Journal 6: Locked in the Closet—Being Out on the A-List

In 2010, Newsweek columnist Ramin Setoodeh argued that, "While it's okay for straight actors to play gay (as Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger did in Brokeback Mountain), it's rare for someone to pull off the trick in reverse." He further argues that unlike straight actors who play gay, the sexuality of gay actors who play straight is an issue because "the fact is, an actor's background does affect how we see his or her performance." Not surprisingly, the column resulted in a sharp rebuke from the gay community. Later, author Bret Easton Ellis also stirred up controversy when he argued that openly-gay Matt Bomer wouldn't be convincing playing straight hunk Christian in the upcoming Fifty Shades of Gray adaptation—a role that later went to straight actor/model Jamie Dornan. What do you think? Is an actor's sexuality really only an issue for audiences when he or she is gay, but playing straight? When you are watching a gay actor play straight, does his or her sexual orientation factor into the believability of the performance? While gay actors playing straight on television have made major strides in recent years (e.g. Jane Lynch in Glee, Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother), why are there currently no openly gay A-list actors or actresses in movies?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "By the Way, We're Gay: The New Art of Coming Out" (Entertainment Weekly)
• "Earth to Bret Easton Ellis: You Needn't be Straight to Play a Lady-Spanker" (Guardian)
• "Fifty Shades of Homophobia: Who Cares if the Actor Who Plays Christian Grey is Gay? (Huffington Post)
• "Will Luke Evans Be Brave Enough to Become Hollywood’s First Openly Gay Leading Man?" (FlavorWire)
• "Study: Audiences Don't Mind Gay Actors Playing Straight Roles" (PinkNews) 
• "How Audiences Can Learn to Accept Gay Actors Playing Straight Roles" (Go Over the Rainbow)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
  

Due: Tu 12.03