- Ewan McGregor is playing iconic gay designer Roy Halston Frowick in Ryan Murphy’s upcoming show.
- McGregor addressed Billy Porter’s 2019 comments about straight actors taking on gay roles.
- McGregor says that he thought a lot about “both sides of the discussion.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Ewan McGregor has defended his casting as the iconic gay designer Roy Halston Frowick in the upcoming Ryan Murphy Netflix show “Halston,” addressing Billy Porter’s 2019 comments around the subject of straight actors playing gay characters.
In a Hollywood Reporter Roundtable in 2019, “Pose” star Porter said: “If ‘flamboyantly’ wasn’t in the description of the character, no one would see me ever for anything. Straight men playing gay — everyone wants to give them an award.”
In his own interview with The Hollywood Reporter, published Wednesday, McGregor addressed Porter’s sentiments and told the publication that he “respects both sides of the discussion” around whether or not straight actors should take on gay roles.
“I haven’t walked in Billy Porter’s shoes. I don’t know what it’s like to lose out parts when you might feel it’s to do with your sexuality. So I can only respect his point of view,” McGregor said.
The “Fargo” and “Trainspotting” actor continued: “If it had been a story about Halston’s sexuality more, then maybe it’s right that gay actors should play that role. But in this case — and I don’t want to sound like I’m worming out of this, because it’s something I did think a lot about — I suppose ultimately I felt like it was just one part of who he was.”
McGregor has previously played gay characters in movies such as “The Pillow Book” and “I Love You, Phillip Morris,” the latter of which in particular drew positive reviews, especially for the performances of lead actors McGregor and Jim Carrey.
The conversation around whether straight actors should take on gay roles is a continuing one
Some actors, such as Timothée Chalamet in “Call Me By Your Name” and Cate Blanchett in “Carol,” have had their performances as gay characters critically acclaimed. A few of them, like Charlize Theron (“Monster”) and Sean Penn (“Milk”), have even won Academy Awards for the roles.
Meanwhile, other actors have been criticized for their performances in gay roles, such as James Corden in “The Prom.”
Straight actor Darren Criss, who has worked with Ryan Murphy several times, including in “Hollywood” and “Glee,” promised never to take on another gay role again in 2018.
However, gay actor Neil Patrick-Harris, who rose to prominence playing Barney, a straight character, in “How I Met Your Mother,” said in January this year that he wouldn’t be opposed to straight actors playing gay characters as long as “they’re willing to invest a lot into it.”
McGregor told The Hollywood Reporter that he is indeed throwing himself into the role of Halston, and even learned to sew and make clothing for the show.
“Halston” is McGregor’s first TV show since he starred in the third season of “Fargo,” which won him a Golden Globe award for best actor in a limited series or motion picture made for television in 2018.
McGregor has another hotly-anticipated TV show coming up after this one. He will step back into his old Jedi robes once more to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the upcoming Disney Plus show.
