It’s become a common discussion to determine which actors might be appropriate for certain kinds of roles. For example, there have been plenty of discussions regarding whether or not straight actors should play gay characters. Now actor Jeremy Strong has weighed in on the matter.
According to Jeremy Strong, who recently spoke with the Los Angeles Times, he insists that “it’s absolutely valid” to have criticisms when it comes to straight actors playing gay roles. However, that doesn’t mean he completely agrees with the argument.
He had this to say on that front:
“Yes, it’s absolutely valid,” Strong begins. He then continued to explain that his opinion might be “sort of old fashioned,” but that it’s also something historically integral to actors:
“I’m sort of old fashioned, maybe, in the belief that, fundamentally, it’s [about] a person’s artistry, and that great artists, historically, have been able to, as it were, change the stamp of their nature. That’s your job as an actor. The task, in a way, is to render something that is not necessarily your native habitat.”
“While I don’t think that it’s necessary [for gay roles to be played by gay performers], I think that it would be good if that were given more weight,” Strong added.
Jeremy Strong is currently playing Roy Cohn, Donald Trump’s gay mentor, in the upcoming film The Apprentice. As such, he’s an understandable choice to speak on the matter. Of course, it’s far from the end of the discussion, which will no doubt continue as long as actors play characters with different sexualities from their own.
The Apprentice is scheduled to hit theaters on October 11, 2024. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding The Apprentice as we have them. It’ll be interesting to see how Strong’s performance turns out, especially given their approach to acting in such a role as that of Roy Cohn.