Gay Actors Who Cannot Play Straight Characters But Give It Their All Anyway

James Coco in everything.

You'd never see a thread about straight actors who can't play gay

They're dead, but Clifton Webb and Charles Laughton come to mind.

Bless their hearts for holding out for homonormativity!

Please R2, off the top of my head whoever plays Shane's boyfriend on the little watched MTV show "Faking It" is hot but completely unbelievable in his intimate scenes IMO. You never truly buy the character is gay.

Taylor Kitsch also did a pretty poor job in the Normal Hearth.

Matt Bomer

another vote for Bomer.

Sean Hayes as Jerry Lewis!

Craig Slocum -- who's in the DS clip -- and yeah, does come off Nellie passed away.

I thought it was AIDS, but read online that it was actually in 1978 that he passed away and it was related to diabetes.

Tay Tay Lautner

Luke Macfarlane. He's gorgeous, but he's never been convincing as a straight guy.

Come out of the closet so can belittle you on behalf of the straight homophobes.

R1. God bless James Coco. I loved him in anything he was in. I actually thought that he and Doris Roberts were husband and wife because they worked so well together.

Rosie O.

Tom Cruise!

Love him, but I never buy NPH as straight. Must be all the Broadway.

Nathan Lane. I remember seeing him in a short lived tv show. He was a womanizer with a string of angry ex wives. It was before he came out and it was laughable.

I remember that R17. It was called "Encore! Encore!"

It was a funny show but absurd. And I do remember most males on the show were hot young studs.

R13 No, but Doris Roberts was married for twenty years to the gay novelist William Goyen. A friend of mine spoke with her when he was writing a dissertation about Goyen and some other writers, and she became very frosty when he brought up Goyen's sexuality.

R11 Luke was pretty convincing in Erection.

R20 didn't see that, only saw him play straight on "Satisfaction" and "Over There" and I didn't like his performances on those as much as I liked him on "Night Shift" and Le Programme du Mme Field. I'm looking forward to his new SyFy show very much, where he plays Aaron Ashmore's older brother (great casting there), but I don't know if his role is gay or straight on that.

Apparently the jury is out on whether Paul Giamatti is gay, but he's so eff-eminate his womanizing playboy on Downton Abbey was just plain silly (and terrible casting).

Yeah nobody believed Laughton in Henry VIII.

And nobody believed him as a man obsessed with his own daughter in Wimpole Sreet.

Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, together or apart. The Odd Couple indeed!

Jim J. Bullock in Too Close for Comfort. His character had female love interests but everybody in the real world started questioning if the character was gay.

Fred Astaire

As talented as he is, I'm afraid Jim Parsons belongs in this list.

Please, Matt Bomer has mostly played straight characters for most of his career and no one was saying he was unbelievable in those roles before he came out

You guys sound like homophobes

Glenn Shadix.

Andrew Scott.

R28 Unlike you, we knew Bomer was gay long before he officially came out.

I only know James Coco as Samantha Micelli's grandfather on Who's the Boss.

Wow R25, blast from my childhood. Don't think I was old enough to know about "gay" but I knew something was off.

R27 - Parsons works because Sheldon's supposed to be asexual and there's such a strong homoerotic vibe between him and Gelecki

Nathan Lane

James Coco in "Such Good Friends" played a womanizing doctor who even had a scene where Dyan Cannon gave him a blow job, but he still couldn't sell it.

Paul Lynde as the Center Square

I thought Monroe was supposed to be gay, but it was unspoken. I was 10 when the show started and he never read as straight to me.

I agree Parson's would have a hard time pulling off regular straight guy. Sheldon is odd and so is his girlfriend, the oddness hides the lack of sexual chemistry.

[quote]the Normal Hearth.

They made a movie about standard fireplaces?

[quote]During the run of the show [Too Close for Comfort], some questions about Bullock’s sexual orientation cropped up. While Monroe had been written as a straight character, many fans wrote in asking if he was gay. In real life, Bullock had been keeping his homosexuality a secret, believing that it was be detrimental to his acting career. He later told the Miami Herald that he even dated women to protect his public image. “My publicist would put me in The National Enquirer with different girls of the week,” Bullock explained. Also fearing the stigma associated with AIDS, Bullock also kept the fact that he was HIV positive status to himself after learning his status in 1985.

Another vote for Nathan Lane but as Jacqueline Susann's husband in bio pic 'Isn't She Great' with Bette Midler. He really tried though. Stockard Channing is fabulous in this movie.

Aaron Schock as a straight Congressman

OP here.

r2 and r4, I did come off as snide.

What I might better have said is that I do have a real affection for these actors and their performances. I grew up in an age where gay people primarily existed onscreen in this form. I'm actually thankful for it, and I really enjoy that the gay imprint on these guys is so strong that it supersedes the character, dialogue, and even storyline that they're working with. It may not have been purposeful subversion, but to me it's a great act of subversion anyway.

R5, the way that Taylor Kitsch played that role was offensive.

Not that he played it as stereotypically gay, but he looked like he was choking back vomit whenever he had to kiss a man on-screen.

The fact that his career is crashing and burning is well-deserved.

Groundbreaking Too Close for Comfort episode.

Jim J. Bullock is a great choice.

I've never seen White Collar, but I've read numerous comments elsewhere that MB is not convincing.

Eddie on The Flash owns this thread. He has gay voice and mannerisms for days. He's supposed to be Iris' boyfriend, yet they have no chemistry what so ever.

Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched. I hated when they tried to give him a lady love interest. He was just playing a variation on his public persona, which was gay to the nth degree.

Clip loaded with double-entendres, culminating in "sitting on your poof."

This is the real Uncle Arthur to me.

"I've never seen White Collar, but I've read numerous comments elsewhere that MB is not convincing."

That's funny, because I read numerous comments from fangurls who watched the show who said they didn't know he was gay until he came out.

You guys are just promoting the weird double standard that straight actors can play gay OR straight while gay actors can only play gay characters.

Flamers can't act straight.

If they could, they wouldn't have been stuffed into lockers in High School.

They have zero self-awareness, yet they all want to be a "Star".

They usually end up as bitter Drag Queens.

It's a form of mental illness.

r48 is a weirdo. Gays can and have played straight in the movies for at least a century.

Nah, R16. He had much better chemistry with Vinnie and Jack than he ever had with me.

r47 - One of my best female friends was crushed when I broke the Bomer news to her. She was all about her White Collar boyfriend until I set her straight, or rather, set Bomer not-straight.

And she is rather savvy about the gays.

I think the White Collar doubts arise from his being an out actor rather than his performance.

r49, the gays who CAN act straight are known as "Closet Cases".

They are the ones who can act.

They are the ones who get work.

R42

I agree about Kitsch. Even Groff didn't have any chemistry with him.

I accept any performance as straight, if they are playing straight. Good grief, they are actors.

I think Michael C. Hall is a great actor but he plays gay, even better then straight. I think he is gay.

Their characters have love interests or are married, but are just not convincing as straight men:

Simon Baker - The Mentalist (OWNS THIS THREAD)

Nathan Fillion - Castle

Rick Cosnett - The Flash

David Giuntoli - Grimm

Ty Burrell - Modern Family

Jon Cryer - Two and a Half Men

Jim Parsons - TBBT

Hugh Dancy - Hannibal

Is Ty Burrell gay?!

Simon Baker is straight, though

Jon Cryer does seem gay, why is that?

The acting in OP's clip was hilarious.

It seemed more like mom's camcorder of Community Theater than anything that would make it to TV.

R40, I believe the character Sean Reeves in the short-lived series 'Political Animals', is based loosely on Schock. The character is a closeted Republican sleeping with the ex-President's wayward son, T.J (Sebastian Stan).

