Kill Bill’s Quentin Tarantino weighs in on straight actors in LGBTQ+ roles
Quentin Tarantino has said he ‘draws the line’ at LGBTQ+ actors getting priority for LGBTQ+ roles. (Getty)
Legendary Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino has shared his thoughts on whether it’s OK for straight actors to take queer roles.
Tarantino was asked for his views by famously “anti-woke” comedian and political commentator Bill Maher on the Club Random podcast.
“I feel you are the last one who will stand up against the current trend to cast not by merit,” said Maher, who has previously accused the Democratic Party of “box-ticking” over its decision to prioritise diversity in its candidate selection process. He then mumbled about “the whole thing about cultural appropriation”, before taking aim at straight actors who have said they would no longer accept a gay role.
“Tom Hanks said he would not play the character in Philadelphia today because he’s not really gay, which I feel is so gay, in the Eminem way,” he said.
Maher, who has also suggested that the number of LGBTQ+ people is on the rise because being gay is “trendy”, added: “We’re not supposed to know or care about people’s sexual preference any way. It’s so hypocritical.”
Tarantino, best-known for his work on Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bill films, said he now believes that, when filling race-specific roles, actors of that specific race should take precedence.
“I have no problem with any actor playing any type of other race role, for anything that’s happened up until now,” he said, suggesting that earlier film works should not be criticised for featuring actors whose race did not align with the character they were portraying.
“Now, I would ask the question: ‘What, you couldn’t find a Mexican guy to play this Mexican guy? You couldn’t find an American Indian of all the people [who] exist?’ I even feel I don’t wanna see some American do a phoney French accent when there [are] French actors out there to be cast.”
Strange then, that his belief doesn’t stretch to LGBTQ+ stars in queer roles.
“That’s where I would draw the line,” the Oscar-winning screen-writer said. “If it comes to a different race, well that I can understand. I feel all of Latin America is eligible to play the rest of Latin America. But if it comes to sexual preference, then anybody should play that role.
“There’s an element about acting going on. I would be interested to see Al Pacino play a drag queen, to see the drag queen Al Pacino would come up with because he’s a great actor.”
The question of whether LGBTQ+ roles should be played solely by queer actors has been a point of contention in Hollywood for several years, particularly as the number of queer films and TV characters has increased.
Some of the industry’s most notable stars have shared their views, with Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Rebel Wilson having suggested that they disagree that those roles should be filled exclusively by LGBTQ+ talent.
But earlier this year, straight actor Nicholas Galitzine, who played queer characters in Red, White & Royal Blue and Mary & George, expressed “guilt” about taking the parts.
Meanwhile, Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl), Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and Glee) and Felicity Huffman (Transamerica) are among those who have said they would not take those LGBTQ+ roles if offered them today.
Criss, however, did recently tell Vanity Fair: “I have been so culturally queer my whole life. Ninety-nine per cent of the s**t in my life that I have tried to emulate, learn from, and be inspired by, is 100 per cent queer as f**k.”
Arguments in favour of only queer stars playing LGBTQ+ characters often include that those with lived experience have more authenticity, while some point to the fact queer actors have historically faced barriers achieving success and should therefore be given the opportunities.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
