As if! 20 of the absolute worst “gay for pay” performances on the big screen
To gay or not to gay, that is the question!
Not that many years ago, it was a rite of passage for a promising young heterosexual actor to do “gay for pay.”
OK, now get your mind of out of the gutter –– we’re not talking about adult films. We’re talking about portraying a homosexual character… and then receiving a bevy of awards show recognition. Here’s looking at you, Jared Leto and Eddie Redmayne!
Hollywood has made strides in casting LGBTQ+ actors in LGBTQ+ roles in recent years, but that’s not to say we’re past the trend, nor that there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to representation.
A few months ago, rumors surfaced that The White Lotus star Theo James was in talks to play George Michael in an upcoming biopic and Adam Lambert made headlines for sarcastically commenting, “Yay another straight man playing a gay icon,” on an Instagram post from The Advocate. Whoop, there it is!
Still, Lambert acknowledged that there’s nuance to the situation. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction that these stories are being told,” he told Queerty in an exclusive interview. “But I would just love to see an out actor play an out icon –– it’d just be nice, because you don’t really see it.”
So, where does that leave us? Because for every Cam from Modern Family, Robin Williams in The Birdcage, or Moonlight‘s Trevante Rhodes, there’s a James Corden in The Prom. Oof!
The world may never agree on whether or not straight actors should play gay roles, but we can certainly agree that some performances are better than others. From homophobic choices to forgettable films, there’s a few characters we’d like to forget ever existed.
Click through for 20 of the worst “gay for pay” performances on the silver screen…
