Neil Patrick Harris defends straight men playing gay characters

OHMYGOSSIP — Neil Patrick Harris has claimed there is “something sexy” about straight actors playing gay characters.
The ‘It’s A Sin’ star – who plays a Savile Row tailor in Russell T Davies’ new Channel 4 drama set in 1981 at the start of the AIDS epidemic – has defended other shows for casting straight people in “a gay role”.
The openly gay actor told The Times newspaper: “I think there’s something sexy about casting a straight actor to play a gay role, if they’re willing to invest a lot into it.
“There’s a nervousness that comes from the newness of it all. To declare that you’d never do that, you might miss opportunities….
“In our world that we live in you can’t really as a director demand that [an actor be gay or straight]. Who’s to determine how gay someone is?”
Neil’s comments come after Russell recently admitted he deliberately cast gay men to play every gay role apart from one in his new drama, as well as straight characters.
Russell said: “I’m trying to avenge hundreds of years of inequality. The series has also unashamedly cast gay people in straight roles.
“I think that’s fine because, believe you me, from the age of eight we are studying straight people and how to fit in with them.”
Now, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ actor Neil – who played straight womaniser Barney Stinson in the US sitcom – insisted actors should be open to all roles.
He said: “I’m not one to jump on to labelling. As an actor you certainly hope you can be a visible option for all kinds of different roles.
“I played a character [in ‘How I Met Your Mother’] for nine years who was nothing like me.”
And he also referred to Russell’s 1990s series ‘Queer As Folk’, which featured straight men playing the main gay characters.
He added: “It was one of the real true turning points for me as examples of sexy guys behaving as leads in something of import, not as comic sidekicks.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online
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