In a profile on CBS Sunday Morning, Supernova actor Stanley Tucci weighed in on the debate over whether straight actors should play gay roles.
Said Tucci: “I have difficulty with that. I think that acting is all about not being yourself. If we were to use that as a template, then we would only ever play ourselves. I think that what we need to do, we need to give more gay actors opportunities. People who are gay have only recently, in the last few years recently, have been able to say ‘I’m gay and I’m an actor and I can play straight roles.’ They’ve always had to hide their sexuality so they could play the leading man or the leading woman.”
“Having played a number of gay characters, you want to do it so that it’s, as you do with any character, you just want to be truthful to it,” Tucci added.
Tucci is starring in Supernova with Colin Firth, a gay love story dealing with early-onset dementia.
The synopsis: “It is deep Autumn and Sam and Tusker, partners of 20 years, are on holiday. They are traveling across England in their old camper van visiting friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with young-onset dementia two years ago their lives have had to change. Jobs have been given up and plans put on hold. Their time together is now the most important thing they have. As the trip progresses however, their individual ideas for their future begin to collide. Secrets are uncovered, private plans unravel and their love for each other is tested like never before. Ultimately, they must confront the question of what it means to love one another in the face of Tusker’s irreparable illness.”
