@Porwest 16 June 2022 more from that month

To me, this idea that a straight actor can't play a gay character role with 'authenticity,' as recently discussed by Tom Hanks who played a gay character in the movie Philadelphia, released in 1993, is ridiculous. Actors throughout the ages have always been in one job—playing people that they are not. Gay men have played straight men. Neil Patrick Harris. Straight men have played gay men. Robin Williams, Heath Ledger. I just think that as we get deeper and deeper into this world of 'cancel culture,' we are now at a point where we may miss out some great performances and iconic movies just because an actor will not be chosen based on his ability to portray a character, but on whether or not his real life self aligns with the character he is going to play. Actors act. That's what they do. They assume personalities and roles that are not THEM. That is what acting is.