Current Events > Lord Of The Rings actor, who is straight, DEFENDS playing gay....

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.towleroad.com/2020/11/viggo-mortensen-gay/

Actor Viggo Mortensen, who identifies as heterosexual, defended his decision to play a gay man in his directorial debut, Falling, which deals with a familys dementia-stricken patriarch, who is also racist and homophobic.

Mortensen told Reuters that the decision to make the films main character John a gay man was not a gimmick, anchor or some trigger.

Said Mortensen: There are certain characters Im not going to play. I wouldnt play Eric, the Chinese-Hawaiian American (above).

Mortensen asked himself, what if its not a wife? What if its a husband? when writing an early scene and changed it to see how it felt.

If it doesnt work or feels somehow not right for the story, then I wont use it, but I liked it, Mortensen added. Theres been so much injustice toward under-represented groups, racially, sexual orientation (and in terms of) sexual identification.

https://youtu.be/yDw4g_BkPtY

This is so stupid. There's nothing wrong with a straight actor playing a gay person

Sexual orientation is not like race or ethnicity. It's not a physical thing

Look at this professional actor doing his job. What a piece of fucking shit.

coh posted...

This is so stupid. There's nothing wrong with a straight actor playing a gay person

Sexual orientation is not like race or ethnicity. It's not a physical thing

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

I agree. Its fucking acting.

Straight people should be able to play gay roles. And gay people should be able to play straight roles. Whats the big deal?

Shouldnt even need to defend


---

Dorfmann_ posted...

Look at this professional actor doing his job. What a piece of fucking shit.

FF_Redux posted...

Shouldnt even need to defend

Darren Criss is a straight dude who's made a career of playing gay guys.

and he's great.

---

As long as hes not playing a differently abled gay woman he shouldnt have to defend himself

---

There is an argument to be made that straight actors can crowd the field of gay roles and often then receive acclaim for transforming themselves, all the while gay actors are still trying to find work. And I am sympathetic to that argument, especially when it comes to the portrayal of gay icons.

That said, I generally believe that the actor's orientation shouldn't define the orientation of the characters they play. Also this is a self-directed movie so it really isn't like he stole the role from a gay actor.

---

His explanation satisfies every concern that I might have had, he understands why there is a need for visibility as well. As long as it doesn't feel like some tokenized character then it's all good.

---

It sound great in theory to say anybody should be able to play anybody, but the thing is, lgbt people often only get to play gay/trans/queer roles, while straight people get to play whatever they want.

I don't have anything against straight men playing gay roles. I just prioritize those roles for gay actors since a lot of them only really get cast for gay roles AT ALL.

---

He should defend doing Greenbook instead.
---

i expect an apology from neil patrick harris RE doogie houser because that kid was slayin pussy and NPH was fakin the funk

---

lilORANG posted...

Darren Criss is a straight dude who's made a career of playing gay guys.

and he's great.

he has also said he will never play gay again because he feels like he is stealing work from gay actors
my personal take on it is that the peoples hearts are in the right place but if you make it so only gay actors can play gay roles then thats the only kind of roles gay actors will end up getting
it will just close the door on straight roles for gay actors so just let people act any role they want so long as they can do it

---

i wonder if anyone "outraged" by this would be equally outraged if it was the other way around: a gay man playing a straight character

the answer is 'no'

---

If anything a straight actor playing a gay guy deserves some respect. Lots of straight men wouldnt be comfortable doing it outside a token gay character thats really on comedic relief.

---

He took jobs from the elderly when he played Aragorn, who is stated in the movies to be 87

Giant_Aspirin posted...

i wonder if anyone "outraged" by this would be equally outraged if it was the other way around: a gay man playing a straight character

the answer is 'no'

gee it's almost as if that's not the exact same thing

---

Choco posted...

gee it's almost as if that's not the exact same thing

It's like that old adage
You can take a horse to logic but you can't make it think

---

Should we also stop letting non-athletes play athletes in sports movies? They don't have any experience. They don't know the struggle.