The character was even played by out gay actor David Monahan (known best as Tobey on 'Dawson's Creek', Matt Seely on 'Crossing Jordan', and Nathan on 'Dexter', and for cameo work in '...Ethan Green' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'), and the series itself was led and spearheaded by none other than Sigourney.

Must have been a good gig for David, even if he was playing an asshole. He got to make out with a naked Sebastian Stan in moodlighting.

Aaron Tveit

Really sexy guy and a great actor but doesn't come across as straight on "Graceland."

Aaron Tveit didn't seem straight on Gossip Girl, either. I just knew he wanted to be with Lonely Boy more than Serena (Nate would have been semi-incest).

I agree R54. Even on Dexter, there suddenly came a point where it became clear he was probably gay or bi. Or maybe he just exudes sex.

The world sees me as "Aaron Rodgers, heterosexual quarterback" thanks to my excellent acting in those State Farm commercials!

R55, I think you have a very narrow conception of what constitutes "straight" behavior.

Aaron Sorkin, playing himself in interviews.

I never bought Victor Garber as a heterosexual even when he was in the closet, except when he played Sid Luft.

Anthony Perkins.

You're mean, R68.

Please, Barber has been a working actor for 30+ years and has mostly played straight characters

Tate Donovan in that movie with Sandra Bullock.

Tate Donovan in anything.

Gay actors need to start boycotting het roles and start demanding to play gay roles.

I meant Garber

Tony Randall

Well, r70, I think the rumours about him have been going around for quite some time. Remember the gossip about him and Bradley Cooper during Alias's run.

Well, R70/R74, he never fucked me.

Huh. Lot of guys named Aaron in this thread.

I'll throw in Aaron Stanford, make it a tenner.

His X-Men character particularly was unconvincingly het. In promo and in the supporting material around the movie (book of the film, etc.), much noise was made about the fact that his character Pyro was 'jealous' of his best friend's girlfriend. I chose to let it mean the opposite of the message intended.

Also, his character's power? Throwing FLAMES.

I think there is a difference between gay actors who can convincingly play straight to straights and gay actors who can convincingly play straight to gays.

David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane, not that it mattered a bit given the part.

Paul Lynde as Ann-Margret's dad in "Bye Bye, Birdie" and as the attorney dad in "The Paul Lynde Show." Did the ABC suits really think America was going to buy Lynde as a married hetero father of two?

Is Aaron Stanford gay? He was amazing in 'Tadpole'.

America bought Lynde, because they thought he was funny.

Yes, Michael C. Hall is sexy whether he's playing gay or straight but I prefer it when he plays gay.

Oh r57, Simon Baker is gaygaygay...look up that CBS Sunday Morning profile, the early footage of him dancing shirtless was like looking at early porn. Plus his LA Confidential scenes with Spacey...OMG.

Wait what about Hugh Jackman?!!

The only places I've seen comments to the effect that Bomer's 'straight' performances aren't convincing are the VERY occasional one on Twitter from people who are obvious homophobes (and I am talking a few comments in total among hundreds of Matt-related tweets I've scanned over the years) and here on the DL (surprise, surprise).

His straight frau-fans/fangirls are way less homophobic towards his abilities than posters here.

I'm with r87. I think gays are harder on gay actors than straights are.

YEARS ago, there was a sitcom starring Nathan Lane and Joan Plowright. One episode had his character chasing a gal around a bed (couch?) in raging hetero mode ... EPIC FAIL!!!

I think Victor Garber can do it. I bought him as Jack Bristow in Alias for multiple seasons.

Garber should get more love from us.

R82, all I'm aware of is that ancient rumour about him hanging out with James Marsden at a gay club in lieu of a wrap party for X-Men.

Taylor Kitsch isn't much of an actor, but he did all right with his limited range on "The Normal Heart." The only reason he was great as Tim Riggins on FNL is because he was basically playing himself. I think people may be mistaking his weak acting as dislike for the material, but I was told he actually fought very hard to get that role. He's Canadian and very liberal and vocally pro-gay. Jon Groff and I have a mutual acquaintance in NYC, and from what I heard through him, Jon and Taylor got along really well, and Matt Bomer liked him a lot, too. He's straight and a crappy actor but he's hot and a hard worker and a very nice guy, so he'll keep getting unimportant roles here and there for years to come. People would rather work with a mediocre reliable actor than a brilliant crazy loose cannon.

He's going to be the weak link on True Detective S2, though, no doubt about that.

Jonathan Groff in American Sniper

Corey Fogelmanis

Henry Cavill - gurl tries SO hard too.

Tom Cruise

Fred Astaire? Not nearly gay. Just classy.

Corey Feldman, who IMHO can only exude het-vibes when making fun of machismo (Edgar Frog of 'The Lost Boys' is, by his own admission, a playful, campy, Goonie-fied version of Rambo).

That said, he isn't unwatchable opposite a woman. He had some odd, funny, interesting parts here and there--as conspiracist and laissez-faire neighbourhood delinquent Ricky in 'The 'Burbs, especially, as well as the moody, romantic, MJ-obsessed teen Bobby in 'Dream A Little Dream'. There was always something more compelling and convincing about his chemistry with Haim, though. I think he can play chaste bi-romantic love just fine.

R87= straight frau fangirl

Queen Latifah. Watched Last Holiday because there was nothing else on, and her being into LL Cool J was not believable. And that Finding Mr Wright movie was cringe-worthy.

She was most convincing playing the lesbian in Set it Off.

I think Nathan Lane was very convincing as the straight accountant/trustee in The Good Wife.

And Alan Cumming is amazing as the straight Jewish political consultant on the same show.

I have rarely seen a straight actor convincingly play a Gay man anywhere. They can kiss another man, have "sex", but you always know they're straight, like Mathew Rhys on Brothers and Sisters. You knew Luke was Gay and Mathew wasn't.

Victor Garber was a pretty lousy Daddy Warbucks. Whenever he's not singing, it's total dullsville. But I blame the script in that case.

Corey Haim was gay as hell...wow

"Fred Astaire? Not nearly gay. Just classy."

It was a stipulation in his contract that he and Ginger would never kiss on film.

[quote]It was a stipulation in his contract that he and Ginger would never kiss on film.

Gingers can never get a break in Hollywood.

How the hell Groff ended up in American Sniper? Having say that, he did a good job.

Groff played straight quite well as Kelsey Grammer's aide in "Boss."

I don’t know if they've ever specified the sexuality of Raul Esparza's character on SVU but I always presumed the actor or the character was gay.

Later I read he had a fight with Rosie O'Donnell, threw a hissy fit on stage (in a play about Boy George), and stomped off in a huff.

It doesn't get much gayer than that.

Fred Astaire, from what I've heard, not gay but I'm pretty sure he was an asshole. I don't believe Ginger liked him.

Makes him seem that much more attractive, R108.

BTW, his SVU character dated Liv, didn't he?

Roddy Mcdowall in everything he did.

Older actor: Derek Jacobi. Basically an excellent actor, but when he plays opposite a woman, he cannot carry it off. I'm one of his biggest fans, but I cringe when I see him try to play a romance.

Queen Latifah

And if the rumors are true Jamie fox is the most convincing at playing masculine heterosexual characters of all time.

Roddy Mcdowell was hilarious when playing the ladies man. Tommy Kirk as well.

r2 - I have answered the challenge, but there are not nearly so many takers, though I do believe the field is ripe.

It's an interesting reversal in terms of reaction. Predictable? Indicative of what?

R116 I'd rather he dated Danny Pino.

Seriously though, I'm pretty sure he didn't date Olivia. I seem to remember her having to come clean to Rafael Barba (Esparza) about screwing Harry Connick, Jr or someone which he found unprofessional IIRC.

