Mean Girls star wants more sexy plus-size gay men on screen
Daniel Franzese, who played Damian in Mean Girls (R), frequently speaks about fat phobia in the TV and film industry. (Instagram/Paramount Picture)
In a world of tiled torsos and plastic biceps, Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese has called for more sexy plus-size gay men on screens.
Chatting to TMZ outside LAX airport, the actor broke down a recent Instagram post of him shirtless enjoying life to the max in a swimming pool.
The actor said that gay men are typically portrayed on the small and big screens as slim and shredded, leaving little to no room for LGBT+ people of different body types.
But he told the showbiz website that he’s living proof that queer folk come in all sizes and deserve visibility.
The 6’4″ model said: “There are a lot of shows that are showing queer stuff, but they don’t sexualise bigger gay men.
“Fat people on TV don’t sell toothpaste, fat people on TV don’t buy cars. Fat people on TV get colds, they get coughy, sneezing, itching, aching heads, they have to pay bills and get stressed out on TV. They’re not seen as something comfortable.
“Gay bigger people are invisible.”
Franzese added that if there were greater and sexier portrayals of plus-size gay men on the big screen, “I’d be working if they did!”
He added: “I really respect Ryan Murphy. I think he’s a leader in diversity and inclusion riders. But he doesn’t have any sexualised bigger guys in any of his programming. Nobody does right now.”
Gay screenwriter and producer Murphy is behind several shows that have raised the profile of queer lives, such as FOX’s Glee and FX’s Pose.
Move over Hot Girl Summer, it’s now Big and Tall Fall.
Addressing the camera and Hollywood, the Mean Girls star rallied that differently-bodied men embrace and feel comfortable as themselves.
“There’s a huge dilemma right now with guys that don’t want to take their shirts off this summer and don’t wanna be comfortable in their own skin because they’re used to trying to identify with what the media thinks is attractive,” he said.
“Rather than opposed to what they know. Once people see things, that’s how you become attracted to it.
“So, if ain’t nobody showing it, I’m gonna show it.
“I had a Big Boy Summer and I’m gonna have a Big and Tall Fall.”
This was a total rebounding of the Hot Girl Summer meme, which was also a reference to his Instagram post.
“It’s #bigboysummer and soaking up every last minute until #bigandtallfall. #BellyOutchallenge,” the 41-year-old’s caption read.
Franzese, who played gay character Damian Leigh in classic teen movie Mean Girls, recently spoke about struggling after his starring in the film and how it left him hitting the “gay glass ceiling” of Hollywood.
“As soon as the movie was over, I kept meeting the gay glass ceiling. They wouldn’t let me audition for straight roles,” Franzese said.
