Current Events > Dr. Strange actor on whether or not straights should be allowed to play gays

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https://www.justjared.com/2021/09/05/benedict-cumberbatch-weighs-in-on-straight-actors-playing-gay-roles-while-promoting-the-power-of-the-dog/

Benedict Cumberbatch is opening up about his new movie The Power of the Dog.

The 45-year-old actor was asked by press during the Telluride Film Festival about straight actors playing gay in the movie, and revealed they had hard conversations about the issue.

If youre unfamiliar, Benedictportrays Phil, who is described as a ruthless Montana cattle rancher and projects a crude, macho presence. In the movie, Phil develops a relationship with Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), the son of a widow who marries his brother.

I feel very sensitive about representation, diversity, and inclusion, Benedictshared. One of the appeals of the job was the idea that in this world, with this specific character, there was a lot that was private, hidden from view.

He added that taking the role wasnt done without thought. I also feel slightly like, is this a thing where our dance card has to be public? Do we have to explain all our private moments in our sexual history? I dont think so.

Benedictadded, Jane [Campion, director] chose us as actors to play those roles. Thats her question to answer.

Previously, Benedicthad played a gay role, as mathematician Alan Turing in 2014s The Imitation Game.

yes

Benedictportrays

For goodness sake, his name was long enough already!!

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of course

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What a fucking bore you have to be to make your sexuality your whole identity

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Yo for real, the Imitation Game was such a shitty movie. It was genuinely upsetting how bad it was, but the media kept telling me it was fantastic and not trash. It was weird.

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Yes, as long as they're willing and able accurately play the part. Including any makeout / sex scenes. As long as that's the case, no one is even going to know unless they go out of their way to check (unlike the very obviously visible case of a white actor playing a black character or vice versa, etc).

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Obviously they can and should. Just like a gay person could play a straight character. But what does it even matter in movies where they are playing a token gay character?

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Think people need to learn to separate actors from roles. Think of how stupid shit would sound if we started complaining Jason Voorhees wasn't played by a real serial killer.

Is he a real wizard?

FortuneCookie posted...

Is he a real wizard?

I dont think hes even a detective!

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ClunkerSlim posted...

But counterpoint, should a white actor be allowed to dress up and play a black character? Because the crux of the argument seems to be that instead of legitimate representation, youre creating caricatures. So are straight actors playing gay roles legitimate representation or caricatures?

As a gay man myself I am getting sick of this conflation of race with sexuality.
They're not even remotely the same thing, and it also conveniently forgets that bisexual people exist.

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ClunkerSlim posted...

But counterpoint, should a white actor be allowed to dress up and play a black character? Because the crux of the argument seems to be that instead of legitimate representation, youre creating caricatures. So are straight actors playing gay roles legitimate representation or caricatures?

That depends on the accuracy, artistic merit and the intent behind the character's creation.


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And let's not forget that NPH (a gay man) played a straight man (and a womanizer, no less) for the better part of a decade an nobody seemed all that upset.

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ClunkerSlim posted...

But counterpoint, should a white actor be allowed to dress up and play a black character?

A white person is visibly not black. A straight person is not visibly not gay - heck, I'm straight and I've long since lost count how many times people have thought I wasn't.

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I wish actors would stop trying to pretend to be someone they are not

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I have no problem with actors acting.

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