Acting : Question on Acting Roles by Leon Reaper

That all depends. If you were starting off, and you landed a role that was a really great role and got a lot of attention, and even went to Hollywood, won a few academy awards, etc, etc. then I think it would not be my first choice to do so, as I wouldn't want to be type cast as a gay man. I think the smarter thing to do would be to establish your true archetype (mine for instance is the successful underdog) and then once I got my name synonymous with my archetype really well (like a Jonny Depp status, or Brad Pitt, or even Tom Hanks) then maybe I would. That's a maybe, mind you. Tom Hanks did a role like that in Philadelphia and I have never seen him in another gay role again. So that just goes to show that these roles are very difficult to deal with, especially the publicity that goes along with it. There's a major difference with what Hollywood portrays on screen, as compared to what is real life. Any film portraying something sensitive to any group of people is like the old proverbial saying "The worst consequences come from the best of intentions". So you need to be careful what you're planning on getting yourself into, because if the film gets bad reviews, you're going down with the ship my friend. Best of luck in your gay role. I would think it over really thoroughly though; you don't want to be type cast and branded for life, do you?

oh I'm not doing any role hahaha I was just curious on how actors can do it etc. to me i dont think i could do it :S

changing your sexuality is quite abit of a leap if you ask me

Aaaah i see...

Isn't acting different than actually changing who you are? An actor can act like a serial killer without changing their morals. An actor can act like a cop without changing career. An actor can act the role of a gay person without changing their sexuality. Married actors play married characters without divorcing their spouses. Why do you think an actor needs to changer their sexuality in order to play a gay character?

All I can say is I'm gay, and I've done a lot of straight love scenes. I'm not afraid of being typecast as straight! I agree with Rik: why should sexuality be any more problematic than other aspects of the character? For me, the most important tool of an actor is empathy. If we concentrate on how we're different from the character, we'll never be able to truthfully inhabit and embody him/her...

I don't understand this question. An actor does not change who they are - they ACT. I played a mentally ill serial killer once, but I didn't go crazy and start murdering people. Generally (good) actors know the roles they're auditioning for, so one wouldn't audition without being comfortable with the material, that would waste everyone's time. Gay, straight, I don't really see that being a huge difference. A role is a role.

yeah, i guess. but i have heard some actors turn down the role due to the fact that the character they will be portraying is of different sexuality which is out of their comfort zone....it does happen.

interesting...:)

yep. :P its awesome. if you take yourself seriously all the time, then life aint worth living ;)

Acting roles, I'm not an actor but I would think what would make a great actor is being able to do any role well no matter what the character has to play, straight now playing gay doesn't make you gay, if played well and is convincing is the sign of a great actor.

thanks michael...is it the hardest of all roles would you say though?

i see. well im not sure if i would be a good actor. i don't look the part to be one but maybe as a extra someday lol

N P SOUND GREAT TO ME !!

One would approach it like every other role: bring honesty to the human story and create the truth. Bi / Gay / Straight, one can find something about anyone to make them fall in love, making it real. There are plenty of Gay actors who have had screen love interests of both sex and vice versa. However, every actor will face it different: some replacing the other actor as another person in their mind, for instance. If one is a true actor, no one will be able to tell the difference!

I would take the role. Part of acting is having the ability to play characters that are outside of yourself. That's the amazing thing about it. I would prepare for it the same as any part depending on what is going on with the character and the backstory.

@Floyd No, but whats the problem with asking? i like the whole process of making films, from the sets and SFX to the directing and acting of all of it.i may take up abit of acting and see what its like. I like exploring new things. if thats a crime, then get on the phone and call the police right now

An odd response, Leon. He asks if you are an actor - an innocent and seemingly appropriate question - and you respond with an odd "if that's a crime" then call the police. What? How did you make that leap? Sure, the dismissive "That's the answer to the question." was uncalled for, but the question is a good one and I did not get the impression he was suggesting you shouldn't ask a question or that you were committing some crime. You sure get defensive easily.

I think Leon is exploring new things, like a bit of homophobic trolling. Anybody who is slightly serious about acting understands that it takes equal commitment no matter what character you play. Floyd's question is obviously the answer to Leon's question - so, if you're an actor, then try acting Dear Boy.

im no troll...im not even homophobic

i didnt insult any homosexuals in my posts, im just saying it would be difficult for me.

but maybe i could learn it through experience perhaps?

