97 - Representation

So, today the highly acclaimed writer Russell T Davies spoke about how the three leads in his forthcoming drama, It's A Sin, are played by gay people, and how only gay people should play gay characters. Whilst I see where he's coming from, I can't help but think that it's too restrictive. If an actor could only play someone the same sexuality as them, that would rather constrain the roles they play. 

I look back to Russell's earlier TV show, Queer As Folk, which also features a trio of gay men as its lead. None of the three actors playing Stuart, Vince, and Nathan were gay. At no point when watching that show (and I've seen it several times; it's absolutely brilliant) did it ever matter to me what the actors' sexuality were. All three play their roles to perfection, and all totally convince in their roles. 

And just to think of it; I don't know what the sexuality of the actors playing the two leads in Cucumber was. It never came to mind. I just enjoyed the show. Especially part six. 

On the flip side, when I first started watching How I Met Your Mother I had no idea what the sexuality was of the womaniser, Barney Stinson. I only found out after the writer Brett Easton-Ellis wrote an article saying how the character was only funny because he was a gay man playing a womaniser. I shrugged. I never knew that and I still found the character funny (he's very much a caricature; and there's the theory that Ted is an unreliable narrator, and he's overstating Barney's nature to make himself look better).

In fact, when watching TV shows and films I have no idea about the sexuality of the vast number of the actors on screen, and I just don't care. What matters is the performance. 

There's also the notion that trans characters should only ever be played by trans actors; and I can understand the rationale, but again I'm not sure I agree. The performance by Julie Hesmondhalgh as the trans character Hayley Cropper over something like 15 years in one of the UK's highest rating programmes, Coronation Street, did a huge amount for trans acceptance in this country, and a large amount of that was down to her performance. 

Pretty much the only thing that really should be taboo, again to my mind, is playing a character of a different race to yourself, especially if we're talking a real historical figure. You'd never cast a white man to play Malcolm X, as you'd never cast a black man to play Winston Churchill. 

(And I think even here there should be some limited exceptions; I'm thinking of the likes of Little Britain, or Come Fly With Me, or some of Harry Enfield's shows where you have a small cast playing a wide range of characters of all ages, race, and sexes.)

At the end of the day acting is about pretending to me someone you are not. If a performance of a straight man playing a gay character (and vice versa) is a convincing performance, then it shouldn't matter. There are all sorts of character traits an actor takes on to perform their roles; why should some be off limits?