Stanley Tucci says he thinks straight actors should be able to play gay characters

[BUtterfield 8 41,509]

Stanley Tucci weighed in on the debate about straight actors portraying gay characters in a new interview with BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs on Saturday. 

Tucci, who is married to literary agent Felicity Blunt, said he believes that as an actor, “you’re supposed to play different people.”

“You just are. That’s the whole point of it,” he told the program. 

Tucci has portrayed gay characters in 2006’s “The Devil Wears Prada” and in the 2020 film “Supernova”alongside Oscar-winner Colin Firth. He went on to say, “Obviously, I believe that’s fine.” 

“I am always very flattered when gay men come up to me and talk to me about ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ or they talk about ‘Supernova,’ and they say that, ‘It was just so beautiful,’ you know, ‘You did it the right way,’” he said. “Because often, it’s not done the right way.”

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[ALGAYDO 32,811]

I thought he was gay  he has played a gay character like a million times  Prada, Supernova, the Whitney Huston Netflix movie, Burlesque, the Hunger Games (I think? Lol), am I missing some? 
 

He’s right, gay actor should be able to play straight characters and vice-versa. That’s the whole point of acting- to act. 
 

also, he’s fine as hell. Lemme get at Tucci’s bucci, baby! 

[Monstermilo 4,709]

str8 actors playing gay roles when theres literally hundreds or thousands of capable gay actors out there is the same as a white person being cast to play a black or mexican character. the str8s already have everything, why should gay actors (who have been historically alienated in hollywood) continue to lose out of roles theyre perfect for. 

[monstertoronto 10,383]

I understand the argument that straight people taking gay roles takes away roles that could have gone to gay men. Although it is also true that gay men should be able to take straight roles, which is the counterbalancing argument, it’s not actually what really happens. Gay men are often considered too fey to be convincing or taken seriously as straight characters, whereas studios have no issues with known straight actors vamping it up as a gay character even if it the portrayal isn’t really convincing either. So I’m conflicted because I would never say that gay actors should a play straight roles, and yet I don’t think the issue is as exactly reciprocal as some may argue it is. 

[REALITY 77,383]

I don't necessarily have a problem with straight actors playing gay characters, but I do think Hollywood needs to do better when it comes to diversifying their on-screen talent. Like, yeah, a straight actor could play a gay character but also, I'm sure there's a very capable gay actor out there who could also do the role justice. It just feels like lazy and uninspired casting when you have [insert famous straight actor here] playing a queer role when directors and casting directors just need to do the work to find great queer actors. 

[Monstermilo 4,709]

Just now, monstertoronto said:

I understand the argument that straight people taking gay roles takes away roles that could have gone to gay men. Although it is also true that gay men should be able to take straight roles, which is the counterbalancing argument, it’s not actually what really happens. Gay men are often considered too fey to be convincing or taken seriously as straight characters, whereas studios have no issues with known straight actors vamping it up as a gay character even if it the portrayal isn’t really convincing either. So I’m conflicted because I would never say that gay actors should a play straight roles, and yet I don’t think the issue is as exactly reciprocal as some may argue it is. 

also gay ppl have been oppressed by a heteronormative society 

str8 ppl havent been oppressed

[Future Lovers 7,006]

They should be. Straight actors should be able to play gay characters, and gay actors should be able to play straight characters. I completely understand the sentiment behind wanting gay actors to play gay roles, but all it does is pigeon hole them into their sexuality. All that movement is going to accomplish is getting gay actors less work because the message studios will take is "okay well we can only cast gay people in gay roles". Actors are actors, let them act. 

[Future Lovers 7,006]

4 minutes ago, Monstermilo said:

str8 actors playing gay roles when theres literally hundreds or thousands of capable gay actors out there is the same as a white person being cast to play a black or mexican character

It isn't. This is an overused fallacy. There is no correlation. Identity and race are not comparable. 

