What's your view on Jack Whitehall playing a gay character?

[LyndorCake]

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/13/jack-whitehall-role-gay-disney-character-row-jungle-cruise

People have gone wild on twitter about it.
One argument says that as he is straight, he can't understand the role properly and is taking roles always from LGBTQ+ actors. The other side of that is he's an actor and therefore he is always pretending to be someone he isn't in any role, how is this different?

I can sort of see both sides but curious as to what you think?

I’m talking about roles like Stephen Hawkin’s biopic where established actors get great applause for acting disabled.

Because they are good actors. Explain to us how a disabled actor could play that part?

And that leads into another sticky area, "disabled people" aren't one homogenous mass, they aren't interchangeable. Should people with one disability act a part of character with a different disability? Is that ok? Or should people only play parts that are basically what they are? And isn't that pretty limiting and defining people on their disability, exactly what we want to not do?

Who’s ‘us’? You think a disabled actor couldn’t play that part?

If you talk to actors with differing disablities - parts where their disability is not a hindrance are few.

This is maddness! people just want any excuse for a crusade.

Us is the people on this thread talking about it, obviously.

I think a actor with the disabiity being portrayed would not have been able to play the part, yes. Do you disagree?

If you talk to actors with differing disablities - parts where their disability is not a hindrance are few

obviously. That is that nature of acting. You don't answer my question though.

Because they are good actors. Explain to us how a disabled actor could play that part?

Someone with the same disability as Stephen Hawking and the same voice equipment he used could have???

Someone with the same disability as Stephen Hawking and the same voice equipment he used could have???

Of course he couldn't, since in the early part of the film he walks and talks and it portrays the journey from being able bodied. How could someone who could neither walk or talk do that?

An actor with the same disability as Hawking could NOT have played the part in that particular film because he would not have been able to play the role of Hawking PRIOR to the illness taking hold. IF the film had been solely Hawking's later life, then yes they could.

Sorry, haven’t seen the film and didn’t know it covered his early life.

I stand corrected.

also how many actors do you think there are with ALS, particularly the rare type that Stephen Hawking did?

HotblackDesiatoto I’ve already explained I didn’t know about the reasons, calm down eh?

I don’t know how many, do you? Or were you just being facetious to make a point?

When the bullied become the bully a backlash happens.

Its called cross posting, so calm yourself down hen.

I do know how many. None.

HotblackDesiatoto I’m perfectly calm, it would appear to be you who is massively overreacting.

Hint for the future, do try and give people time to respond before you get aggressive.

I have no problem with it, Eric Stonestreet in Modern Family is 'gay for pay' as he put it.

Whether it’s the specific type that Hawking had is not documented, but a quick google search does, in fact, throw up some actors with ALS.

Thing is i used to meet a lot if actors and at least 50% of the male ones were gay, but they don't come out, mainly because they are scared they won't get romantic leads ever again.
I highly doubt JG is straight..but had he been "out" and done "Brokeback" I think his career would have suffered.
Having said that anyone should be able to play anyone, and it would be good to see actors being more honest.

it would appear to be you who is massively overreacting

appear to you perhaps, for your own reasons. If you're reading more than is there thats about you.

Does your quick google search allow you to tell us how many young male actors currently working have ALS, are wheelchair dependent and using voice equipment? I'm agog.

I made a mistake, was corrected and apologised, now back off.

you made a mistake and then were very rude for no good reason to me, and did not apologise.
Are you always so touchy?

and you're still wrong.

I did apologise, you were too busy on your high horse to notice.

You responded rudely so are getting fuck all apology from me.

Colin Firth in Mama Mia
Terence Stamp in Priscilla, Queen of the desert
Charlize Theron in Mad Max
FFS
they are acting

so much pearl clutching by people who should worry about real stuff

My view is that I quite aggressively don't care about this. It's a non-issue, as are so many things in the news.

We have lost so much perspective as a society. Or I'm getting old. This is just another bit of rage-twittering, blah blah.

How I long for the day when headlines like "Idris Elba could be the first black James Bond" and "Should Jack Whitehall play a gay character" don't appear at all. Wouldn't it be great if everyone just commented on the quality of acting. Sadly, I think it is some way off

As an LGBT person, I can see why this is disappointing. Truth is there are so few big gay roles in stuff that yes, from our community's point of view, it would be great to see a gay person getting that role.

I think it's hard for straight people, who see themselves reflected on tv and film every day, being played by people with the same sexuality as them to understand fully why gay people would be disappointed by it.

Is it just me that's sick to the back teeth of these people popping up here with no understanding of the audience and with the intention of explaining the LGBT community's views to what they (clearly, given the 'cis') assume is an exclusively straight, gender-conforming audience with no clue?

There are fucktons of LGBT people on Mumsnet. Not the Tumblr-bubble type, though, perhaps...