Cate Blanchett Defends Straight Actors Being Cast in LGBTQ Roles

The versatile actress Cate Blanchett has defended straight actors playing LGBTQ characters and said she will “fight to the death” for the right to suspend disbelief.
The Oscar-winning actress – who played a lesbian character in 2015 movie Carol – weighed-into the discussion, suggesting that questioning whether or not actors had been through a specific experience defied the point of acting.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Blanchett was speaking to Monda about some of her most beloved roles, including 2004’s “The Aviator” and 2008’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
The film industry, in particular, has been criticised for giving LGBT roles to straight actors with Scarlett Johansson pulling out of playing a trans character in Rub & Tug following backlash.
“It also speaks to something that I’m quite passionate about in storytelling generally, but in film specifically, which is that film can be quite a literal medium”, said the actress.
“I will fight to the death for the right to suspend disbelief and play roles beyond my experience,” she said. “Particularly in America, I think we expect and only expect people to make a profound connection to a character when it’s close to their experience.” she added.
LGBTQ advocacy groups have in recent years been vocal about their frustrations in seeing Hollywood’s few queer characters usually portrayed by heterosexual actors and actresses.
Sir Ian McKellen is among those critical of Hollywood’s attitude to gay actors. No openly gay man has ever won a best actor Oscar, but straight actors have taken home the prize for playing LGBT roles.
> Shatabdi Sarker Poushi