Stanley Tucci has no problem with straight actors playing gay characters – as long as it’s done “the right way”.
The Oscar-nominated actor got into the LGBTQ+ casting debate on Sunday’s episode of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Desert Island Discs’. Tucci, 62, portrayed gay men in ‘The Devil’s dresses in Prada” in 2006 and “Supernova” in 2020.
“Obviously I think it’s okay,” Tucci told the BBC.
“And I’m always very flattered when gay people come up to me and talk to me about ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, when they talk about ‘Supernova’, and they say it was ‘so beautiful’. You did it the right way.’ Because often it’s not done the right way.”
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Tucci is among several celebrities who have shared their thoughts on whether it’s okay for straight actors to take on queer roles.
In a 2021 interview with the Los Angeles Times, “The Big Bang Theory” alum Jim Parsons said that “the fight…isn’t just getting gay people to play, but making sure that all parties are open to all players.”
“It’s important that gay characters are portrayed as whole, completely human individuals,” added Parsons, who noted that “there are a lot of straight actors who have played gay characters brilliantly.”
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 about the casting speech, ‘Carol’ star Cate Blanchett said she would “fight to the death for the right to suspend disbelief and play roles beyond from his own experience, including queer characters.
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Others, however, have suggested that queer roles should be assigned authentically based on each character’s identity.
Citing the need for greater diversity in the entertainment industry, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Actor Richard E. Grant asked in a 2019 interview with The Sunday Times how anyone could still “justify straight actors playing gay characters”.
And “Glee” alum Darren Criss made headlines in 2018 for saying he might quit playing gay characters, telling Bustle, “I want to make sure I’m not going to be another straight boy. playing the role of a gay man.”
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Meanwhile, “Happiest Season” star Kristen Stewart told Variety in 2020 that she would “never want to tell a story that really should be told by someone who’s been through this experience.”
“Having said that, it’s a conversation on a slippery slope because that means I could never play another straight character if I want to hold everyone to the letter of that particular law,” she added. “I think it’s such a gray area.”
For Tucci, the conversation comes down to the main purpose of acting and what it means to be a performer.
“I truly believe that an actor is an actor is an actor,” he said on “Desert Island Discs.”
“You’re supposed to play different people. You just are. That’s the whole point.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.