Daniel Franzese, best known for his role in Mean Girls, has spoken out about homophobia in Hollywood, and how it almost killed his job prospects.
Franzese, who rose to fame as Damian, the gay best friend in Mean Girls, speaks candidly in a new interview with Them about how coming out and playing a gay character doomed him in the eyes of Hollywood casting directors.
“I had become famous for playing one thing, but Hollywood, a very What-Have-You-Done-For-Me-Lately town, just didn’t think my talent could go beyond that,” he says. “As soon as the movie was over, I kept meeting the gay glass ceiling. They wouldn’t let me audition for straight roles.”
Related: “Mean Girls” Star Daniel Franzese Surprises Boyfriend With Surprise Starbucks Proposal
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Franzese also claims he not only couldn’t get auditions for straight characters, but he also was offered a slew of homophobic roles as well. “Damian wasn’t made fun of; he was celebrated,” he says of his Mean Girls role. “I prayed about it a bit and if I was going to do a gay role, it was going to be this one. But then, immediately after, I was offered all these other gay parts that were all so stereotypical — just making fun of gays. I was like, ‘You know what? I can’t.'”
Franzese eventually bounced back as an artist, stand-up comic, and as an actor. He had a notable role on the show Looking in 2015, and has done various other gay and straight parts in television, film and theater. He also gained recognition as a queer rights and HIV activist, participating in campaigns by Lambda Legal, GLAAD and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
Kangol2
Daniel Franzese was one of the best things about Mean Girls as well as that dry as burnt toast Looking. I hope more great parts come his way, and soon.
Catholicslutbox
looking was fun.
niles
Once a gay actor does a gay role, they will only be offered other gay roles. Look at the once-promising career of Russell Tovey.
DCguy
Russell Tovey is a British actor who has been on two so top ten shows in the UK since Looking came out.
Gadfeal
Russel Tovey is doing nicely, compared to 99.5% of British actors. Already openly gay as a youth, he was a lead in the original UK version of “Being Human”. In addition, since “Looking”, he has a recurrent role as an FBI agent in “Quantico” with Prianka Chopra-Jonas.
Maybe you have different statistics for American actors in US media – but in the UK, and other countries, that may not be the case.
Amalgamate
Shutup with that ignorance. Some gay actors can only play gay-like Daniel in this article. Tovey has played numerous straight parts and his career is very impressive.
Geeker
I’m sure starring in Looking didn’t help his career any.
yaletownman
This is why I don’t believe in outing people unless they are assholes. While I think it’s gotten better there are still huge risks people take when coming home out and I will remain patient and compassionate until they decide the right time for themselves.
Donston
I completely agree about not outing people unless there’s malicious stuff going on. However, the more folks wait til’ there’s no stakes and wait til’ their career is on the downturn, the more difficult it’s going to be to be transparent, especially in entertainment and sports. Hollywood is full of so much deviousness, manipulation and hypocrisy that I almost don’t understand why anyone of sound mind would want to engage in it, especially on an acting level. Matt Bomer was married with kids. So, he had no choice but to be out. However, someone like Luke Evans is a perfect example of how f-ed up the industry still is. He was billed as the next action star and the next A-lister and a top tier new sex symbol. However, as soon as people started mentioning an old article where he said he wanted to be an openly and proudly gay actor his status immediately dipped, and he quickly became C-list. He clearly wanted to bury that old article and hop back in the closet. So, he ended up looking like a snake to many homosexual/homo-leaning/homoromantic/gay people. That along with being out sank his potential. Ultimately, how you present yourself and how much of yourself you present is a personal choice. I just know that I wouldn’t want to shield my overall preferences, who I love and who I wanted to be with for the sake of fame and status. But that’s just me.
Franzese is a bit of a different situation. He’s rather overtly “queer”. He’s not a conventional hunk. And though he had a substantial role in Mean Girls, his career never elevated that highly. It’s not like he had an obvious trajectory to top tier status, like Bomer or Evans, that was halted by being out. So, it’s hard to say how much of that affected his career.
Amalgamate
Daniel is clearly gay and didn’t have to formally come out. Some gay actors just cannot play straight-like Sean Hayes.