Barba's Wikipedia page mentions a reference to a past romantic relationship with a woman so the character must be straight (or bi, which is what Esparza claims to be). No mention of Olivia.

Olivia's Wiki page doesn't mention Barba but does say:

[quote]Fan speculation exists over alleged sexual tension between Benson and Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March), which Baer admits to indulging: "We read the fan sites. We know that people are into the Alex-Olivia thing. All the codes are in there."[16] On her personal Twitter page, actress Diane Neal acknowledged the sexual tension between her character, ADA Casey Novak, and Benson, after speaking about her real friendship with Hargitay.

You rang?

Learning after the fact, which actors were closeted, is a great way to hone one's gaydar.

Rock Hudson's reveal was the most revealing, by far.

Miss Cillian Muprhy. She may not be gay, but can't play male characters as well as female.

R103, that clip is terribly, terribly sad. Haim seems like a lucid, self-aware, humble young man there, not yet consumed by his own addiction or fame. His ambition and wry sense of humour is very evident--he knew he was very handsome and charming, but had a realism to back it up (substances stole that from him).

Personally, I don't think his sexuality was ever easy to define, or ever got in the way of his acting. It never hit me in the face like a question, as it did when watching Feldman. As for Haim's actual sexuality--after his untimely passing, Feldman saw fit (during promo for his autobiography, 'Coreography') to out his counterpart as bi, and rabidly so.

According to Feldman, since they met at 14/15, Haim behaved in a hyposexual manner, constantly and with multiple partners of either gender. Haim even, allegedly, tried repeatedly to coax his 'best friend' Feldman into sleeping with him (and was turned down every time...). Feldman also hypothesised that Haim's behaviour was a result of sexual abuse his friend suffered around the time of the film 'Lucas' (on which Haim was 13 years old).

So Haim is now thought to be bi, not that it matters much anymore, or can ever be verified.

I'm still leaning toward Feldman as gay. True, he's been divorced twice, fathered a son, and is an acolyte of the Playboy Mansion....but he still idolises Michael Jackson, still wears a ring Haim gave to him, and talks constantly about his friend now passed. He even wrote him a 'love letter' as a memoriam.

The interview below is very sweet, it's with both Coreys, from the 2004 Comic-Con. They talk about making 'The Lost Boys', and Feldman answers a question about crushes on set:

[quote] Audience member: On the set, were you guys flirting with Jamie Gertz [actress]?

Feldman: Oh, no. We were too busy flirting with each other. We didn't have the time. [/]

David Hyde Pierce and Jim Parsons own this thread.

R.104-The stipulation about not kissing Ginger was Fred's wife's mandate.

Zachary Quinto. Hell, he can't even play gay. He set us all back with his performance in the 1st season of American Horror Story.

Erick McCormack and sean hayes worst roomates ever!

How about het guys that can't play het guys? Like John Hurt?

The actor who played Niles the butler on the old show, The Nanny. I couldn't believe it when they fixed him up at the end of the series run with C.C. (the blond woman who kept chasing Mr. Sheffield before he married the nanny).

Does David Spade count? I know he's mainly a stand-up/sketch guy at heart, but he's done movies (Dickie Roberts, Joe Dirt, Tommy Boy)..

r126 - I was absolutely stunned to learn that John Hurt was straight. I believe it, but I'm still stupefied.

John Hurt was born to play gay.

Charles Nelson Reilly. He had to play straight in bits like on Love American Style.

Not plausible, even to me as a child.

[quote] David Hyde Pierce and Jim Parsons own this thread.

Would you be willing to sublease?

Flip of this thread.

Thoughts on Michel Serrault and Ugo Tognazzi from the original film La Cage Aux Folles?

r133 meant for the other thread (r132).

JMO, but both Charles Nelson Reilly and Paul Lynch were so loved by middle America just plain folks, I don't think any of them even attempted to label them or place them in a box.

My vote for this category is Stifler from American Pie.

What was the motivation for casting flaming homosexuals like Charles Nelson Reilly and Paul Lynde in heterosexual roles. I'm glad they got the work, but I wonder why they were cast in the first place.

Inherent funniness in queerness, even for the unsuspecting? Paul Lynde as family man? See sitcom below and ponder on his relationship with onscreen son-in-law "Howie."

r135, you answered before I even posed my question!

What made them so popular? They were so outlandishly gay! Do we owe something to them as precursors to Ellen?

Monroe on Too Close for Comfort got raped by two women - for LAUGHS.

Consider this in the scheme of casting gay men in straight roles and make of it what you will.

Bruce WIllis. I don't know what his sexuality is but anytime they pair him with a woman he just becomes so odd and sexless that I wonder how anyone can believe it.

Sylvester Stallone has more rapport with dogs than women. Mel Gibson always makes sparks fly with male costars, never with women.

Orlando Bloom. OH PLEASE! Whom does she think she is fooling?

Occasionally Jude Law. Sometimes he can pull it off, but most of the time, no no no.

Paul Lynde shakes hands with blond-haired, tight-trousered actor John Calvin, who needed a showbiz name change, playing his son-in-law, with the far better name of "Howie Dickerson."

I think this might merit a chapter in the Paul Lynde biography I have been waiting for.

Elijah Wood owns this thread.

Stunning jawline. Shaggier hair.

Paul Lynde points to the marvel of the show.

Homosexual desire personified in the era's shorty gym shorts.

Why isn't the Paul Lynde show on DVD?

Ann B. Davis.

I could never buy into Alice's relationship with Sam the Butcher on Brady Bunch. I think he was just a cover for her real romance with Kay, another obvious lesbian.

Ellen Degeneres owns this thread.

I have an even harder time accepting that Miss Jane Hathaway on Beverly Hillbillies would have any interest in Jethro or any man whatsoever.

Note in this cigarette commercial how Granny slyly points out that women like Winstons too. It's code!

Interesting r55. From your list David Giuntoli does seem to fit the bill. Once Grimm took off he was promoted as frau candy and recently I saw it reported he's in a relationship with his co-star Bitsie Tulloch. They have zero chemistry on screen and I wondered if this was a PR romance. It's certainly convenient to be dating your co-star.

He appeared to have more chemistry with his co actor in Grey's Anatomy a few years back where he played a gay soldier. YouTube still has the scenes in question. Quite well done I think.

Nancy Kulp's dykery gets magnified a tenfold whenever she's paired up with her supposed crush Jethro.

Mike Rowe, one time operator singer and perennial bachelor.

Hugh Jackman in everything he's done?

r139 he and Jane March were hot in Color of Night.

r140 Mel and Michelle Pfeiffer were a great pair in Tequila Sunrise.

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Raven was obviously a big ole lez

R146, so true. As children our gaydar was screaming to US but we didn't realise what it really was. It confused us, looking back.

Speaking of The Brady Bunch, I don't really think Robert Reed belongs on this list, which kind of surprises me, but in comparison with Paul Lynde and others, he absolutely pulls of the hetero-family man.

Apparently, he was very self-conscious (see interview), but I think he pulled it off.

S E X

permeates every inch of this.

Love the cigarette in Mike's hand. What are they keeping watch for, anyway? Greg was really in fine form in the final two seasons.

Already been mentioned: Neil Patrick Harris. I have never seen him in anything recent. I didn't watch that CBS show he was on. I finally watched Gone Girl last week, and he was just terrible. His sex scene was so awkward. What was Fincher thinking when he cast him?

Greg Rikaart - playing straight Kevin Fisher on The Young & the Restless. His character's relationships-marriages to females have only worked on a cutesy, platonic level. But get him a scene with a hot stud like Ignacio Serricchio (ex-Alex) or more recently Chris McKenna (ex-Harding) who's willing to play along, and the television set nearly explodes.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Justin Timberlake. Just stop it.

