Why does every movie have to have a gay character

In recent months, a flurry of new productions have been announced in which straight actors — or least, actors who are not publicly gay — will play gay characters. Nicholas Galiztine, meanwhile, is emerging as the potential new king of gay for pay, with roles in Mary and George as a gay dukeRed, White and Royal Blue a gay prince and Handsome Devil a gay rugby player.

While gay actors do play straight roles, there are still significant barriers within the industry. Landing a role as a straight character is particularly difficult for gay actors who are younger or less established. Where authentic casting does happen, it can be a double-edged sword for gay actors.

For casting directors, finding queer actors for queer parts also presents certain challenges. The problem, according to Hannah, is that maintaining this kind of privacy is harder than ever. However well-intentioned the demand for queer actors in queer roles might be, it can form part of that process: how can we assess whether a performance is authentic without knowing the sexual identity of the person behind it?

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In an old but enduring dichotomy: masculine, straight-passing gay characters tend to be weightier, more complex and substantial; feminine gay characters — while there are exceptions — still tend to be more light-hearted or comedic. This reflects a larger cultural bias, and the sexual identity of a particular actor in a particular role is not always relevant Jonathan Bailey, for example, is both gay and pretty masc.

The quality of a performance, and the diligence which an actor puts into constructing it, can be just as important as their identity. Focusing on actors alone ignores the bigger picture — the vitality of queer cinema is as much about screenwriters, directors, producers and the people who control the money.

Even if a straight actor playing a gay role is not a moral crime or something which inevitably dooms a performance inauthenticity, it still comes down to a question of fairness.