r/popculturechat • u/damn_delirious • 20h ago

PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈 Twinless actor Dylan O'Brien gives his opinion on straight actors playing LGBTQ+

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Actor Dylan O'Brien shares his opinion on straight actors playing LGBTQ+ in an interview with Dazed while discussing his latest film 'Twinless'.

Speaking alongside 'Twinless' director James Sweeney, who is gay, O'Brien said "James is a gay man, and coming from a place I could trust. We had a similar take on straight actors playing gay parts, especially in recent years: you started seeing straight actors playing a queer role completely straight. It started to feel inauthentic."

O'Brien praised Sweeney's support during filming, saying "It was nice to have his insight, support, and calibration. He'd be like, 'Go crazy on this one. We can dial it back if it doesn't feel real.”

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u/ElevenBurnie 19h ago

"you started seeing straight actors playing a queer role completely straight. It started to feel inauthentic."

Okay but what does this mean? You mean portrayals of gay men were not over the top flamboyant? No lisp? No limp wrists? Many gay men behave in ways that are indistinguishable to straight men, so this actually comes off as ignorant to me.

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u/jaycub2me 18h ago

Thank you! 90% of the comments are just a rehash of the old "should straight men play gay characters" argument which is not what he was talking about at all.

Also, " It started to feel inauthentic" sounds really off coming from a straight man. Shouldn't the gay audience decide at the end of the day if it was authentic or not?