Ten movies where straight actors played gay and it was A-OK
When Bradley Cooper was caught smooching Matt Bomer on the set of Maestro, the Netflix biopic about Leonard Bernstein, the photos once again ignited the buzz about straight actors playing gay roles.
Should these parts go to actors who are gay, and face the criticism and professional discrimination of coming out publicly?Social repression of sexual orientation and gender identity aside, there are many movies starring straight actors that have been beautifully made, and presented wonderful portrayals of queer characters.
Here are 10 great examples of when straight actors played gay and the results were fantastic:Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain (2005)Both a love story about two men in the American West, and a stark tale about the horrors of homophobia in America, Brokeback Mountain was revolutionary when it was released in 2005.
The movie earned $178 million in ticket sales and proved that a gay love story–that showed sexual intercourse between two men–could be a mainstream commercial success.
