limitations

Jane Lynch: America Isn’t Ready For Gays To Play Straight. And It Might Never Be

I don’t know when or if [gay actors in leading roles] will ever happen. I think because since most of the world is straight — and maybe we’ll get to a place where this will happen — most of the world is straight and we want the audience to project their hopes and dreams for love and romance onto those actors. And if it’s not in some way possible, maybe never probably, in their mind that it could never happen, then they’re not going to do it. You know, most people are straight, and I think that’s probably why…. This is a business of projection and desiring people from afar. And watching people go through trials and tribulations, so there has got to be some truth to it, in terms of, “I could see myself with that person.” Because the leading man and lady are the person we want them to fall in love with, and most of the audience is straight. So for right now, we can only use straight actors.

—Jane Lynch, who doesn’t think audiences are ready for gay characters playing straight lead roles, evidently disagrees with Will & Grace creator Max Mutchnick, who doesn’t “think the audience is as homophobic as the media” — and Jane Lynch — “would have us believe.” [via AE]

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