Jon Cryer. Please.....

Andy Samberg.....right, you like vag. Sure you do.

Has Rip Taylor ever given straight a go?

God bless him.

Also, check the hot guy finding himself filmed at :08.

RIP Taylor should only appear in caftans.

Note DL legend Patti Duke blowing through the clue and Rip Taylor tearing off his wig in reaction, then putting it on backwards.

Television history, orientation irrelevant.

[quote] Speaking of The Brady Bunch, I don't really think Robert Reed belongs on this list, which kind of surprises me, but in comparison with Paul Lynde and others, he absolutely pulls of the hetero-family man.

His scenes with Florence Henderson lacked sexual chemistry, but he eschewed the "nelly closet queen" business and played it calm, cool and collected. I don't think it would have worked without him.

What turn-of-the-decade (60s-70s) sitcom couples DID have sexual chemistry?

This begs its own thread.

NPH was quite funny playing a drugged-up, highly hetero version of himself in the Harold & Kumar movies.

He's still got a queeny flourish, but I find him quite funny in these.

Helen Hunt. I couldn't believe how hard they tried to push her in the rom-com movies.

Sandra Bullock is very attractive, but her straight sex appeal doesn't cut it.

Jennifer Aniston too, especially as she is aging.

I don't know if they are gay....but Matt Damon and Leo diCaprio never have chemistry with their leading ladies

Jeremy Renner. Zero chemistry with any woman. He seems to enjoy his male costars a bit more.

Malcolm Gets as Richard in "Caroline in the City." He would have made total sense as gay Best Friend but he's supposed to be in love with her.

On the plus side, gay Guillermo Diaz can pull it off time and again, as on Weeds and Scandal. I didn't stick with either show, but it's not due to him. I like him a lot.

Rupert Everett.

[quote] Roddy Mcdowell was hilarious when playing the ladies man. Tommy Kirk as well.

The only live-action Disney couple who ever seemed to me to have much sexual chemistry at all were Lesley Ann Warren and John Davidson in the two musicals they made.

[quote]What turn-of-the-decade (60s-70s) sitcom couples DID have sexual chemistry?

That's easy, R166...

Guillermo Diaz clearly had some queeniness up his sleeve (see about 0:50) for his role in Mercy, a nursing drama that I never watched, which doesn't look as terrible as I'd envisioned it. Taylor Schilling was the lead? Margo Martindale? Maybe I missed out.

Hold it. Roddy McDowell was fully credible as a heterosexual chimpanzee.

I could totally buy this guy as a major pussy hound.

Sal Mineo could play straight, but it's hard when you're in a film like Who Killed Teddy Bear?, which also features DL legend Elaine Stritch as a lesbian nightclub owner.

It's Sal Mineo's gayest role ever.

"I don’t know if they've ever specified the sexuality of Raul Esparza's character on SVU but I always presumed the actor or the character was gay.

Later I read he had a fight with Rosie O'Donnell, threw a hissy fit on stage (in a play about Boy George), and stomped off in a huff.

It doesn't get much gayer than that."

While Raul was signing a friend's Playbill at the stage door of Company, he asked him if Rosie had been to see him in the show, to which Raul replied, "Nah, Rosie hates Sondheim".

Jack Cassidy

Joel Grey

I would also say David Hyde Pierce.

And I would disagree with the fact that it didn't matter for the part. The point of Niles (and for that matter Frasier) is that he is fussy, artistic, intellectual - and *straight*.

The first seasons revolved around the sexual chemistry between him and Daphne. We had to believe he was a straight nerd. As the show went on it became harder to do that. A lot of the weakness of the later seasons is that the audience can never really buy into the domestic tranquility of Niles and Daphne's life, because it is impossible to imagine a woman like Daphne being attracted so such an effeminate man who *looks* incapable of being attracted to women.

Kelsey Grammar gave a more rounded performance. Of course, there was something quite gay about Frasier, but it was part of a whole. DHP acted well in general, but he flames in every scene and that, ultimately, harmed the show.

Nobody has mentioned Jodie yet? I mean come on, her scenes with McConaughey in Contact were bone chilling in their lack of chemistry. It's not that she comes across as a lesibian, she just comes across as asexual.

r184 - Do you think Jodie Foster could come off well in a lesbian relationship onscreen? I'm kind of leaning toward no for the reason that you cited: her reserve translates to asexuality. Maybe that is something she could overcome, or maybe not.

R184 I saw Contact on TV a couple of weeks ago. I'd forgotten she and McBongo had a nude scene in bed. She's got her tits rubbing his chest. His chest is so much nicer than hers. He was at his most beautiful then and no way could you believe she actually wanted to fuck him. Though, to be fair, she seemed more affectionate with him than with Richard Gere in Summersby. THAT was the least believable romance in movie history.

[quote] I could totally buy this guy as a major pussy hound.

Only in a Disney animated film about a dog who wanted to be a cat.

I think Guillermo Diaz is probably the only one who could actually pull it off. I was actually shocked when I found out he was gay. And I've had a crush on him since "Party Girl."

Jodie Foster singing in half French spoken word backing film clips of her awkward sex scenes?

[quote]Music: ‘La vie c’est chouette’ by Jodie Foster, 1977

R184 wins the thread.

Elijah

Sorry, I meant R185 (who posted that amazing Jodie Foster montage) wins the thread.

[quote]Though, to be fair, she seemed more affectionate with him than with Richard Gere in Summersby. THAT was the least believable romance in movie history.

Don't get us started...

I voted r187 for wit and wisdom

Raul Esparza's character on SVU isn't gay, they've mentioned past relationships of his with women a couple times. Could be bi of course but there's been nothing mentioned to indicate an attraction to men. Raul can play straight successfully IMO, I think he would strike me as gay watching him on screen even if I hadn't already known he was previously, but not even close to some of the other guys mentioned here like DHP- I think they played it up and the idea that Niles was straight was part of the joke, I don't think it hurt the show. And DHP is fantastic, definitely gave it his all

Jack Benny. Danny Kaye.

Renner got nominated for an MTV onscreen chemistry award with Scarlett Johansson so I guess that must count.

Cheyenne Jackson. I first knew of him when I watched him on 30 Rock, where he played a new actor who had a fling with Tina Fey. He was portrayed as a straight guy, in fact, not only he was having an affair with a woman, but in the episode he's contrasted with the rest of the male crew as an ideal buddy to Alec Baldwin's hyper-masc character; fond of sports, talking about girls etc. But he didn't deliver; after I was done watching the ep, I went to see if there was anything on his Wikipedia page about him being gay, and there it was.

R197, Cheyenne's character was Canadian. I knew he's probably gay but his storyline as Fey's lover was completely believable, as was him being interested in sports.

I've never had problems buying Jeremy Renner as a het in his roles.

Maybe he can pretend to be into hockey and into girls. But pretend he's a macho guy he really cannot. He was flaming a wee bit in the episode. Otherwise I wouldn't have immediately sensed he was gay despite not knowing who he was.

Henry Cavill.

Derek Jacobi. I love him but he's always been hopeless with the women, especially early in his career.

[quote]Renner got nominated for an MTV onscreen chemistry award

Try reading that without laughing.

Wilson Cruz

Matthew Perry hands down.

Sebastian Cabot?

r204 found out how Mr. French got his name.

Sebastian Cabot's face while getting blown.

Flaming gay actors can play straight.

If they could, they would be closeted.

They can't

It's a mental problem.

Sebastian Cabot visits the troops and his glittery gayness explodes all over their shirtless bodies.

Sebastian Cabot nipple.

Any actor, regardless of orientation, who cannot generate at least a little bit of on-screen chemistry with a given actress has no business being an actor.

r210, please define "chemistry."