[monstertoronto 10,383]

2 minutes ago, Monstermilo said:

also gay ppl have been oppressed by a heteronormative society 

str8 ppl havent been oppressed

Very true. But studios don’t really care about “oppression” so I don’t think that’s an aspect they care about. It really comes down to, do they think woman will fall in love with thei leading man and they don’t think that will happen with a gay actor. Whereas they feel gay men will fall I love in with a hot straight  actor playing a gay character, so it’s fine to cast them and also maybe attract women as well. And gay men throw themselves thirsting after straight actors all the time. (Me included ugh) 

[Future Lovers 7,006]

3 minutes ago, monstertoronto said:

Very true. But studios don’t really care about “oppression” so I don’t think that’s an aspect they care about. It really comes down to, do they think woman will fall in love with thei leading man and they don’t think that will happen with a gay actor. Whereas they feel gay men will fall I love in with a hot straight  actor playing a gay character, so it’s fine to cast them and also maybe attract women as well. And gay men throw themselves thirsting after straight actors all the time. (Me included ugh) 

It's not even that, really. 

It's who is the best fit for the role. Studios, or rather more specifically directors, want to cast the actor that's going to do the best job in the role. It would be silly to exclude a heterosexual actor from a homosexual role if they're the best fit. Imagine a world where Heath Ledger didn't give one of the best performances in film history for Brokeback Mountain. 

Why anyone would knowingly pass over the best audition simply to cast within a specific sexuality is beyond me. 

And like I said above, it's damaging to homosexual actors' careers to insist that they must play gay roles. This demand is gonna keep on until the only roles gay actors get are gay characters. Actors don't want to be pigeon holed like that. 

[monstertoronto 10,383]

9 minutes ago, Future Lovers said:

It's not even that, really. 

It's who is the best fit for the role. Studios, or rather more specifically directors, want to cast the actor that's going to do the best job in the role. It would be silly to exclude a heterosexual actor from a homosexual role if they're the best fit. Imagine a world where Heath Ledger didn't give one of the best performances in film history for Brokeback Mountain. 

Why anyone would knowingly pass over the best audition simply to cast within a specific sexuality is beyond me. 

And like I said above, it's damaging to homosexual actors' careers to insist that they must play gay roles. This demand is gonna keep on until the only roles gay actors get are gay characters. Actors don't want to be pigeon holed like that. 

That’s what they say but who “best for the role” is entirely subjective and I know they definitely factor in how believable or ****able they think an actor will be. 

[vanna shintuyu 10,833]

a big issue here is most of the time, he's just playing Fruity AF Stanley Tucci in his most famous movies (besides like the lovely bones) and everyone loves that so of course he's going to continue to be cast for these "gay" roles when they were probably never even considering other actors for the part, much less actual homosexuals.

straight actors are also by and large more famous and desirable so studios are going to prioritize them in casting. it's not about finding the most perfect performance for your movie and rarely has been. this is a business, first and foremost, and queer actors have more baggage, period.

[hELXIG 43,303]

35 minutes ago, ALGAYDO said:

I thought he was gay  he has played a gay character like a million times  Prada, Supernova, the Whitney Huston Netflix movie, Burlesque, the Hunger Games (I think? Lol), am I missing some? 
 

He’s right, gay actor should be able to play straight characters and vice-versa. That’s the whole point of acting- to act. 
 

also, he’s fine as hell. Lemme get at Tucci’s bucci, baby! 

I agree with this. But only if they have equal opportunity  to gay actors, which I don't think they currently do 

[Future Lovers 7,006]

3 minutes ago, monstertoronto said:

That’s what they say but who “best for the role” is entirely subjective and I know they definitely factor in how believable or ****able they think an actor will be. 

Well of course they do, but that often plays into what I was saying about who is the best person for that role. Believability is about attitude, is about how an actor sells it. Sure their appearance factors in, it will factor in if it's for a gay man playing a gay character too. But chemistry is derived from more than just looks, but also how an actor performs. Sometimes a straight actor is able to give that better than a gay actor is and vice versa. There's been plenty of gay men who've played believably opposite women in heterosexual screen romances. 

[Moonboy 85]

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