---

Compsognathus posted...

all the while gay actors are still trying to find work

Are they struggling to find work because they're gay, or because they lack the talent and/or connections needed to land big roles?

---

MisterPengy posted...

Are they struggling to find work because they're gay, or because they the talent and/or connections needed to land big roles?

When minorities lack representation and power everywhere, perhaps it's not just their talent and work ethic holding them back.

---

This is just pathetic. It is acting ffs. Straight can act gay etc. This is just the media and the crazies with their identity politics. One should just ignore the whole thing as it is the definition of hate bating.

---

Jake gyllenhal and the corpse of heath ledger about to GET CANCELED

---

I hate modern society.

---

The_Korey posted...

I hate modern society.

---

The_Korey posted...

I hate modern society.

Gay people were imprisoned, castrated, murdered, etc before modern society. I think they kinda prefer the modern, but I'm sure your modern problems are much worse.

---

hockeybub89 posted...

Hurr... Komplaining in 2020 when things were SO bad 100 years ago. F1rst W0rld Problems!

The_Korey posted...

I hate modern society.

---

DeadBankerDream posted...

He should defend doing Greenbook instead.

---

It is called acting, as in to act something out.

---

Aren't there a TON of gay actors? Since when is that an underrepresented group?

---

coh posted...

This is so stupid. There's nothing wrong with a straight actor playing a gay person

Sexual orientation is not like race or ethnicity. It's not a physical thing

I agree, but race/ethnicity shouldn't matter either, especially considering the trend of changing them on well established characters.

I mean, it only seems to be okay one way while the other way around is "whitewashing", but I digress.

It's acting, nobody playing a part is really that character, who gives a shit?
---

hockeybub89 posted...

Gay people were imprisoned, castrated, murdered, etc before modern society. I think they kinda prefer the modern, but I'm sure your modern problems are much worse.

Not everything has to do with the gay community, contrary to what CE would have you believe.
---

Giant_Aspirin posted...

i wonder if anyone "outraged" by this would be equally outraged if it was the other way around: a gay man playing a straight character

You mean like Benedict Cumberbatch in all his roles where he's supposedly straight? I haven't heard a peep.

---

Bump

if sexuality is a spectrum (which it is), then there shouldnt be an issue with a "straight" person playing a "gay" role

unless we're going to start quizzing actors to see if they are 100% extreme to one side

nfearurspecimn posted...

You mean like Benedict Cumberbatch in all his roles where he's supposedly straight? I haven't heard a peep.

he's not gay tho?

Can bisexual actors play either or can they only play bisexual characters?

The whole thing is silly.

---

_TrustOurAces_ posted...

he's not gay tho?

uh, what? wtf. I heard he was. He acts really awkward when he's trying to flirt with women in his roles... I dunno where I heard that though

---

He's acting. Gay people should also be able to play straight parts, which they do.

---

The_Korey posted...

Hurr... Komplaining in 2020 when things were SO bad 100 years ago. F1rst W0rld Problems!

I'm just saying that hating modern society because some weirdos on Twitter got offended on behalf of gay people is silly. I think gay people and really most people would prefer modern society over a mythical better society from some past era. Your complaint implied that an earlier society is preferable.

---

It's like people don't know what acting is anymore.

---

coh posted...

This is so stupid. There's nothing wrong with a straight actor playing a gay person

Sexual orientation is not like race or ethnicity. It's not a physical thing

---

Do people not understand the concept of acting or something

---

Bump...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juzy2YVQgw8

---

MarvAlbert posted...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juzy2YVQgw8

Love him

Sexual preference is pretty low on that totem pole.

I'd imagine going up it's ethnicity, gender identity, skin color, and gender.

EDIT: Wonder where "age" would fit, honestly...

---

CyricZ posted...

Sexual preference is pretty low on that totem pole.

I'd imagine going up it's ethnicity, gender identity, skin color, and gender.

EDIT: Wonder where "age" would fit, honestly...

Hell age is pointless now since we can make life like masks with lips that move when you talk and everything. I see that as a positive too as the best actor for the role may look nothing like the character is supposed to.

---