[quote]Renner got nominated for an MTV onscreen chemistry award with Scarlett Johansson so I guess that must count.

Renner's got nice dude bro energy in him when he acts. He might not be traditionally good-looking but on screen he can be sexy.

JRenn is so tiny, like a mini Tammy.

Scarlett is a big girl - not fat - just amazonian big like Lucy Lawless. She made him look like a tiny little dwarf.

How tall is he (vs. how tall PR says he is)? There is no way he's 5'10" if Mark Ruffalo is only listed at 5'8".

R213 Scarlett isn't an Amazon, she's 5ft 3.

Scarlett is maybe 5'4" tops but in heels she'd be taller than a short little guy like Renner

Over 200 posts and no mention of Seann William Scott?

Actually, I find Derek Jacobi quite believably straight in the BBC show "Last Tango in Halifax" as the ancient Romeo. Maybe it's because he's older that makes it work. There are plenty of straight men who are gentle and easygoing like the character he plays. And the two leads (forget her name) are very sweet together as elderly former high school sweethearts finding each other late in life. Decent show to watch on Netflix. Was surprised how much I liked it.

[quote]Over 200 posts and no mention of Seann William Scott?

That's probably because Stifler is pretty much a perfect douchey straight asshole.

[quote]Any actor, regardless of orientation, who cannot generate at least a little bit of on-screen chemistry with a given actress has no business being an actor.

Even the dad from [italic]Small Wonder[/italic] at least tried. Notice I said "tried."

He loved it, r218.

[quote]Do you think Jodie Foster could come off well in a lesbian relationship onscreen? I'm kind of leaning toward no for the reason that you cited: her reserve translates to asexuality. Maybe that is something she could overcome, or maybe not.

Not R184, but it surely says something as to Hollywood perceives her that she wasn't even seriously in the running for movies like The Hours, The Kids Are All Right, or Todd Haynes' upcoming Carol. It's not that she, for example, was ultimately beaten out by Annette Bening or Julianne Moore for Cholodenkos movie, it's that she wasn't even a contender. So aloof and reserved does she come off onscreen that filmmakers think the heterosexual Moore makes a more convincing lesbian than Foster, Moore who is her exact contemporary and even played the Clarice Starling role in Hannibal.

SWS - hiding in plain sight.

And nobody's watching, R222.

NPH may not be believable to gay people but he's apparently believable to the straights. A lot of guys were shocked when he came out during HIMYM's run. They couldn't believe that Barney was gay.

NPH was fine as a geeky straight stalkerish obsessed freak in "Gone Girl"

NPH's character on American Horror Story: Freakshow could only get it up with the ladies if his ventriloquist dummy Marjorie was watching - and usually heckling.

And in one scene, one of the freaks advises him to go easy on the rouge.

NPH also looks about 60

NPH also looks about 60

And possibly more improbable was David Burtka as a rising TV executive who marries sexuagenarian Jessica Lange for domestic masochism.

Actually, that does sound pretty gay. Even gayer than NPH with voyeuristic puppet Marjorie leering at his bare ass while he fucks Siamese twins.

Ninety percent of the young actors on Disney Channel TV shows.

The Mouse has the craziest hold, like the military. You can be ex-Disney, starring exclusively in musical theatre and gay interest films, and still all you get are Het love-interests and vanilla storylines. It's a waste to train so intensively in the performing arts but keep so far in the closet.

95% of all male actors in every Disney movie ever.

[quote] I don't really think Robert Reed belongs on this list, which kind of surprises me, but in comparison with Paul Lynde and others, he absolutely pulls of the hetero-family man.

Dick Christie exposed it as the pernicious lie it was as the dad on [italic]Small Wonder[/italic].

John Barrowman as Dana Delaney's ex-husband in Desperate housewives.

Paul Lynde in "Bye, Bye, Birdie"

Paul Lynde in ANYTHING where he plays a heterosexual, unless the subtext is that he's a closeted gay man in a sham marriage.

Next to Ann- Margret Paul Lynde is the best thing about that film R235

Dom DeLuise

I just saw the trailer for Ryan Reynold's new superhero flick. So that's my answer.

Ditto Vin Diesel. I just can't get by the gayvoice some actors have.

[R81]

Deserves repeating.

Sam Heughan

I read all of the posts on this thread but I can't believe no one has mentioned Eric Stonestreet. Did I miss that post?

Most people probably don't know that Stonestreet even plays straight characters.

Liberace.

^SINCERELY YOURS (1955)

Is that Melodie Thomas Scott next to Dean Martin in r46?

The late Lani O'Grady as Mary Bradford on Eight Is Enough.

James Corden

Last year Marvel wrote Iceman coming out as a gay X-Man. Since Shawn Ashmore has been playing him since 2001, fan reaction was literally just 'bitch please, we know'.

Neil Patrick Harris. He was too cartoony in "How I Met Your Mother."

Matt Bomer in American Horror Story: Hotel.

Bad performance overall, but wholly unconvincing as a straight junkie.

But Max Greenfield was superb in his sadly brief turn as a gay junkie.

They needed someone weak not to make Lady Gaga look even worse by comparison.

Bomer was miscast, but not truly awful, and they did make a lot out of his prettiness / beginning-to-fade prettiness. They even accentuated/overdid it with the eyeliner for an additonal eighties flourish.

And Bomer was much better in his cameo from Freak Show getting murdered while tricking in the clown den.

Smarter AHS casting of Bomer.

Battle of the Tighty-Whities.

Plus, Bomer would have been better getting fucked to death by that never-explained drill-dicked monster.

After Freak Show, this could have set a precedent for Bomer stepping in to get killed during gay sex and then disappear.

I'd exchange him for Max Greenfield and put MG in the Countess's consort role.

I thought Boomer did a good job--at least in that role. Maybe because his character's sexuality wasn't the focus per se.

As much as I love Aaron Tveit (and Lord knows that I do), I don't buy him playing straight.

What does DL know about the intimate life of Lani O'Grady, cited at r247. All's I remember is crazy and pills.

I wish she had lived long enough to be cast as Brett Somers' daughter. Or just Brett Somers.

I think Bomer was actually at his most ludicrous in Hotel in his pre-vampire junkie grunge mode - shown in flashback for his first death scene ODing with the help of Sarah Paulson, who was fantastic as the perpetually teary heroin addict.

r256, I just saw Aaron Tveit in a bit part in the under-appreciated romcom Ghost Town.

His character had no particular sexual identity and appeared in only one scene, but he looked quite adorable.

Henry cavill, muscle mary can be as muscle-y as she wants but he still has gay mannerisms.

[quote]Henry cavill, muscle mary can be as muscle-y as she wants but he still has gay mannerisms.

Totally.....he played Superman supergay. Gay mannerisms all over the place. I thought he was Nathan Lane until I saw the credits.

Dick Christie, the Small Wonder dad, wholly deserves his repeated mentions here.

Jensen Ackles

The dad from Family Matters.

x100

Sarah Paulson, who is fame-o-sexual. Not gay - just hot for the most famous and/or powerful person in the room.

Dick Christie would have made a good porn name.

But he is not really porn material - not then, not now.

Van Handsome.

The dad in "Troll 2".

I once read Fred Astaire described as obviously draft exempt. Yes, Van Johnson was such an obvious bottom.

Has anyone read the Hollywood Babylon reboots? They are absolute trash, and Van Johnson gets his own glorious chapter.

I heard Van was kinda queeny offscreen but I had no problem believing him in straight roles. I wouldn't have known he was gay if I hadn't read about him here.

I thought Bomer was a ridiculous love interest for Eliza Dushku in Tru Calling. They wrote him out and put in the queenier Jason Priestly.

