Knighted Companion Of Honour, former Magneto, and all-around gay icon Ian McKellen has once again weighed in on whether or not straight actors should play gay roles.
The oft-debated topic came up this week when McKellen was in attendance at a 25th anniversary screening of the Holocaust drama, Bent.
Adapted from a play of the same name, director Sean Mathiasâ 1997 film tells the story of Max (Clive Owen), a gay man living in 1930s Berlin who is arrested by the Gestapo after the infamous âNight of the Long Knivesâ and sent to a concentration camp. McKellen co-stars as âUncle Freddie,â who attempts to help Max by organizing papers so that he can flee the country.
While Bentâs heavy subject matter (and NC-17 rating) makes it a tough watch, the film has been commended for putting a spotlight on the persecution of the LGBTQ community during the Holocaust. Owen, who is straight, has also been praised for his authentic, tear-jerking performance as the filmâs gay protagonist.
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Related: The Nazis came for us too. Bent recalls the horror of the queer Holocaust.
In a post-screening Q&A, McKellen praised his former co-star. âNothing wrong with that performance,â the actor said of Owen. âFor those of you who think only gay people should be allowed to play gay parts.â
As McKellen went on to remind the audience, he once played Max in the West End theatrical production of Bentâat a time when he was still in the closet (though, as he notes, he was secretly dating Mathias then).
This isnât the first time the celebrated actor has weighed in on so-called âgay-for-payâ work. During an in-depth interview with the BBC earlier this year, McKellen touched on the subject when journalist Amol Rajan brought up the controversy surrounding Dame Helen Mirrenâs casting as Israelâs former Prime Minister Golda Meir.
âThere are two things: is the argument that a gentile cannot play a Jew and is the argument therefore that a Jew cannot play a gentile?,â McKellen asked. âIs the argument that a straight man cannot play a gay part, and if so does that mean I canât play straight parts and Iâm not allowed to explore the fascinating subject of heterosexuality in Macbeth?â
âSurely not. Weâre acting. Weâre pretending,â he continued on. âNow, are we capable of understanding what it is to be Jewish? Are we going to convince a Jewish audience that weâre Jewish? Perhaps we donât need to because we are just acting.â
Related: Ian McKellenâs viral TikTok moment with Olly Alexander was a rallying cry for all LGBTQ people
Bent is currently streaming via Kanopy, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Fubo TV. Itâs available to rent via Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, and Google Play.
SDR94103
BENT is an incredible film.
Bigboaster
About what I expected of the legend himself and I don’t really disagree with him. I wish this conversation was more nuanced though. It is so much more than ‘gay actors playing gay’. I think the type of roles gay actors get and why is a healthy discussion to have, as well as the role of the Closet on casting and ongoing Hollywood homophobia
bachy
Exactly. Straight actors playing gay roles and gay actors playing straight roles makes a kind of simple, hypothetical sense. But in today’s entertainment landscape, it remains a false equivalency.
inbama
It’s good to hear from adults.
Mack
It’s called acting. A straight can play a gay if they’re what the director is looking for and the same goes for a gay playing a straight. But no one should be denied a chance because who or what they are. Unfortunately there are always those who are bigoted and racists who won’t let people try.
Mattster
I agree with Ian McKellen, but there’s an important issue that’s not really being discussed.
We have still not achieved anything like real LGBTQ+ equality in the film industry. Studios will make some movies with some gay characters or plotlines, but the power of homophobia doesn’t just mean it’s hard for LGBTQ+ actors to come out, it means that studios are often reluctant to cast them. Many would prefer to cast straight people to “pretend” to be gay in order to avoid the discomfort of dealing with actual gay people. We cannot be satisfied with an industry which blackballs or pigeonholes so many LGBTQ actors even from LGBTQ roles.
While things are changing, it’s still not unlike the situation for racial minorities in 30’s and 40’s Hollywood. Black, Asian, and Latino actors could rarely find work, and when a really good role would come up, it would go to a white actor wearing makeup. So we get Olivier putting on blackface for Othello, and John Wayne donning yellowface and eye make-up for Ghengis Khan.
Was Olivier good in Othello? Yes. But why could we never see Othello portrayed by Paul Robeson, or Woody Strode? Or countless black actors who never got a chance at fame at all?
dbmcvey
I don’t like hearing the term “gay for pay” applied to actors playing gay characters. it’s not the same thing.
bachy
I agree. It pornifies a non-porn subject just because it involves gays.
LumpyPillows
I’m pretty sure the person at Queerty who writes the headlines is drunk most of the time.
Caelestius
What a beautiful run of smart, deliberative, insightful comments. Makes me proud of my community.
In addition to what’s been said about Ian McKellan’s remarks, with which I concur, it would be nice to simply have gay characters in the mix of everyday life–not necessarily dying, prancing, bitching or quipping–but working, wondering, waiting and willing life into existence. Like everybody else.
oaksong
I played The Boy in The Fantastics and I’ve always been gay, but not effeminate.
I played Dr. Lee in The Flower Drum Song (he’s old, with grey hair and a white Fu Manchu). I was 25 and an older Asian woman wanted to meet me after the show. We did, after I’d removed the makeup. ?
Topazme
I feel like the entire world is getting the wrong point from this whole thing..the issue shouldn’t be around whether straight actors can play gay roles, it should be around representation…instead of asking why should gay roles be given to straight roles, it should be asked by shouldn’t gay men be given straight roles in big movies…the issue is of representation bcoz for such a long time people didnt have gay men in lead roles and all the straight men took awards for gay roles while gay men were stuck in small thankless roles..the primary motive behind giving gay men prestigious gay roles is to make them visible and more famous so that more representation in the industry happens
LumpyPillows
Tom Cruise sure seems to get a lot of big movies đ
Cam
And all of this wouldn’t be an issue if hollywood wasn’t STILL screaning out LGBTQ actors, then using the excuse that they can’t cast them because there aren’t any big name LGBTQ actors.
The rage that is spewed out over the idea that MAYBE one or two rolls ever few years may not go to straight actors shows just how deep the bigotry runs.
cuteguy
Iâm surprised you didnât call Sir Ian McKelkan a right wing troll since he said the same thing I stated about Brendan Fraser. And FYI Cam, this is my only screen name unlike your previous hysteria that I had diff ones. I understand Cam that you may be a bitter ol queen but there is a thing called therapy. Itâs not just for âcraziesâ (or whatever your generation called it) but therapy may be able to benefit you rather than posting on here all day long. Do I think there are right wing trolls on here, absolutely. But I live my life and donât track them all. And since Iâve already proven that I cannot stand Trumpf or Faux News, I cannot be what you accuse me of being. Get help Cam