Out actor Ben Whishaw said Sunday that
he would like to see more gay actors take on straight roles.
Whishaw made his remarks backstage at
the Golden Globe Awards after he won an acting award for his part in
the BBC mini-series A Very English Scandal.
(Related: Ben
Whishaw dedicates Golden Globe award to “queer hero” Norman
Scott.)
Last month, actor Darren Criss (Glee)
said that he's finished playing gay characters.
“There are certain [queer] roles that
I'll see that are just wonderful,” Criss
said. “But I want to make sure I won't be another straight boy
taking a gay man's role.”
On Sunday, Criss won an acting award
for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan, a gay man accused of murdering
at least five people, including Italian fashion designer Gianni
Versace, in FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American
Crime Story.
When asked whether he agrees with
Criss, Whishaw said that he did not.
“I don't think that should happen
because I really believe that actors can embody and portray anything
and we shouldn't be defined only by what we are,” Whishaw said.
“I think there was a time when we
didn't know anything about actors; they were very mysterious. But
now we know everything.”
“So, no, I don't think that. On the
other hand, I think there needs to be greater equality. I would like
to see more gay actors playing straight roles. It needs to be an
even playing field for everybody. That would be my ideal. I don't
know how far we're away from that,” he added.