Isn't the dad from Troll 2 a Republican?

R73 would prefer to have a gay ghetto where gay actors were forced to compete for few the gay roles out there. That seems extremely career limiting, especially since some of the best leading men in Hollywood's history were closeted gays. The test of how successfully they play straight roles should be how well they are accepted by straight audiences. Gay fans seem to project homosexuality on to actors they find attractive, whether they are or not. As mentioned above, it is clear that gay fans are more dissatisfied by gay actors in straight roles. Maybe we are just jealous of them seeming to turn their attention to women. Maybe we are just jealous of their successful lives, too.

"Gay fans seem to project homosexuality on to actors they find attractive, whether they are or not."

As opposed to fangurls who do the opposite....

It's all in the eye of the beholder then.

Sal Mineo had such a charmingly lurid gayness about him that I happily accepted him as gay no matter the role or his performance.

And I think he was a decent actor.

Also, Who Killed Teddy Bear?, featuring Sal Mineo as a psychotic busboy/waiter working in a nightclub run by lesbian Elaine Stritch and obsessed with deejay Juliet Prowse, is a celebration of Sal Mineo's seedy sexiness. A must-see!

Sal Mineo excelled in playing an outsider in whatever he was cast in.

I think that is why we associate him so closely with a gay onscreen persona.

[quote]As opposed to fangurls who do the opposite....

Actually, today's fangirl is as likely to project homosexuality onto straight* celebs. Fangirls are equal opportunity projectors. They just love the drama of it.

*as far as people know

JEOPARDY ............................

'Macho' ... 'Very Hot' ... 'Masculine' ... 'A New Sean Connery'

What are descriptions never given Neil Patrick Harris ?

R55 I don't think David Guintoli comes across as gay in Grimm. In real life he is marrying his Grimm partner Bitsie Tulloch.

Anthony Perkins is kind of like Sal Mineo. Saturated in gay but still wholly watchable in most any role.

More Perkins erotica from Phaedra.

Molly Ringwald probably wouldn't have been such a cunt to Jon Cryer on the set of Pretty in Pink if she had known he would go on to huge success on TV and become the richest out of all of them.

Perkins filling out a speedo.

r284, who is that actor with him? They look cute together

r287, his name is Raf Vallone. He was an Italian movie star. He was a soccer player in his younger days, so says the Internet.

In the movie, Anthony Perkins falls in love with his wife, played by Melina Mercouri. I think the scene with the gifs is to show the warmth and trust in the two men's relationship, but with Anthony Perkins in the mix, there's the inevitable homoeroticism. The director Jules Dassin must have been playing on this. There's no way they could have missed it in the rushes.

Lee:

Some velvet morning when I'm straight

I'm gonna open up your gate

And maybe tell you 'bout Phaedra

and how she gave me life

and how she made it in

Some velvet morning when I'm straight

Nancy:

Flowers growing on the hill

Dragonflies and daffodils

Learn from us very much

Look at us but do not touch

Phaedra is my name

Tyler Perry

r289, there is always room for Lee & Nancy.

Always.

Better to have a distractingly gay but magnetic performer like Anthony Perkins than a cypher like Tab Hunter, who exudes no sexuality whatsoever. Gay and aesthetically appealing but blank. Except for Polyester, of course.

The unhappy lovers.

Farley Granger gets criticized for having a gayness about him even when he is supposed to be straight - see the recent Hitchcock thread regarding his role in Strangers on a Train - but I think he's fine - in every sense of the word.

Bryan Batt

He tried to play a straight father in the "Scream" series and came off as a great big 'Scream Queen' himself.

Roddy McDowall. His entire career.

200 proof poof in every role.

Including in an ape suit.

r295, Scream was mildly enjoyable, even though it had a number of weak plot points, but my greatest suspension of belief had to be reserved for Bryan Batt as the presumably straight mayor.

I suspect he is forever cemented in my mind as Sal on Mad Men. I loved him in that role.

Farley and Roddy.

r298, love that photo!

Roddy McDowall always has a fussy queen air about him. Sometimes it works quite well.

He was extradinarily entertaining as the hissing homo/trash biographer/murder suspect in Evil Under the Sun.

He and Diana Rigg had some spectacularly bitchy exchanges.

Sometimes an actor excels at a type. One who excels at a gay type almost automatically has a limited number of options in terms of roles. There are only so many fussy waiters in film.

Roddy and Rupert Everett were friends.

I wonder much they compared notes on how to get good roles while perceived as gay by the public.

I think Rupert Everett has the wider range, but RM had a career that seemed to go forever. Maybe Rupert Everett needs a Fright Night to come along and bring forth a new stage in his career.

Everett needs to review this.

You can't phone in a comeback.

Does Eddie Redmayne count?

Thank you for the Perkins pics and the Evil Under the Sun suggestion!

I love the term fame-o-sexual R265

r304, Evil Under the Sun has inspired a number of DL threads, the most important of which may well be "Nicholas Clay's Ass in Black Speedos."

Interesting that Rock Hudson doesn't really make a dent here.

He is not an incredible actor, but he can have a light comic touch as succeeds as a rascally rogue straight man in the Doris Day sex comedies.

I am not opposed to Neil Patrick Harris at all, but I think Rock Hudson has an amiability as a skirt-chaser that NPH lacks.

I actually thought NPH was quite funny in the Harold and Kumar movies playing a pussyhound version of himself.

But sometimes you could tell what Rock was thinking...

Rock and Anthony Perkins seem to exist in different spheres of both Hollywood and gayness.

Rock was almost the pinnacle of the Henry Willson beefcake factory. Anthony Perkins was more delicate, both in physique and demeanor.

And they both died from AIDS, but at quite different points in the disease's timeline. RH's death and the revelation of AIDS was huge news. Perkins had already faded into semi-obscurity when he died.

I like both stars, but neither has a huge range, though Perkins could be quite magnetic with this anxious sexual energy.

Hudson may have been studying Yves Montand for his rugged demeanor.

NPH comes across as straight to me. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't suspect him. But you know who doesn't? Channing Tatum. Not only is he not masculine, but he is queenier than John Travolta.

Has anyone ever read this?

I think Rock Hudson could definitely pull it off. He did have chemistry with Doris Day but they were also great friends. My mother loved McMillan and wife too but I can't remember his chemistry with Susan St. James.

Surprised no one has brought up Grant Gustin. Even his "straight" flash is a total homo.

Agree w/r313. Rock Hudson had a warmth onscreen that amplified his chemistry with co-stars. He wasn't as plastic as many in the Henry Willson stable (e.g. Tab Hunter) and seemed more natural in light roles, which were his specialty.

r311, I mostly see a veneer of narcissism in Channing Tatum that gets in the way of a performance. Not necessarily gay, but maybe a trait that DL would call gay-adjacent.

Cesar Romero, glorious gay.

Hot doggin' it.

Cesar Romero with Tyrone Power.

Did Joan Crawford get some action from Cesar Romero?

He squired her around a lot.

For decades.

And decades.

Anthony Perkins plays the husband of Mary Tyler Moore in the 1978 TV movie First, You Cry. The idea that he was gay in real life (or bisexual if you insist) gives his role an added interest. He plays a man that supposedly admires the body of a female ice-skater but is reluctant to have any public display of affection with his wife. Also he rejects MTM after she has a mastectomy because he is physically repulsed by her post-surgery body and allows her to leave him for another man who is not as repulsed, played by Richard Crenna.

Garrett Clayton. While times ARE changing and there are a few more gay roles than there used to be, he might find it tough to get roles after awhile.

Being a gay actor is kinda like having a really strong accent as an actor. If you can't learn how to mask it, it's hard to get diverse and interesting roles. Then again, some are just happy and surprised they've even made it this far and will coast by for as long as they can.

