John Barrowman Says Being Gay Should Be An Asset

Scottish actor John Barrowman says being gay should be an asset for actors.

Speaking to male gay entertainment website AfterElton.com, the openly gay actor says as an actor he doesn't see the benefit of hiding in the closet.

“To be honest with you, I don't care about the industry's attitude because by being truthful about who I am – and encouraging others to be truthful – this contributes to change,” the 43-year-old entertainer said.

“Why should I hide who I am when that should be an asset?” he added.

Barrowman is best known for playing Captain Jack Harkness on the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who and Torchwood. American audiences are getting acquainted with the handsome star in his recurring role as Patrick Logan, Angie Bolen's evil ex-boyfriend, on ABC's Sunday dramedy Desperate Housewives.

When asked to comment on a recent article by Ramin Setoodeh published in Newsweek that suggested gay actors cannot convincingly play straight roles, Barrowman struck hard.

“There are a lot of gay men in Hollywood right now that are playing straight men – not just in front of the camera but also in their everyday lives,” he said.

“I might be stepping over the line here, but maybe Ramin Setoodeh didn't like [openly gay] Sean Hayes and felt like being a bit of a bitch that day. The fact that he himself is gay and wrote what he did is really detrimental and quite frankly an asshole thing to do.”