In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, out actor Jim Parsons was asked to weigh in on the debate about straight actors playing LGBT roles.

Parsons, 47, is best known for playing Sheldon Cooper – a straight role – in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

After quietly coming out in 2012, Parsons married longtime boyfriend Todd Spiewak in 2017.

(Related: Jim Parsons says coming out gay helped his career.)

When asked about the ongoing debate about whether straight actors should portray LGBT characters in films and television shows, Parsons replied that the “fight” was about ensuring that “all parts are open to all actors.”

“There’s definitely this spectrum: I think the fight, as it were, is not about having only gay people play the gay parts but to ensure that all parts are open to all actors,” he said. “It’s important that gay characters are portrayed as well-rounded and completely human individuals.”

“And there are plenty of straight actors who have played gay characters brilliantly. I think ‘Brokeback Mountain’ is one of the most touching gay movies and love stories I have ever seen, and those two straight actors [Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal] were the best choices for those roles,” he said.

Parsons last appeared in the Netflix film The Boys in the Band, which includes gay themes.