Closeted (gay) actors formerly on the soaps

[chrisml]

I think it could be worse now for an actor to come out as gay as the climate in the U.S. has become so anti-gay. I'm sure actors' representatives would scare them into not coming out. Maybe I'm just being overly pessimistic.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Well, really what it is, what it boils down to, is that these people have a public persona. So, in their real life they are comfortably out but their public persona is in. It's not anything any of us have to deal with.

Clearly you must have a copy of this newsletter. Take a picture of it & post it so we can see what she actually said. Talking about her daughter & education says nothing at all about sexuality. 

[j swift]

I hope not.  I thought we had reached the phase where actors don't need to come out, they just live their lives on social media, and endure the occasional idiotic comment.

Edited June 5, 2024 by j swift

[Soapsuds]

A while back say 10 years or so ever Tom, Dick and Harry was coming out. Nowadays I tend to agree.

Edited June 5, 2024 by Soapsuds

[j swift]

@chrisml & @Soapsuds, you guys are bumming me out, and not in the good way…

[DRW50]

I think it depends on the type of actor. I'd say the days of someone like Sean Hayes or Nathan Lane, who were seen by many as gay but took a while to publicly come out because even saying the words might hurt their careers, may still be over. Any big potential leading man is another story. They will still likely stay in the closet until they either age out or accept that they won't find the fame they were looking for or end up getting involved with very rich, powerful men.  Matt Bomer is an example of this. He was closeted to the public and still lost out on Superman Returns, directed by a gay man, no less. Why bother after that? He has said it still cost him work, but I'd say in the long run he probably was right to just go ahead and take the risk.

There are actors who are rumored to be gay or bi and who are or were seen all over the place with their toyboys but still stay in the closet, even as their careers steadily decline from big screen to forgettable Amazon fare. And once they turn 45 or 50 they might come out, and do pap strolls with their surrogate twins as we praise them for their bravery. That will always be the norm for a gay or bi actor in Hollywood who isn't along the lines of Leslie Jordan (RIP to a sweet man).

Edited June 5, 2024 by DRW50

[Xanthe]

I feel like I love Matt Bomer so much in everything I have seen him in (from time to time I just want to shout "Bryce Larkin!" for no reason) and as far as I am concerned he can play straight or gay. On the other hand I hated every second I saw of Brandon Routh's Superman, so if you ask me Bomer was well out of it. (Ooh, White Collar is on Disney+, need to put that on my list.)

Some of this discussion is reminding me of Rupert Everett's career. I loved him in Another Country, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Importance of Being Earnest ... He talked a lot about making a movie in which he would play a gay 007-type character but as far as I know it didn't get made. 

 

[Paul Raven]

It all comes down to the individual actor and their screen persona, what type of roles they want to pursue etc.

Just like there has been an increasing resistance to straight actors playing gay (could we see the likes of Tom hanks playing a lead gay character on a major movie today?) so there is resistance to a gay actor playing straight in a big budget mainstream movie. A lot of the audience wouldn't buy it. And also, no gay actor has yet to reach that level of stardom.

Look at Jodie Foster when she was a major star and not out. Her roles were carefully tailored to avoid any kind of male love interest.

As for Rupert Everett, he comes off as very arrogant and maybe that attitude contributed to him not being able to capitalize on his initial success.

I saw him at 'in person' when he was promoting a book and he was very prickly and combative with the poor interviewer. It was quite awkward and the consensus from a lot of the audience on the way out was not positive.

Edited June 5, 2024 by Paul Raven

[DRW50]

It will be interesting if there's ever much of a test with American actors. British actors seem to have more leeway these days (Jonathan Bailey is playing a lot of straight parts, while Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor are playing a lot of gay or bi parts).

I do agree with Rupert that his career was hurt by his coming out, although I don't think he likely would have had a major movie career in the US anyway. Hugh Grant and Clive Owen already filled various niches he could have filled, but his leading man looks meant he couldn't fill the spot Alan Cumming has had. 

I agree Bomer could have easily made Superman believable along with many other parts - that he never got the chance tells you of the limitations of the industry, unless you want to force yourself into a beard marriage and family (and even then, it often doesn't work).

[Paul Raven]

I need some clarity re Susan Flannery and her 'daughter'.I'm getting the insinuation that the young woman was actually Susan's girlfriend?

Later, of course, Susan did adopt a daughter,Blaise.

[j swift]

I assume you guys know that Matt Bomer's husband is Simon Hall, the former PR agent who successfully helped many actors out of the closet and onto the covers of People Magazine.  One tends to think that given his husband's influence, Matt has not faced many limitations beyond not getting cast in a comicbook movie.  I mean, White Collar ran for six seasons, and he's in two very buzzy projects this year.  So, one could argue that not getting typecast as Superman was helpful.

As for Rupert Everett, he dated the 7th Marquis of Bristol, and they could've lived a life of luxury, if they had not allegedly burned through his entire inheritance on booze and injectable drugs.  Which was also most likely the reason he failed to achieve sustained success in films.  His sexuality was the least of his issues. 

Edited June 5, 2024 by j swift

[DRW50]

I don't doubt Bomer had opportunities, which is why I said big potential leading man. With that said, he himself has mentioned he lost roles due to coming out. Given how many gay men in the industry push gay actors to stay closeted, I'm not surprised. 

Everett always seemed somewhat erratic, but I think most of their relationship was before he had another big chance in the late '90s. I think at the time one of the main roles he ended up getting was that big flop he did with Madonna, which kind of says it all.

[j swift]

Yeah, I just don't think either of them in particular are very good evidence of your argument.

Bomer starred for six seasons on one of the higher rated series on cable, playing a straight romantic leading man, after he was out of the closet.  And Everett is a confessed drug addict, who self-immolated his career.

I'm not suggesting that homophobia doesn't exist in entertainment, I am simply saying that they are not exemplars of that fact.   
 

And, I think you’re ignoring examples like Lindsey Godfrey, Lachlan Buchanan, and Mike Manning who all came out more recently without significant backlash . (Not you individually, those making the same point as you, I don’t intend any personal disrespect)

Edited June 5, 2024 by j swift

[DRW50]

White Collar started several years before Bomer came out, although I guess we could praise USA for not canceling it after he did. 

[j swift]

I looked it up before posting.  White Collar premiered in 2009, he got married after the second sseason and his wedding was announced in People Magazine.  It wasn’t cancelled because it was the highest rated show on the network.

And my point about the other three stands, as Lindsay Godfrey came out as queer two years ago and is still playing a straight romantic lead on Days.

Again, not denying homophobia, just arguing that it is not worse now, nor  have actors faced more backlash now than in the past

Edited June 5, 2024 by j swift