Possibly…
He’s never hit on me…
How did he get on with Little Richard?
Chuck Berry had secret cameras installed in the ladies’ room stall at the restaurant he owned, which resulted in a class action lawsuit involving 59 women and a settlement estimated at $1.2 million. If he’s gay, he’s going waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of his way to fool people.
Is Little Richard gay? I mean, have you ever actually been in his bedroom when he’s having sex? Huh, answer me that, Mr. Man.
Furthermore, how do you know LR hasn’t installed secret cameras in ladies’ room stalls and has 60 women on tape, but just hasn’t been caught? Can’t tell me, huh.
Thought not.
You do know that there are a lot of people who have gotten married, had kids, and then come out as gay, right? You’ve heard of this happening before, maybe?
And this happens right as David is up for a Tony! There go his chances… 
Actually, the most surprising thing that I learned lately is that Michael Cerveris is straight. My girlcrush on him during TITANIC was justified.
But, and I don’t have a cite to back this up, but I’ve got an inkling it’s true, the vast majority of people who get married, have kids, and state that they are straight are, you know, straight.
Sure, but there are enough people who do all that, and then come out as homosexual, that just having a spouse and kids is not a guarantee of heterosexuality. It’s pretty strong evidence of heterosexuality, of course, but if there’s also evidence that the person is gay, having a kid doesn’t automatically trump that other evidence. This is especially true when talking about celebrities, because being out could damage their careers, and because the nature of modern celebrity means that their private lives are constantly being scrutinized, so they need to go to greater lengths to keep that closet door shut. Hence, discussions like the one going on in this thread.
But in a lot of cases (not necessarily on this thread), that “other evidence” seems to be pretty much “he sure seems like one to me!”
Firstly, is it 1974 again already? Please provide a cite for me of the last time coming out of the closet damaged anyone’s career significantly.
Second, please don’t dignify this little bit of fluff thread I started to have some fun at the expense of someone I actually rather think of as a gifted actor by calling it a “discussion”! I mean, Jebus, I’m already freaked out that this is the first thread I’ve started in over 4 years that has gone over 1 page long without being about 24.
Name an openly gay actor who’s had a heterosexual romantic scene in a major motion picture since coming out. Or the last role in which the extremely talented Ian McKellan played a heterosexual whose romantic life (sexual or just ‘happily/unhappily married’) was a plot point. Or that Rupert Everett played a Hugh Grant type role (most would find him better looking and just as talented as Grant).
Matt Damon and Jude Law and Tom Hanks and Eric McCormack can play gay all they want in one movie and go on to shag the heroine in the next, but you just don’t see Rupert or Ian or Nathan or the like smooching with a gal that much. It’ll be interesting to see if Neil Patrick Harris’s character remains a straight horndog on his current sitcom.
Are you seriously arguing that Shakespearean trained, Oscar-nominated Sir Ian (Lord of the Rings trilogy, X-Men trilogy, Da Vinci Code) McKellan has had difficulties getting high-quality, high paying and challenging acting gigs?
Oh, it’s apparently a problem because he hasn’t had a “heterosexual romantic scene in a major motion picture since coming out.” See, I’d assume being an award winning, well respected actor with legions of fans young and old was what’s important.
And judging by some of Rupert Everett’s past roles, it doesn’t appear he’s interested in taking roles that were written with Hugh Grant in mind. He just doesn’t seem to be that kind of actor. Is there something wrong with that?
And I’m not entirely sure who the “Nathan” you’re referring to is, but if it’s Nathan Lane I have to ask, does anybody want to see him in a romantic lead role, straight or gay or otherwise?
Dan Butler was openly gay when he was cast as the womanizing Bulldog on Friaser.
First of all, to address your question directed at me yes, I have heard that. My post was part tongue in cheek because of the post upthread that referred to beards ( have you read this entire thread? If so, how did you miss that most direct referrence, I wonder. ). The part that was NOT tongue in cheek is addressed by your post I am quoting here.
I agree that celebrities go to odd lengths to keep their sexuality secret. It is sad, because nobody should have to live any kind of a sham of a life and marrying and making babies sure as hell ( to me ) is a lot of work to generate a sham of a life. OTOH, the world is a big place and if you are gay and want to make a baby or two and enjoy raising them with the birth mother, and yet are also gay, well shit man more power to you. My post was not intended to besmirch anyone who has sired children and is also a homosexual.
I’m reminded of a Frasier episode where a gay character was hitting on Frasier, thinking that he was gay–then after finally clearing that up at the end the character apologizes but says, “Now your brother–there’s no way he’s not gay!”
These days, unless you actually are sitting in front of a TV watching football, with your beerbelly peeking out of a dirty wifebeater while you are being serviced simultaneously by three female hotties–because you never have any trouble getting any–you are pretty much gay by default. At least, such is my impression, from the way many people talk.
No kidding? Well. In that case, there’s something I need to share with all of you. I don’t watch football, I have a belly but it is not from beer, I don’t own that kind of undergarment and I don’t consider consensual sex amongst myself and a small cadre of willing females to be " being serviced ".
I guess I 'm gay. When do I get my laminate and account number?
And many took it as an in-joke about DHP’s sexuality.
No I’m not. He’s made millions playing asexual wizards, asexual comic book villains, villains to whom it sexual orientation is not important, etc… The two roles in which his sexuality is discussed in recent years are Gods & Monsters and Bent, in both of which he played an old queen. The one possible exception was Richard III, which he produced and wrote the screenplay for (and where his marriage to Anne is seen as political). He did play Nicholas II in a movie, but he was essentially window-dressing.
You may assumed that cotton-candy if left overnight in turpentine will produce an indigo blue pony if you wish. But Hollywood is not likely to cast a gay actor in a leading role.
McKellen himself has stated that he intentionally accepted the role of John Profumo when he decided to come out (he came out between contracting the role and the movie’s release) because he knew it would possibly be the last “raging heterosexual” role he’d be offered. His friend Nigel Hawthorne, outed by tabloids (he’d been ‘openly closeted’ before) during the Oscar buzz for Madness of King George, also stated that he was unlikely to get offered the role of a man deeply in love with his wife (ala George III) again. But, I’m guessing your knowledge of the film industry and casting is far superior to theirs and to that of agents and closeted superstars.
Still, I stand stubbornly, staunchly and steadfastly on my statement: name an openly gay actor who is cast in heterosexual romantic leads. If Tom Cruise and or John Travolta or Bruce Willis came out (don’t know/couldn’t care if either’s gay, but assume they are), do you think they’d ever have a sex scene or a long kiss with an actress in a big-budget motion picture again?
Looking at Hattie McDaniel’s roles it doesn’t appear she was interested in playing college professors, doctors, or lawyers but habitually turned those roles down in favor of playing maids and slaves.
Bruce Willis???
I just pulled an action star/romantic lead out of my ass.
maybe I should rephrase that…
I never said my insights were superior, but the fact remains, you’re talking about things that happened 15 and 20 years ago. 2007 is not 1989 no matter how many times people think gay actors are being discriminated against. You’re also ignoring the fact that McKellan is an old man and there are very few “romantic leading men” over the age of 60.
I guess I can’t. But I’m still completely confounded that this becomes some kind of yardstick by which actors are measured. But if you want to use “suspected gay people” some more, Jodie Foster and Kevin Spacey have gotten work as romantic leads long after the rumors became accepted fact in many people’s eyes.