Cesar Romero in the later days. Please note the tip of his dick in the tight pants. One need not guess why Joan Crawford kept him on tap for fifty years.

Stewart Copeland muses on Ramon Novarro as the original cinematic Ben Hur.

Adjectives include "twinkly."

I've recently watched Richard Armitage in several things (North and South--period drama-- and MI-5 (aka Spooks in UK). I know he's gay from DL (and that he's living with Lee Pace or was--not sure they're still together). He is completely unconvincing opposite any woman I've seen him with--just too emotionally distant. Though he probably would make a good Mr. Rochester, if they ever did Jane Eyre again. Definitely good-looking in a Shakespearean actor sort of way. However, I saw the first episode of this new show, Berlin Station, and he is loosing his looks. Looks older than 45 or whatever he is. Terribly written show IMO--not nearly as good as MI-5, which I have become addicted and am starting on Season 10, the last season.

I have never had trouble seeing a gay actor play straight...to me they are all believable they are actors. Some of you are just homophobic assholes.

You probably spend half your life criticizing your mothers. Just a bunch of assholes.

Re the photo at R298:

Isn't this the original version . . .

Simmer down, r327. There is a great deal of affection on this thread for a good number of the unconvincing performers..

Most gay men have historically had to pretend to be straight or asexual. Watching this on the screen and seeing through it is a reflection of a lot of our lives, whether we like it or not.

And yes, it can be funny, but mostly in the sense that the gayness simply cannot be contained, not by a script, not by a studio, not by a director or an editor, and not by the actor trying to rein it inside of his own body. It exists, even when it isn't supposed to. I think I am more interested in the actors on this thread from before this millennium because they are imprinting themselves perhaps more honestly, even when they are trying their damnedest not to.

I do wonder about the casting of obviously gay men in some of these roles. Were they trying to capitalize on the inherent goofiness (JM J Bullock in Too Close for Comfort) or uptightness/prissiness/bitchiness (Paul Lynde in anything) with the added comical effect of misfit gayness that can be laughed at without being named?

Would writers have attempted a rape episode on a straight actor playing a straight character? Poor Munro. I really wish JM J Bullock would talk about his reaction to seeing that script and then actually doing the fucking episode. I wish I could link it. It was up a few years ago, but apparently whoever owns the rights to the series is trying to undo history and pretend that it never happened.

The truth always wins, Too Close for Comfort.

Kevin Meany

and now he never will get the chance.

RIP Kevin Meany

R327 Thinks the Bridgette Jones' films are classics and 'T.G.I. Fridays' is 5-star eating.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Taylor Lautner

Hugh Jackman

[quote]Garrett Clayton. While times ARE changing and there are a few more gay roles than there used to be, he might find it tough to get roles after awhile.

I am going to see King Cobra next week. Garrett Clayton will be playing a gay role, as we all know. I imagine I won't be able to believe him as Brent Corrigan. He's just not as goodlooking. I find that more of a flaw than whether he can play straight or not.

There is a King Cobra thread from this week started by a guy who streamed it while getting drunk.

His review was pretty meh, so measure your expectations. Or drink a lot.

In a slightly different vein, I never expected that the Sweathog who turned out to be gay would be Horseshack, Ron Palillo, RIP.

He was another gay playing the slightly asexual outsider, but I never read him as gay, at least not as a child. I tried to watch the show as an adult but found it unbearable.

And I guess we'll be awaiting that Barbarino announcement for some time.

I saw this Dutch film when I was a boy and even then I felt there was something different about Miss Anthony Perkins. I've watched the film in adulthood with my bf and we laugh like hell at the conclusion of this scene when Perkins exits the room. Hard to believe so many women crushed on him.

r339: "Don't worry, you produced two children. That makes you some kind of a stud."

Anthony Perkins also had two kids - with Marisa Berenson's sister Berry, who had been obsessed with him for years before their marriage.

I don't really get why women crushed on him, either.

Anthony Perkins had an awkwardness and vulnerability that complemented his lanky body and expressive face. I think that is an appeal to a lot of women who want to nurture.

I would be put off by the anxiety that seems to perpetually emanate from him.

Hitchcock recognized this and used it so well that that actor was never able to escape the shadow of the role in Psycho. Perkins uses the stammering, eye-darting character over and over, but maybe he had no choice.

I remember thinking that there was a lot of Norman Bates on the train in Murder on the Orient Express.

I believe Perkins was another gay who sought out conversion therapy like electric shock.

Jodie Foster, that fucking bulldyke, was gay as hell and completely unconvincing as a heterosexual woman in The Brave One, Carnage, etc

Jonathan Bennett

Anthony Perkins gave it his all not to be gay - after he had affairs and hook-ups left and right across Hollywood all through the sixties.

On the other hand, Vincent Rodriguez III is quite good as the brahtastic, slightly dimwitted but bighearted Josh on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

He is an out gay actor, complete with his own DL thread.

Vincent Rodriguez thread

Vincent Rodriguez is adorable.

What about the guys who play White Josh and her boss?

White Josh!

News on David Hull?

David Hull on The Middle. Apparently, they know the camera loves his nipples.

He was in the chorus in the TV broadcast of The Sound of Music.

David Hull's thread

Maybe it's that Irish tenor..

What caused Kevin Meaney's death?

And thanks, r351.

David Hull is hot

They should have just re-envisioned Uncle Buck as gay.

His friends could have included Rip Taylor, Chrarles Nelson Reilly, and Tom Seleck.

Maybe 1990 would have allowed for a sexless homo around kids.

Not so in 1981.

The Love, Sidney theme song sung by Tony Randall, Swoosie Kurtz, and the kid was one of the most saccharine and out-of-tune in TV history.

Gladys Knight made it considerably more palatable.

Question for the elders:

Did comics who regularly incorporated drag characters into their schtick risk the public questioning their sexuality? Where was the line separating them from actual drag performers?

Flip Wilson? Milton Berle?

Swimmer shoulders bare

Swimmer shoulders striped

Daryl is the surrogate DLer on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Is the actor gay? (The character is a self-proclaimed - in song - bisexual.)

According to IMDB, he has a wife and two kids R362

So two straight guys in lust plus a gay guy as the straight romantic lead?

It is a very funny show, regardless of the sexual juxtapositions of cast and characters.

Also, I think Pete Gardner looks better without the stache, which surprises me since I usually go for the facial hair.

There's no real proof that David Hull is straight.

Jared Leto can't do straight love scenes to save his life. He never has chemistry with his female costars. His scenes with Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad were so cringey they had to bring out all the camera tricks to film around their awkward kissing. Compare that to his scene straddling and petting Ike Barinholtz and tell me which moment had more passion.

Neil Patrick Harrison

A five-star Oh, Dear for r368.

R249 I expected Shawn's Animorphs character Jake to catfight his female cousin Rachel over moody cutie Tobias (but iirc a lot of the str8 kids watching Animorphs wanted Jake to hook up up with Rachel?).

Shawn has little chemistry with female leads at all, it was so funny watching him kiss babydyke Ellen in Xmen. His twin brother Aaron does a little better at conveying feelings of str8 attraction, though.

Josh Peck.

He kissed maybe three girls total on the entirety of his Nickelodeon sitcom run (7 years or so?) and it looked uncomfortable every time, compared to his costar Drake who was seen happily chewing the face off a girl every episode.

He compares himself to Raven Symone in this interview, calls John Stamos 'dreamy' and and slyly quips that he has a 'connection' with Zac Efron. He also deflects a question about Fathehood, saying he'd prefer to be an uncle.

That said Drake is pretty fey irl. How come he always gets roles playing skirtchasers?

