LGBTQ+ in Hollywood

[sasharae]

Ah, yes, the last taboo. What is it you think these actors are afraid of?

A) That people will stop going to their films because they are no longer fans -- the actor's sexuality makes them uncomfortable, prompting a backlash,

or

B) They are afraid people will no longer buy them in straight roles because of their real-life sexual orientation, with the same end result -- lower box office numbers.

In the end, does it just boil down to money?

[clementine74]

In my opinion, coming out could still really, really hurt an actor's casting in Hollywood. Sad, but true. But, frankly, I think a young, leading man type (like, say, oh...Hayden Christiansen?) has the most to lose. Lesbian women, as long as they are not overly "butch", seem to be a lot less threatening to this country's "wholesome, Christian values" than gay men. Further, though, I think men who are a bit long in the tooth would fare much better, as they are not being marketed to those teen girls and their disposable incomes. I have an acquaintance, an actor in his 60's who has a nice amount of success in TV and film, who is deeply closeted. I wish he would come out--I don't see how his career could be damaged at this point--but, of course, that is his perogative. But it is still very sad. Who gives a shit? Movies, and Hollywood for that matter, are a fantasy...a suspension of disbelief. Well, that's the way it SHOULD be. But with the increasing infiltration of the media, feeding the public's obsession with celebrity, I guess this is no longer possible. In a way, the actor's and the characters that they play have become interchangeable.

[Deleted]

What puzzles me about homosexuality in hollywood is: Why some people like Ellen Degeneres(sp?) and a few others are out and it seems that her career seems to be doing okay, and others who are allegedly homosexual are afraid/unwilling to be with whomever they want, regardless of the gender.

I don't know what the repercussions would be. However, it seems to me that it is scary and difficult to be public about their sexual preference in such a culture that is so image driven.

[Binky]

Why some people like Ellen Degeneres(sp?) and a few others are out and it seems that her career seems to be doing okay, and others who are allegedly homosexual are afraid/unwilling to be with whomever they want, regardless of the gender.

Didn't Ellen have a few years there between the end of her show and Finding Nemo/her talkshow where she was kind of gone? Or whenever Anne Heche left her...there was a period there where she was kind of absent, I think. She may have been touring, but I didn't hear much about her. Besides, Ellen is a little different. She never used sexuality/sex appeal as a huge part of her celebrity appeal before coming out, and once people got over being the tiniest bit surprised and mocking her for Anne, it kind of ceased being an issue. Her comedy has little to do with homosexual issues and her appeal as a performer lacks sexuality or sexiness.

I don't think about Ellen as a lesbian, I think about her as a sometimes funny comedienne. If her act had ever been dependent on sexuality or sex appeal, I believe her career would have be quite different after she came out. People can't really feel deceived or threatened by Ellen being gay; she was never Miss Heterosexual Sexy Lady.

[marywebgirl]

I think men who are a bit long in the tooth would fare much better...

I think Ian McKellan is the perfect example of this. He even joked about it when he hosted Saturday Night Live.

[realitybug]

As everyone else said, when you are a teen heartthrob, and all these young girls are fawning over you, and you want to pay your dues...AND you're a homosexual, yeah, you are going to want to keep it a secret. It would definetely hurt your career.

It just boils down to money and fear of losing that movey. What else could it be? America is still quite conservative. However, I believe it's not as bad as people would fear it to be. I'd prefer to be a fan of an actor who isn't afraid of who he or she is.

[queequeg]

I agree that it's mostly to do with the public (supposedly) not being willing to accept a gay person in straight love scenes. I would say most, if not all, of the gay actors who are out just don't play those types of roles. Unfortunately the only way gay people seem to be accepted in Hollywood is if they're asexual and therefore not threatening to straight people.

I find the whole thing really annoying because do you hear people saying "I couldn't accept so-and-so as a policeman in that movie because he isn't one in real life"? It's called acting!

It would definitely help if more high profile people came out - I mean it's an open secret that Jodie Foster and Kevin Spacey are gay so I really don't see how it would harm their careers if they came out.

[dwanollah]

I think that´s true, Queequeg... for both men and women.

Ironic that Anne Heche isn´t taken seriously in straight romantic love scenes, innit...?

[chameleon]

Cutting and pasting a bit here to try to muddle through my thoughts, hope you don't mind Queequeg

I agree that it's mostly to do with the public (supposedly) not being willing to accept a gay person in straight love scenes....I find the whole thing really annoying because do you hear people saying "I couldn't accept so-and-so as a policeman in that movie because he isn't one in real life"? It's called acting!

Yeah, true, but there is something to that unwillingness to accept what's on screen when you know too much about an actor's personal life - Russell Crowe's recent behavior, for example, has finally ruined the experience of watching his acting for me. I'll never be able to look at him onscreen without thinking "Yeah, but what a fucking asshole to pitch a phone at someone." Ditto J.Lo who admittedly isn't a great actor (if at all), but I know far too much about her personal life to ever see anyone except J.Lo up on that screen. I would argue that it's valuable for actors to preserve some mystery; too bad that in the case of homosexual actors it is mixed up with prejudice and discrimination, too.

Unfortunately the only way gay people seem to be accepted in Hollywood is if they're asexual and therefore not threatening to straight people.

Hmm...is this true? Especially among younger (15-25) moviegoers? In terms of the audience, I'm probably not representative, but I am thrilled if I'm turned on by an actor when I watch a movie regardless of the sexuality of the actor in his personal life as long as they keep it vague - let me have him/her as an object of my fantasies. If they bring the sexy on screen, if they can project any kind of sexuality, I'm happy as long as I can preserve the thought "Maybe someday he/she'll break down my door and ravish me....in between his whatevers with other men/women, of course, but...."

For example, I don't see Hayden Christensen being asexual - far from it, in fact, the boy practically reeks sex in every frame and every magazine photo. It's murmured that he's gay, but it's not a big deal, and he's not in the tabs every fucking minute, so I can fantasize as much as I want. I bet Hayden won't have as much trouble as an actor of an earlier generation would. At least we can hope!

[Deleted]

The fact of the matter is that there are still A LOT of very conservative-minded people in America, as evidenced by the last presidential election wherein exit polls revealed that many people voted for Dubya solely because he is anti-gay marriage. That was literally the only factor that riled people up enough to get them to vote. Hello? Am I the only one shocked by this? But I digress...

You cannot have lucrative acting career if the entire middle of the country is not going to pay to see your movies.

Look at the careers of the actors that are out: Nathan Lane has a good career on Broadway but he's hardly a household name. Rupert Everett stole the show in My Best Friend's Wedding and I haven't heard from him since. There are a few openly gay actors on QAF who you never see in anything mainstream and I kind of doubt you ever will. Being gay is an automatic typecast.