Jeremy Strong recently told the Los Angeles Times that it is “absolutely valid” to criticize heterosexual actors for playing gay characters, although he also strongly believes that an actor’s job is “to portray something that is not necessarily your native habitat.” Strong stars like Roy Cohn, Donald Trump’s mentor in ‘The Apprentice’.
“Yes, it is absolutely true,” Strong said of the criticism. “Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned, believing that’s basically the case [about] of one’s artistry, and that great artists have historically been able to change, so to speak, the stamp of their nature. That’s your job as an actor. The task, in a sense, is to represent something that is not necessarily your native habitat.
“While I don’t think it’s necessary [for gay roles to be played by gay performers]I think it would be good if more weight was given to that,” Strong added.
The debate over whether or not heterosexual actors should play gay roles has been a consistent debate in Hollywood in recent years. Nicholas Galitzine made headlines last summer when he told British GQ that as a heterosexual actor he felt ‘somewhat guilty’ when he decided to play gay roles in ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ and ‘George & Mary’.
“I identify as a straight man, but I have been a part of some incredible queer stories,” Galitzine told the publication. “I sometimes felt a sense of insecurity about whether I was taking up someone’s space, and perhaps a sense of guilt. At the same time, I don’t just see those characters in terms of their sexuality.”
Stanley Tucci, who played gay roles in “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) and “Supernova” (2020), appeared on BBC Radio 4’s “Desert Island Discs” show last year and said it’s “fine” for artists to play different sexualities.
“I always feel very flattered when gay men come up to me and talk to me about ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ or when they talk about ‘Supernova,’ and they say, ‘It was just so beautiful,’ you know, ‘you did it the right way.” Because a lot of times it’s not done the right way,” Tucci said. “An actor is an actor is an actor. You’re supposed to play different people. That’s just you. That’s the whole point of it.”
Read Strong’s full interview with the Los Angeles Times here.