Current Events > Tom Hanks says straight actor couldn't play a gay man in 'Philadelphia' in 2022

(+) Yeah! (+)

Kinda weird to immediately contradict yourself.

"Performing" isn't a numerical stat, y'know. Some actors are better at certain kinds of roles rather than others.

And it's odd that one wouldn't consider "has the lived experience of the character" as something that would contribute towards success in a role.

What is artistic integrity? Its about not compromising your vision.

I mean you cut out the "but".

Also never stated performance was a numerical stat.

Having a lived experience as a character doesn't mean they're better for the role if they're not as good an actor. There's more to acting than having a lived experience.

Does this mean that gay actors get a passive buff when they character they play is gay?

I am betting heavily that you made that up on the spot, because I believe you are tossing to this nebulous concept as something that "hiring a gay person to play a gay person in a dramatic role where being gay is narratively important aspect of their character" is getting in the way of. Just remember what direction you're arguing here before tossing to the gods of theater

what the actual fuck does this mean

Saying things like you've identified "as good an actor" as something that sits outside "lived experience". Where do you think skill as an actor comes from? Magic?

This is what I mean when I say you're treating "acting ability" like it's a numerical stat. Pretending that there are just flatly people better at acting than others by some kind of observable metric, particularly when there's a lot more to a performance that you see on the screen than just the actor's own ability.

And then this follows through to the idea of the topic itself, suggesting that it's okay to hire a straight person for a gay role because... what... there aren't any good gay actors?

Actors should no longer act

A better performance is observable in an audition. It doesn't have to be a numerical stat? Why do you think they have auditions? You're living in a different reality if you think there aren't different levels of acting.

I'm certainly not living in your reality where you pretend lived experience doesn't factor into ability with regards to a particular role.

Or to put it another way, you get the same question I asked Mikey, slightly reworded.

What straight actor plays a gay male better than any existing gay male actor?

All right, let's make this simple.

What artistic vision requires a straight man to play a gay role?

Lived experience is not the end all be all of acting. A lot more goes into acting than just lived experience.

What's the point of even having actors act if the only thing that's valued is lived experiences?

I 100% guarantee that the majority of CE would not be able to act as themselves in a biopic of their own life. Lived experience is only a small part of what makes an actor.

I loved Kieran culkin as Wallace in Scott pilgrim

Still I respect the balls for you and others just saying "Yes, no gay actor will ever be as good as X in a gay role."

I never said that

Not talking about you or me. Talking about actual actors who have had an actual lived experience.

Again, this is you saying "cast a straight man for the gay role because there are no good gay actors".

Again, this is you saying "cast a straight man for the gay role because there are no good gay actors".

Did you love Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim?

Either way, lived experience doesn't trump acting chops.

Lived experience can be essential in a believable role.

Disprove that.

Sure it can. I'm not saying it doesn't and I never said that it doesn't.

Everything you've said in this topic is "acting ability is better than lived experience".

And if it isn't you've done a bad job at arguing in this topic.

Also funny that the same dude who compared trans people to Italians is trying to talk about lived experience and calling others homophobes instead of just having a genuine discussion.

I don't think gay and lesbian actors have any issue getting roles (excluding discrimination)

Cyric is just trolling now

Cyric is just trolling now

Acting ability is more important than lived experience but that doesn't mean lived experience also doesn't matter?

Guess you don't want to address this tho. An apology would suffice.

So what is it about Michael K. Williams that makes him a better gay actor than gay actors?

This is very sktgamer of you. Need that, you do not.

Never said Michael K Williams was better than any gay actor. I said he was the best straight actor to play gay roles.

So you weren't actually answering the question I posed in #61? What was the point of bringing him up then?

Don't tell me it was to derail this discussion away from the point of this topic, because that's not a nice thing to do.

Your dumb as fuck question's purpose was to derail the discussion.

You asked that question just so you could call people homophobes. Come on lol

To make this extremely simplistic, how do you think actors cry on command?

And what does it say of you, who charged straight into that knowing where it would end?

This isn't true. Most actors think of something sour. Again, you don't know much about any of this.

Therefore, how does someone act "being a member of an oppressed and marginalized social group going through their day to day lives"?

EDIT: Also thanks for making me review, but I did check again and emotion is in fact the ideal way to pull it up. Physical tricks like "thinking of something sour" or "holding your eyes open, drinking water, etc" are meant to count in a pinch.

Lol no physical tricks are taught to get the actual tears going. The performance of being sad can come from thinking something sad.

Do you think Christian Bale was vice president during Bush or something? Lol

Just stop. This dog isn't hunting.

This is treating "being oppressed" like a job.

I don't even think you've got your heart in this to argue anymore.

It's okay to admit you're talking out of your ass. I've been working in film for a little over a decade now so it's okay that I know a little more about it than you.