Playing it straight, or gay, doesn't always go both ways
SMU Cinema Professor Sean Griffin talks with USA Today about how movies and TV shows are reflecting changes in society, but only a handful of openly gay male actors are cast in straight romantic roles, and straight actors often play gay roles.
By Maria Puente
USA TODAY
Movies and TV shows are reflecting changes in society, but only a handful of openly gay male actors are cast in straight romantic roles, and straight actors often play gay roles.
"Hollywood has a couple of big hurdles to get over: a leading actor and actress who can play straight romantic parts and still be open about their sexuality — when that happens, a major corner will have been turned," says Sean Griffin, an associate professor of cinema and TV at Southern Methodist University and specialist on the history of gay themes in film and TV. . .
There's too much money at stake, Griffin says. "Big tent-pole pictures are really, really large investments, so the studios want to be sure nothing detracts from the box office."
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