In both of those movies, sexuality is only a relatively small part of the equation. Love is the driving forces in these types of films, and how they deal with the social taboos of it. I think any actor worth their salt can portray someone in love, regardless of the circumstances of the script. So often homosexuality is depicted in a highly stereotypical form, which to my mind is boring. People are infinitely more complex than their sexuality, and that is what people pay to see. A good script reflects that.

i see :D

With all due respect (and I have no idea about your actual acting ability) but as a producer reading this thread, all I see is that you don't think you are a good enough actor to be able to portray a character that isn't just an extension of yourself. So if you were to approach me about one of my projects I have already made an unfavourable judgement about you and would be unlikely to offer an audition,

You need to train as an actor until you feel confident in your ability to transform yourself. You can never get enough training. "It takes 20 years to make an actor" --- Sanford Meisner

mm i see. well its not my main focus acting, I'm really into writing and producing but i thought i could practice doing acting as a side project kinda thing.

A writer ... okay, "well its not my main focus acting." is what is known as Pennsylvania Dutch -- German sentence structure. Try, Subject-Verb-Object. Insofar as dabbling in acting is concerned you will have problems since they have different vocabularies. In writing you express yourself with words while in acting the vocabulary is behavior and emotion. Acting is a 100% lifetime commitment. I should apologize, Leon. I read your post and got all teacher on you ... in the vernacular.

nah its fine, sometimes the temptations too strong lol ;)

i understand :P

I guess that I'm not cut from the same cloth, again. I'm relatively new to acting (this is my ninth role). I'm studying a role (Dr. Julian Winston) for an upcoming play (Cactus Flower) in which my character kisses two others characters. I've never kissed anyone while acting before and I'm quite nervous. Don't get me wrong, when I was single, I kissed many girls, many of them only for one night; but I'm married now and have been so for 17 years. When I kiss them I'll be acting, but I'll spend MANY, MANY hours studying the role and rehearsing the role preparing for the play and inside of the actor is me. A man that by nature is faithful to his wife above all else. I'll kiss the girls, I'll kiss them well and I'll make the performance one that the audience enjoys because I love acting. I love it when the audience is moved by my performance. But to say, "ah, I'm an actor, it's all part of what we do", poppycock. I don't buy it. There are certainly roles that I would turn down.

P.S. I'm reminded of a shoot that I did for a TV commercial in which I was intimate (interpret cuddly) with another character. We never kissed, but I gently touched her ear, etc.. After that scene was in the can the other actor obviously had the hots for me, but I was acting, it wasn't reciprocal. Someone forgot to tell her that after the director said "cut" she wasn't supposed to feel anything based on my performance. RMBO!

How many romances have developed when two people performed together. The trades are filled with them. Two people (married or not) perform together, end up leaving their current spouses, etc. then become romantically involved with their co-star. I don't buy the previous comments that if you're an "actor" that you don't feel the emotions, I feel it all, it's what makes me an actor.

How many married actors do NOT end up leaving their current spouses for an actor they met on set? The tabloids don't cover that but I've got to think the number of actors who leave their spouse for a co-star is statistically very, very low.

My point Parker is simply that the actor and the person are one and the same. When I research a role I try to understand the person intimately, I want to become that person. When you're looking at Wayne Sweat perform I don't want you to see Wayne Sweat, but rather the character. Someone talked about a movie about a serial child killer, I don't want to know that persons mind intimately, I don't want to transform myself and my mind into that person. So I would pass. There are other roles that I would relish, so those I'll pursue.

My thoughts exactly Jacuqeline. I'll actually be kissing two girls, so I thought I'd buy some wine and candles for after rehearsal and practice for hours. No, just kidding. It's a play and we have four weeks of rehearsals remaining (the first week I had the flu, the second week one of the girls did, now the other girl has the flu). We'll rehearse the scenes more than once between now and opening curtain. Practice makes perfect right? At least that's what I'm going to tell my wife. The only problem is my wife (albeit beautiful) is Sicilian. I may need a bodyguard!

Sicilian women are notoriously fond of their men-folk, Wayne. You may salvage part, or parts, of who you are. Leon, just kiss the guy! The imaginary circumstances are that you're in love; live that out! What would you be like if you were gay (if you're not). You know how to give someone an impassioned kiss, don't you? Just kiss the guy! Now, if you want to get in some practice ahead of time then there may be some other issues. Your first screen kiss is a big deal, don't make it into one.

J.d., I'm kissing two girls, no guys.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that...", Jerry Seinfeld.

2 girls kissing eachother...0__0! faints

your a pro jennie ;) x

i have played a gay woman and I am straight - the director/creator was a gay woman so it was actually quite easy to fall into the role - with a gay woman as the director, i felt very comfortable being in the role.

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