Out actor Andrew Rannells says HBO's
Looking was unfairly criticized for not representing every gay
man's experience.
Rannells, who plays a gay bestie on
HBO's Girls, spoke to Vulture as the series reaches its
end.
Starring Jonathan Groff, Frankie J.
Alvarez and Murray Bartlett as three gay friends living in San
Francisco, Looking – which
was often described as the gay version of Girls
– lasted only two seasons before it was canceled. A
feature-length film tied up loose ends.
Rannells, whose resume is filled with
gay characters he has played, was asked about the roles he has been
offered.
“I've been offered a lot of gay besties
recently, and they're not all created equal, so that's tricky,”
Rannells said.
On Looking, he said there was
“too much pressure” to represent every gay man.
“I experienced that with [Girls
creator and star] Lena [Dunham] too – that Lena is somehow supposed
to represent every young woman, and that’s not what she set out to
do. She never claimed that. I remember the clip of her in the pilot
that’s so funny, when she says 'I may be the voice of my
generation,' there was a confusion that she was saying that about
herself, and she wasn’t – her character just had that very stoned
realization talking with her parents,” he
said. “I think Looking had some of that, too. These
guys are just telling a story about these people! They’re not
supposed to represent every gay man in America! It’s just this
group of friends, that’s all.