MOVIES & TV
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE CASTING A STRAIGHT ACTOR TO PLAY GAY Should straight actors still play gay characters? Well…it’s complicated By Steven Greenwood
James Corden’s recent appearance in Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of The Prom stirred a lot of discussion about the ethics of casting a straight actor to play a gay character. When issues like this arise, a lot of opinions tend towards a binaristic approach: either people argue that an actor’s sexuality should have absolutely no bearing on casting decisions whatsoever, or they argue that only gay actors should be cast as gay characters. People often choose one extreme and stick to it. Queer culture is, of course, deeply invested in disrupting binaries and complicating prescriptive sets of rules. It is, therefore, my goal in this piece to avoid an absolute answer or clear-cut set of rules about whether or not “gay for pay” casting is okay. As Rachel Giese says, “Perhaps setting hard-fast rules isn’t the best way of framing the issue.” Rather, I present a set of questions that might help people better reflect on the impacts and implications of casting choices, without settling on a prescriptive answer about whether it’s right or wrong. Asking and reflecting on critical questions – rather than simply trying to follow rules and guidelines – can be one of the best ways to understand the deeper reasonings and impacts of an artistic choice. Taking a step back to consider these five questions can be a first step towards developing a more informed, thoughtful stance on what happens in different scenarios where a straight actor is cast as a gay character. Rather than judging the situation as purely “right” or “wrong,” these questions can provide a more complex picture of the murky, complex waters of representation.
MARCH / APRIL 2021
How does the project relate to celebrity culture and public figures? Whether you like it or not, filmmaking is not simply the business of making films, but also the process of creating celebrities, public figures and (in the case of young peoples’ media) role models. Young people don’t simply watch Riverdale; they look up to actors like Camila Mendes and Madelaine Petsch. They follow these stars on social media, read their interviews, and learn more about them in Entertainment Weekly. While adults are less frequently invested in this “role model” approach to celebrity culture, they also often see celebrities as aspirational figures – or at least people they can enjoy following both on and off screen – and it is important for people to have public figures they can relate to. Casting a straight actor as a gay character may be improving representation on screen, but it does nothing to improve representation off screen. While fans may get a new character they can relate to, they don’t get a new queer celebrity or public figure they can relate to, look up to, or even simply follow on social media. They see themselves on screen, but not in the real-life world of Hollywood; when this happens, the message that comes across can be something along the lines of “you matter as a story or an idea, but not as a reallife person who can live and work in the entertainment industry.” 28
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This can be particularly harmful for youth: queer teen fans of Riverdale may get a plethora of new queer characters appearing in the realm of fiction, but their options for celebrity role models are much smaller (although Riverdale does feature some queer actors such as Lili Reinhart). Queer folks don’t just need characters we can relate to – we also need public figures and real-life artists. This is particularly important for people living in small towns or areas where they may have no access to queer role models in their everyday lives: someone like Lili Reinhart may be the closest someone has to seeing a real person who shares their experiences. Filmmaking can be as much about the public image and performance of the artists involved as it is the fictional world that is being created within the film. It is important to reflect on the way a film exists well outside the world of the film itself. A film produces public figures, and also literally employs people and gives them jobs; a film set is, after all, a workplace. Diversity in the fictional story being told doesn’t always translate to diversity in the workplace culture where the film is being made: like any other modern workplace, film sets also need to consider equity and diversity initiatives and issues in how they create their workplace culture. How much of the humour is self-deprecating? Queer folks love to make fun of ourselves. Anyone who follows queer meme groups like “Sounds Gay I’m In” is likely aware that a huge portion of queer humour is self-deprecating. Queer culture often involves playing with and poking fun at our own stereotypes. For example, the queer classic But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) includes a scene where protagonist Megan’s (Natasha Lyonne) parents can tell she’s a lesbian because she eats tofu and likes Melissa Etheridge, and there are several scenes where gay characters try to engage in masculine activities like chopping wood, only to end up ineffectually running around screaming. While straight people often use these types of jokes to attack, demean or belittle queer folks, But I’m a Cheerleader plays with them in a way that resonates as empowering and relatable because they’re being reclaimed by the community. The lines become blurred, however, when the person delivering a self-deprecating line isn’t actually a part of the group that the line is making fun of. If a gay character makes fun of himself for stereotypical gay traits, it’s funny because the joke is coming from within the community; however, having a straight person speak these jokes suddenly makes the situation a lot more complicated. Tristan Coolman recently pointed out that James Corden’s casting in The Prom isn’t necessarily homophobic: while his character happens to be extremely feminine, his femininity is not used as the butt of jokes. However, when a character’s proximity to queer stereotypes does become a punchline, having someone who is not part of the community voice this humour complicates the scenario. This isn’t
