Australian actress Cate Blanchett made headlines this week when, in a discussion at the Rome Film Festival, she expressed her belief that straight actors should be able to portray gay characters without controversy.
The two-time Oscar-winning actress (who was also nominated for her portrayal of the lesbian title character in “Carol”) said, “And I will fight to the death for the right to suspend disbelief and play roles beyond my experience … particularly in America, I think, we expect and only expect people to make a profound connection to a character when it’s close to their experience.”
The problem with Blanchett’s statement is not so much what she said about the kind of experience an actor must have to play a particular role. Of course actors can and should play characters whose experiences are completely foreign to them — after all, the entire point of acting is to “suspend disbelief,” as Blanchett said. Where would we be if she had been forbidden from portraying Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator” or Queen Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth” because she didn’t know what it was actually like to live and breathe as the classic film actress or the 16th century monarch?
There is no doubt in my mind that Blanchett can play any role in the entire world, but that’s simply not the biggest issue at hand here. And although a valid argument could be made about how much more deeply a gay actor could relate to a gay character’s experience than a straight actor could, that is not the main problem with Blanchett’s statements, either.
What Blanchett failed to consider about the issue is that when straight actors are given roles as LGBT characters, it robs actual LGBT actors of opportunities. Because opportunities equal money, it could also end up robbing them of their livelihood in the long run. People fail to realize just what struggles American LGBT people face when it comes to employment — they can still be fired based on their sexual orientation in 28 states and are more likely to live in poverty than Americans who are heterosexual. Considering the struggles so many in the LGBT community face on a daily basis, the very least Hollywood should do is cast LGBT people in LGBT roles.
Besides the threat casting a straight actor in a gay role presents to a gay actor’s livelihood, there is also the issue of LGBT representation. What message is sent to young people in the LGBT community when they repeatedly see straight actors playing gay characters? Is it that no matter how high a gay actor may rise in Hollywood, they will still lose out on playing a character of their own sexual orientation or gender identity to a straight actor?
Without fail, this issue of representation comes up every year when awards season rolls around and some straight actor is inevitably nominated for their portrayal of an LGBT character. According to Advocate, a LGBT news source, this has happened at least 52 times at the Oscars. This occurred most recently in 2018 with Timothée Chalamet’s leading actor nomination for “Call Me By Your Name” and Richard Jenkins’ best supporting actor nomination for for “The Shape of Water.”
Some may think it is ridiculous for a person’s sexual orientation to be a requirement for what is ultimately just a job, or that it would be discrimination to prevent straight actors from playing LGBT characters. Some may even ask how we are sure these so-called straight actors are indeed straight? By continuing to assume they are straight, are we maybe mischaracterizing them or even pressuring them to come out to (for lack of better phrase) set the record straight?
I would disagree with all of these arguments, as there are plenty of “out” actors in Hollywood who are ready and waiting to play gay roles. If casting directors are concerned about casting an actor whose sexual orientation they are unsure of, they could always err on the side of caution and cast an actor who is “out.” It is also unlikely that straight actors would suffer from not being able to portray LGBT characters, as they’re currently getting twice the work playing straight roles and LGBT roles anyway. At the end of the day, there is no valid excuse.
Back in 2016, actor Sir Ian McKellen (himself a gay man) said that no openly gay actor had ever won an Oscar for Best Actor. It is 2018, and this remains the case. Hollywood should be ashamed. Just as directors, producers and casting directors must start listening to recent calls for greater representation of women and people of color in films, they too must start listening to calls for greater LGBT representation.