Y&R: Shocking Role Recast

[MarkH]

I guess

OT: Markham, Ont!? Damn, I have an aunt who lives there!

[All My Shadows]

LMAO. I had a feeling you would say something like that. Read it again. He's not calling homosexuality a choice. He's referring to the choices of other actors to play certain characters, even if they don't feel comfortable doing.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know all that." Then why don't you actually take that into consideration. If this kiss comes out of Adam running a scam on Rafe, then no, it's not "just a kiss." It's conniving, scheming, using, and abusing. Most actors wouldn't have a problem playing that, but there's a possibility that that is what Engen is against playing. Considering that Adam hasn't raped or murdered anyone, you don't know if they "are all fine" with him. Sheesh.

Again, I'm not defending his decision to skip out on his contract, but I don't think people like Perez and others are all up in arms because they're worried about him skipping out on a contract.

[Cashton]

It's done every day mark. His reaction - breaking his contract, hurting his family, opening himself to a lawsuit, killing his career - that's the problem. He got the opportunity that I dare say billions of people have trekked to Hollywood for over the years. And he threw it away because of a gay kiss. That's a homophobic reaction Mark.

And Kennylicious - You mentioned that people are weary of putting the homophobic label on Chris cause they're afraid they'd be lableled that as well - is a point I made in previous posts. I hope that this situation does cause people to look inside and think about what homophobia is and challenge their own perceptions. Everybody has predjudices - the song from Avenue Q "Everybody's a Bit Racist" demonstrates this so well - but it's how we act when confronted with those prejudices and acting on them that we have to seriously change. People congratulating Chris and saying what a wonderful person he is for standing up for his beliefs? We cannot justify STUPID IRRATIONAL ACTIONS all for the sake of those prejudices AKA - beliefs.

[Vee]

I think you can take it both ways. Either way, it comes off very upturned-nose and holier than thou. "Well, they can choose to play gay material but I will not." Except when you have a contract, you can't choose either. That's the point. He had a contract. He was obligated. Yet he refused - based on personal considerations - to play a gay kiss. That is phobic.

Chris Engen has played every other villainous, scammer beat in Adam's history. Yet he draws the line when it involves kissing a dude?

[All My Shadows]

Exactly. I feel that we don't know enough for certain to stand on either side of the fence, but like they say, a person should be deemed innocent until proven guilty. Now, again, if Nelson Branco is enough proof for some people, so be it, but not for me. If we're going to fill in the blanks on our own and draw our own conclusions, why go the negative route? There's no penalty in being positive, in this situation at least. There would be nothing stopping you from calling him a homophobe (bastardized definition) if we soon learn that he really is a homophobe (bastardized definition).

It could have been the straw that broke the camel's back...

And we know that he's been uncomfortable playing the character for quite a while now, and he himself said that he's unhappy with his contribution to the show. Correlation does not always imply causation. I feel like his walking out could have happened at any time, before or after the kiss.

[Vee]

Yes, which indicates homophobia.

[All My Shadows]

Or, again, he could have been uncomfortable with playing a story where Adam uses Rafe's sexuality to dupe him.

[Evan]

All very sad really, Engen tosses away a dream job because of his blatant homophobia(sorry, that's my take after reading his message today). I wish him all the best for the future, what's happened is a shame because he's a decent actor.

Perhaps the problem is that Chris took the Adam character far too seriously, and let it intrude on his life off the set?

The new guy Michael Muhney seems to have a far better attitude, I get that from reading his comments on his website.

[KLN]

As if to indicate that he cares so much about the plight of homosexuals that he couldn't bear to play a guy who dupes one? Doubt it.

[Bright Eyes]

Yeah, I am more along the lines of believing this to be a factor in why he left. It fits in with the whole darkness aspect. As it stands, I still consider myself a fan, and Engen not a homophobe in hate or fear or as being uncomfortable.

And MarkH, THAT is cool. Maybe we know each other. Maybe he HATE each other. There are many options here. LOL

[Cashton]

Queer God in heaven! Did you read his post?? He defends intolerance! Don't you think if he had issues with the storyline portraying a gay character in a bad light (seducing to dupe him) that he would have put that in bold letters!

[SteveFrame]

From his statement I don't see him saying 100% for sure that he was going to bolt - just that he met with them about the direction his character was taking and argued with them about it.

He goes on to say that they granted him the chance to leave. If that is what happened that he was granted the choice to leave we don't know that he would have actually left if they had said no.

Remember that Crystal Chappell asked to be released from her contract so that she could join OLTL. The producers said no and she was forced to stay.

And since everyone is bringing up the gossip. Remember even as early as January I think or while Adam was in prison there were rumors that he had asked then to be released from his contract and was going to be replaced. It never happened though.

So we just don't know.

It all just goes back to there is way too much in this to say yes this is it or no this is it. His statement as even shown here can be interpreted to mean whatever we want it to me. We all take our percaptions and make it read what we want.

Is that enough to convict a man? Is that enough to label him guilty?

I say no. If this was a case in any court in America it would be thrown out before it even got to the grand jury. It is all supposition. Yet in the court of people's minds he has been tried and convicted.

[KLN]

By the way, I think the idea of Adam using Rafe's sexuality as a way of duping him is quite fascinating. The more twisted Adam becomes, the more I seem to like him.

[All My Shadows]

But who's to say that that can't be the case? What makes that a complete impossibility?

I'm just leaving all of the options open without shutting anything out.

[KLN]

I didn't say it was an impossibility. I said I doubt it, LoL.