing gay characters.

by Anonymousreply 58February 26, 2019 9:32 PM

R57 I know a lot of gay actors who have never played a gay role.

Brad Pitt and Clooney

by Anonymousreply 59February 26, 2019 9:32 PM

I haven't read any of the other posts, but out gay actors hardly ever get roles playing straight people. All they really have available to them are roles of gay people. So YES, I'm against straight actors taking roles away from gay actors.

And the only reason there are gay roles in movies is because of the struggle gay people have gone through making it more acceptable for people to come out of the closet

by Anonymousreply 60February 26, 2019 10:12 PM

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