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Can Straight Actors Play Gay Roles?


Do you think a straight/non gay actor can be good and convincing in a gay role.

One performance that doesnt convince me is

Marlon Brando in Reflections In A Goldeneye (1967)

Interesting film, but Brando wasnt very good at playing a gay man, he wasnt in real life and the role was offered to actor Montgomery Clift who was gay and closeted, like the character in the film, but he died before production.

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While there's something to be said about genuine gay person playing a gay role, I don't see why the actor necessarily needs to be gay to play a convincing role. One of my favorite lesbian movies is D.E.B.S. which stars two straight women. I also love Natasha Lyonne who is married to a man yet frequently portrays a lesbian on film. Maybe it's different for women though since all women are at least a little bit bisexual.

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Xie, you've been down this road a dozen times. Bottom line: any good actor can play ANY role. And good actors are always looking to stretch their acting chops to play diverse/unusual/challenging roles.

Brando doesn't convince you in RIAGE because you (if you've actually seen it, that is) went into it already biased and not wanting to be convinced.

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Well there are things that bothered me

Brando playing a gay man doesnt work as he wasnt gay and was too masculine to play a man basically afraid of his wife and if he was married to Taylor he wouldnt be interested in the soldier.

The weird lighting of the film

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I thought it was one of his better performances exactly because he was a masculine character and not more "delicate" looking as Clift was. That's what acting is about.

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Right

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Glad you agree. You finally get it.

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Of course they can

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Certainly, if the actor is talented and dedicated. The staging and direction also help bring a genuine performance. In the end, it's all an illusion.

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