Ewan McGregor, who stars opposite Christopher Plummer in the mature coming out gay film Beginners, says being gay only matters for stars at the “top echelons of Hollywood.”

In the film, Oliver (played by McGregor) tells the story of his father, Hal (Plummer), trying to catch up on lost time after coming out gay at the age of 75. Hal begins to openly embrace his sexuality by socializing with other gay men and dating a man about the same age as his son (Goran Visnjic).

Hal is also attempting to reconnect with his son after being told he's terminally ill. (The film's trailer is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

It is the first time playing a gay character for the 81-year-old Plummer.

In an interview with gay glossy The Advocate, McGregor, who played gay in last year's I Love You Phillip Morris, said he didn't give Plummer or Visnjic any advice on how to play their roles.

“It's not for me to give anyone advice, especially not Christopher Plummer,” McGregor said. “He and Goran Visnjic, who plays his boyfriend, both threw themselves into it, and their relationship is totally believable. It's very touching.”

McGregor added that being gay only matters for stars at the “top echelons of Hollywood.”

“[T]hat's where being gay might matter,” he said. “Hollywood is a funny place, and it doesn't bear much relevance to the real world. But I do know in terms of scripts and story lines that you can have very clever ideas that have to go because studios and producers don't want to offend anyone; they're so terrified that they won't get their money back, so they try to appeal to everybody. So maybe we're not at the point yet where being out is OK for every actor. Maybe some actors still feel like it would damage their potential career choices.”