Gay director Todd Holland is sorry about advising young Hollywood gays to stay in the closet if they want any hope of a career. And by sorry, we mean he's sorry somebody reported what he said!
Holland made the remarks at an Outfest panel and, while controversial, remain true: Being an openly gay actor just starting out will totally ruin you! At least that's what Zac Efron's handlers are probably telling him! (Somehow an Adam Lambert analogy could fit in here, but we're not ready to mix music and movies.)
"As an openly gay man in Hollywood, I know firsthand the tremendous challenges that people throughout the industry face in terms of being open about who they are," says Holland. "For people who know me, they know that I believe it's important for people to live openly and authentically, and I am sorry for my poorly chosen words at Outfest. At the end of the day, I hope my comments do not prevent us from having honest, thoughtful conversations about the significant barriers that make being an out actor in Hollywood an ongoing obstacle."
Got that? He's sorry about his wording, but not the message. But hey, he did make good on that last goal: starting a conversation about being out in Hollywood. 'Cause it's got gay activists in a tizzy … and Chace Crawford realizing that living with your cute co-star isn't helping the gay rumors. Mission accomplished!
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The damage is already done.
I'm an out, gay actor (of absolutely no renown), and I know the careful calibrations it takes to make it in this business. There's no denying that there are a great number of folks in the business who believe that this is the right advice to give. My manager knows that I intend to be out…but we do discuss how 'gay' one should be. Do you make reference to your partner to potential work folk? Do you tamp down your natural 'effervessence' to make sure people know you can play straight?
The issue here, for me, is if I were to ever find myself auditioning for Todd Holland, I would be completely ill-at-ease. Auditioning is already a hateful experience, but now, one has to be completely on their guard…in front of a fellow homo. He can't take back what he said…and he's just put every gay actor that auditions for him in a bad situation.
Interesting you should bring up Adam Lambert. Just saw his concert in very conservative Sacramento. Arco Arena was filled to capacity, 14,000 people. All of them rose in a body when that little gayboy came on, screaming, wailing, and howling. He could do no wrong. Admittedly, Lambert is an extraordinary talent, but I think Holland may be behind the curve. Besides, the Hollywood and New York media are privately homophobic and have the most to do with perpetuating homophobia in this country. They do it with a good deal of subtlety, unlike Christian fundies, and that's what makes it worse. To Holland: try casting an out gay actor who's right for the part, let's see if the roof caves in.
Hey, I say that the State of Ca. needs to haul this guy in and say "Sir, you are aware of discrimination against gays in Hollywood, please provide us with the name of Talant agencies and studios that practice this. Why should Hollywood be any different than any other corporation? If it was just "Well Known" that Ford, or IBM, or Starbucks practiced discrimination, they would be investigated. Fine, where do I go to file a complaint and use this insiders words as proof that there is a problem?