Mikey E
There was another gay actor in Mean Girls. He played the jock who was Lindsay Lohan’s crush. He is a cool, normal guy. Not effeminate. And he has had no problems getting roles. Franzese’s career problems are not about being gay. It’s about not him not acting like a man.
Donston
Not only do you sound like a horrible, hateful person with this “normal” and “cool” crap, you’re also wrong. Jonathan Bennett had a couple of small gigs after Mean Girls. However, his acting career also quickly went no where. He’s now participating in reality shows and hosting game shows. Furthermore, if you check out Bennett nowadays you’d see he’s a fairly camp dude. You’re pretty much telling effeminate men that they need to “butch up” and manipulate people as far as how they behave and what their mannerisms are in order for you to personally admire them. No one cares about you and your admiration.
Yes, you are right about more effeminate men being limited in their acting careers (partly because of people like yourself). However, look at Ezra Miller. He tries super hard to come off as “queer”, often plays up effeminate mannerisms, has worn dresses to public events multiple times, and he’s let people know that he’s not heterosexual. Yet, he continuously gets high-profile gigs in big Hollywood movies despite not being particularly talented. So, letting people know that you have same-sex leaning affections, passions and relationship ambitions and/or embracing a gay identity clearly is problematic for a male in Hollywood no matter if they’re effeminate or not. And there does seem to be a glass ceiling.
Donston
I would also like to add that unlike Bennett, Franzese was out of the closet fairly early on in his career. The couple of legit acting gigs Bennett got after Mean Girls was when he was still closeted. Either way, neither of them are anywhere near relevant actors now and hardly ever were.
It’s pretty obvious that being an openly homosexual/homo-leaning/homoromantic/gay male actor and/or indulging a fo’ real, long-term and non-closeted same-sex relationship very much puts a glass ceiling on your career. That’s especially the case if you don’t get a couple of solid gigs before you’re out. So, masculinity/femininity doesn’t have nearly as much to do with it as you’re trying to claim.
man5996853
Jonathan is, by far, an inferior actor. And it seems that you are likely a self-loathing twat.
geb1966
Hey dickwad, Jonathan Bennett did not come out until TWO years ago…2017…look it up. That’s why he hasn’t struggled like Daniel Franzese. Get your facts straight before you make stupid comments on the internet.
DCguy
Except you’re lying. His career is even quieter than this guy, he got some job hosting a show mobody has heard of.
PinkoOfTheGange
Bennett has a pretty good IMDb CV.
He works consistently which is better than 90% of SAG members.
FTR the op is just stupid.
Amalgamate
shut up, you vbackward ignoramus. Your point is correct (Daniel simply cant play straight-most gay actors cant), but your equating it with not being manly makes you human shitt-be better.
Mikey E
@Donston – It would be utterly pointless for me or anyone to tell an effeminate man to “butch up.” That’s just another way of saying “pretend.”
If you’re lacking manhood on the inside, that’s the problem that needs to be addressed. As with any disease, treat the underlying sickness and the symptoms will disappear.
Kieran
Meanwhile MORE homophobic bullying directed at Lindsay Graham from that notorious Hollywood homophobe Alec Baldwin today:
Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin smeared Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), calling him President Donald Trump’s “fluffer” in a social media post Wednesday.
“How is it that God -fearing Americans from South Carolina believe that @LindseyGrahamSC , who is nothing more than Trump’s fluffer, passes as worthy of a seat in the US Senate?”
Alec Baldwin said in a tweet.
Translation: How can you Christians in South Carolina vote for this queer?
DCguy
Interesting that you cast the homophobic Graham as the victim when he has supported and voted for anti-LGBT legislation.
greybat
Because he empowers their Bigotry? Just guessing.
Amalgamate
Graham is self hating human sheit-its ok to be mean to him-hes ruining lives on a national level, dumdum!
dinard38
@Kieran It’s interesting what you consider homophobic. Because Alec Baldwin called Ms. Graham Trump’s fluffer, that makes him homophobic and translates into “how can you Christians in South Carolina vote for this queer? I just don’t understand how you jump to that conclusion.
P.S. Ms. Graham IS Trump’s flutter and orange booty kisser.
Wolfie
I wish his PR people would realize like “fetch” Daniel Franzese will never catch on.