Stanley Tucci is great at playing gay, and we don’t have a problem with it.
The 62-year-old actor has played several gay characters throughout his career, notably in films like The Devil Wears Prada and Supernova, so it makes sense that he’d be asked about his opinion on the controversial topic of straight actors playing gay roles.
The question was asked of Tucci on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs this weekend. Several people, including queer actors and creators like Russell T. Davies have been arguing that queer roles should be played by queer actors for more authenticity.
“Obviously, I believe that’s fine,” Tucci said about straight men playing gay.
“I am always very flattered when gay men come up to me and talk about [my role in] The Devil Wears Prada or they talk about Supernova, and they say that, ‘It was just so beautiful,’ you know, ‘You did it the right way,” he said. “Because often it’s not done the right way.”
He said that in his mind, “an actor is an actor is an actor,” and that “you are supposed to play different people. You just are. That’s the whole point of it.”
Now, we of course want gay actors to get as many roles as they can, and we absolutely love the authenticity that they bring to queer performances. We also want to see more prestige films about LGBTQ+ subjects featuring queer actors. Where are Oscar nominations for queer actors in queer roles?
However, we also are fine with straight actors who respect the community and understand the importance of queer representation playing gay, and Tucci is one of those. In fact, Tucci is one of our favorite gay-playing straight actors, and we’re not afraid to say it.