Mario Cantone blasts non-gay actors who take gay roles

Behar looks like a drag queen in OP’s pic.

Non-gay actors like (allegedly) Willie Garson? Interesting.

What about bi and mostly straight actors?

But I'm fluid, dammit!

This thinking is spreading.

𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 "𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲"

Late last month, Showtime announced that Kathryn Hahn would be playing Joan Rivers in a limited series about the comedian’s mid-career revival after the death of her husband and the cancellation of Fox’s The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. The news came just after Hahn missed out on an Emmy for her work in WandaVision, and it seemed like the continuation of some kind of Kathryn Hahnaissance.

Sarah Silverman is now arguing that it’s actually the continuation of a separate—and more concerning—trend, which she refers to as “Jewface.” In a recent episode of her podcast. Silverman said that she has “no problem” with that specific casting, but there have been a lot of situations in the last few years where non-Jewish people played who characters don’t just “happen to be Jewish” but whose “Jewishness is their whole being.” Her examples include Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel, and now Hahn playing Joan Rivers.

This is code for: no one is hiring my mediocre self

If more gay actors came out of the closet it would hardly be an issue…

OP, the difference is that straight actors don't face discrimination the way gay actors do.

Every actor complaining about something for the greater good is really just bitching about not having work themselves.

R6 nails it.

I was at some awards show about 15 years ago for video games. SS hosted it and thanked all the gaymers for being gay and for halting the spread of aids because they were too gross and ugly (I forget the exact words) to have sex.

I wish that video were out there; it shows just how unfunny she is.

I hate this so much.

Mario is lucky his one note azz is working at all. Shrill and unfunny.

Imagine if someone said black actors shouldn’t take roles that were originated by or written for white actors. The double standard is astounding. I’m a gay actor and have no problem with straights playing gay roles. It’s called acting.

When I first moved to NYC as a teenager, Mario was hosting a Sunday morning children's show on local television called Steampipe Alley. I used to work weekend mornings at Tower Records and for some reason, a couple of the employees downstairs used to like to play the show on the bank of TVs in the stairwell, which was right next to the entrance of our department, so I could see and hear the show every Sunday.

I was somewhat appalled that such a screaming queen, nelly no-talent had been hired as a children's host. I can't believe he was able to carve out a career. I would never have predicted it.

The problem is that gay actors and straight actors aren't treated the same for casting purposes NOT that gay actors should play gay and straight actors should play straight. Many aren't even trained the same and are treated differently from jump.

[quote]Imagine if someone said black actors shouldn’t take roles that were originated by or written for white actors.

I really need people to come up with better ways to describe their feelings than always equating any black struggle with any gay struggle. Colorblind casting has nothing to do with this.

Actors should act. Whether they are gay or straight is irrelevant . Why should a 16 year old actor have to be interrogated about their sexuality to see if it’s the ‘right one’ for the part? Being pressurised to announce one’s orientation at an audition would be offensive. And there’s a hell of a lot more parts for straight men and women than there are for gay men and women. If gay people are to be excluded from those roles, the number of roles available to them will plummet. The alternative is to decide straight can’t play gay but gay can play straight. Which seems hypocritical.

Anyone can be gay. It’s not a race. That’s why any actor can play it.

I really like Mario — he’s very funny — but he’s offbase here with this identity shit.

OP, exactly. It is called “acting”. Gay should be able to play straight and straight should be able to play gay. This leftie shit is getting out of hand. They are as bad as the far right.

Then Mario needs to stop imitating Suzanne Pleshette in The Birds and Liza in his stand-up. He is neither a woman nor dead (or almost dead).

I like his stuff, but Christ!

Was he out at the time of Love! Valour! Compassion!?

The rest of the gays including Nathan Lane were all closeted.

The horrid John Benjamin Hickey was stringing a long both men and women at the time. Such a fool. And women including Allison Janney actually bought his craziness.

He’s right. If they don’t want to give gays straight roles, then they need to at least let gays play the gay roles.

[quote]Sara Haines insisted that such an actor is on his way, to which Cantone replied, “I’ll be six feet under when he arrives.”

Hope springs eternal.

Movies are ovah!

What about gay actors that take straight roles, is that acceptable? If so, why the double standards? Identity politics is way out of hand.

He's so full of shit. Easy for him to say, as he easily conforms to the only type of gay actor that gets hired, "The Nelly Clown".

No one is OWED or DESERVES any role! Next we'll be giving out DNA tests to see if the actor is allowed to accept the role!

The producers who are paying for the project can and should hire whoever they want. It's called "acting", as long as you communicate the role to the audience you've succeeded! Show business is NOT A SOCIAL JUSTICE organization! This goes for Jews playing Italians, and Italians playing Jews too. I'm a gay actor and I've never been cast as a gay character, even by casting directors who know I'm gay. Why not? Apparently, I'm not "TV Gay" enough!

[quote]Colorblind casting has nothing to do with this.

How convenient......

Uh Mario, that's why they call it "acting". Gay actors have been playing straight for centuries. What's fair for one is fair for all.

Only documentaries from on out! Everything else is problematic

Not a fan, but LAUGH WHORE was a funny stand-up special 20 years ago. His "Joan Crawford yelling at a taxi driver" bit as well as Judy Garland singing her signature song "Half a Homo" were hilarious. He's beyond camp, but can be laugh-out-funny as the bitch you love to hate.

Exactly nobody cares what Mario Cantone thinks.

R27, key word in what he's saying is OPENLY. He's talking about OPENLY GAY actors. There's no centuries history of openly gay actors being accepted as straight by the average movie goer.

R25's diatribe is also misdirected, assuming a fair world where being an openly gay actor is exactly the same as being a straight actor if both have the same level of talent.

Yes it would be great if it were just a matter of talent. But it's still not.

Starting with agents who still tell their gay clients to stay in the closet if they want a shot at a career. Moving on to the casting agents who gatekeep access and although often gay themselves will shut out any OUT gay actor for roles that don't even involve the character's sexuality. And then you get the homophobic executives who want to please the 'international market' aka China, Russia and the like.

It's still not a level-playing field game, and there's no need to pretend it is just because we like looking at straight hunks.

When an openly gay actor gets an Oscar for playing a straight role, then we can talk about talent.

[quote] So, is he for denying straight roles to gay actors?

Mario Cantone will never be offered to play a straight guy. Ever.

Unless for comedy.

I believe he said he's playing a straight guy in the new SATC.

He allso said he has been out of work for a long time. Quel suprise.

Who loves him at The View? He used to be a semi-regular.

Mario is exhausting.