Jim Parsons

Even his gramatically challenged boov character in Home came off as a gayling.

But he pulled it off as a supporting character in Hidden Figures. It's just the leads that are problematic.

R140 Orlando's constant woman-trouble baffles me. He'd have had an easier time dating blokes.

Orlando should date Luke Evans. They'd be perfect boyfriend twins.

"Ann B. Davis. I could never buy into Alice's relationship with Sam the Butcher on Brady Bunch. I think he was just a cover for her real romance with Kay, another obvious lesbian."

I think that "Sam" was short for Samantha. Around town, people knew them as Alice the Butch and Sam the Butcher.

Kate McKinnon

R372 20 year old Drake Bell was the dreamiest twink on the planet.

You guys really don't think Bomer was convincing on his tv series. Interesting.

Miles Heizer played the straight character Alex on 13 Reasons Why... or at least he tried. Viewers were shocked when he "came out" as straight and wanted to get with Jess.

Had the same issue R380 . Having never read the book I kept expecting Alex to hookup with Dylan Minette's character Clay for at least the first four episodes.

R379 You'd be hard pressed to find a fair critique of Bomer on theDL. He's generally despised for being an out gay male here, trashing him as actor is standing operating procedure. There's nothing interesting about it at all.

Bomer was one of those guys I never thought about. I took him among the numerous bland white boys with their own tv show. Was surprised when he came out but now that he is i think I look and notice things I wouldn't have done so before. He was believable as a straight playboy on White Collar not that that really required any heavy lifting.

R372 - Josh was a fattie until recently which may explain his awkwardness though he always came off as pretty gay to me. Like he was holding in his inner Fierstein (he's got that same gravelly voice.)

Drake is hot, could see him being gay but not sure how much of that is due to the seed I spilled back in high school imagining him bottoming for me.

Surprisingly Josh got engaged about 10 months ago (to a pretty young woman), big rock and everything if Twitter is to be believed, R384. You aren't the first and won't be the last to say he seems gay through-and-through, though. You can still see a bit of pain around his eyes, even when he's clowning around. If you grow up a misfit for whatever reason, there's a part of you that never really gets over it.

Drake & Josh kind of come as a package deal and that goes for gay rumors, too. Around the time their show wrapped (2007? 2008?) Bell & Peck were both doing rounds on various talk-shows like The View to promo their upcoming solo ventures, and the couple-y way they conducted said interviews (sat with no space between, fawning compliments, staring at each other, laughing into each other's necks etc) attracted a lot of attention from the more obsessive & critical adult tv-holics on YouTube and on fansites like TwP (of course the little kids that were fans of 'Drake & Josh' didn't notice any gay behaviors and didn't care). Neither appeared with the other publicly for like 5 years after that, so maybe word got back to them that they were coming over affianced and should tone it down? Sad if so, they looked cute together.

Drake has spoken publicly about how he's a fan of DL-favorite movies, and Mary Pickford. He had a weird hate-fascination with Bieber, too.

The guy in your clip mentions the Jonas brothers R385. Their Disney channel characters seemed 10x more gay (and in cestuous) than either Drake or Josh ever did (who aren't blood relatives in their show or irl).

The second series of the JONAS sitcom had Kevin & Nick acting like a bickering couple of bitches. Joe meanwhile had got himself an adorable hag named Stella and was trying to 'get auditions' in Hollywood (meaning, 'date boys'). Go to around the 7m minute mark in the clip at the link for good gay moments.

R384 D&J walked the thin line between gay and Camp. The innuendo in that show was second-to-none.

I heard a weird rumor about Drake Bell that is probably nothing but a rumor. Allegedly, Drake pressured one of the male staff members to have a sexual relationship with him and it didn't end well. I think Drake was under-age at the time (16-17?) and he threatened to expose the guy as a pedo and get him blacklisted in town. The friend who told me said that the staff member was either a writer, director or producer.

R388 Hilarious if true, but probably more likely that Drake had to fend off unwanted sexual attention from said crewmember, who then moved post-show to a vineyard in the Napa Valley to grow his sour, sour grapes.

I just starated to watch this show and I totally bought Vincent Rodriquez III. But I just found out he was gay and married to a man. Let's see if I can buy it knowing.

I never heard of him before or on here. Doesn't Josh get love from DL. They also have white....er gay Josh on the show also.

Kevin Spacey--no, not ever. Not as a DA sexually harassing intern Sandra Bullock. Not as a teacher interested in single mother Helen Hunt. Not as Judy Davis' battling husband. And not as a supposedly lecherous middle aged guy in American Beauty. Vin Diesel, Matt Bomer (sorry, not even a little), Queen Latifah, Jodie Foster. Jesse Martin (if he has more than five lines), Keanu Reeves.

r390, there have been several threads that touch on Josh and White Josh. The latter gets most of the love here. Imagine.

I think Vincent Rodriguez is completely convincing as the straight love interest. He's a total brah, but likable and only slightly dim, in a charming way.

r392, right, gay asian = no datalounge interest

R386 the hot tamale Joe is on the couch with at 7:48 does not look straight to me either.

I remember seeing the first episodes of that show (the one where they're in highschool?) before I knew who the Jonas Brothers were in real life, and I thought Kevin & Nick were boyfriends/not related. It was a weird show for Disney.

Nathan Lane, for sure. If we're talking past, Paul Lynde.

The thread title clearly says "Cannot Play Straight Characters But Give It Their All Anyway"

Paul Lynde might've played characters who were nominally straight, but he NEVER gave an ounce of effort toward making it believable. His gayness on screen was not because he couldn't act the part, but because he refused to, and didn't give a shit.

Sharon Gless and Tyne Daley, the only co-stars I ever believed they were attracted to were each other.

"Straight" is a lie and therefore unplayable.

Re: R173

I thought Rupert Everett identifies as bisexual?

Jim Parsons wins this thread. If he had a shred of acting talent, which he doesn't, he could be a hillbilly third cousin on the old Andy Griffith show, or a lustful townfolk on Dukes of Hazzard, Bomer comes in second. THE MIDDLE often has a gay vibe. Mike never married in real life. All of Axel's friends seem very gay, esp. the black one. Misc. male characters have come across as gay.

Naming all the three openly gay actors in Hollywood over and over, and over and over, and over and over, plus Kevin Spacey, there must have been Travolta a few times as well, ugh.

R372 Bell just seems to like hanging with girls, maybe he just picked it up. He also enjoys camp, he used to do occasional drag on THE AMANDA SHOW.

[quote] AMANDA: (demonstrates dance move) Sooo, get it? DRAKE: I'm sorry, I'm not that feminine. (grins at camera, cameraman laughs)

R401 Travolta can pull off straight, as long as he's not paired with Lily Tomlin.

Hugh Grant is only convincing in MAURICE (1987).

Hard to tell though whether that is because he's terrible at straight roles, or because he's cast in terrible straight roles.

"Jim Parsons wins this thread. If he had a shred of acting talent, which he doesn't, he could be a hillbilly third cousin on the old Andy Griffith show, or a lustful townfolk on Dukes of Hazzard, Bomer comes in second."

Watch The Normal Heart. Parsons can act. Geez, does DL have to rip up EVERY openly gay actor?

[quote]Geez, does DL have to rip up EVERY openly gay actor?

Yes.

It's in the bylaws.

R372/R402-- always so happy when someone on here is talking to my own cultural/generational references, lol

Yeah, Josh was too fat to be sexual during the show, but you always got the sense that he was crushing on Drake and would gladly have slept with him if Drake was into it.

Drake was also the subject of my fantasies. He's about five foot three, but he's cute. Never got a gay vibe as much as the straight guy who'd be down to let his friend blow him kind of vibe.

He has one of those faces/physiques that he'll be able to play teenagers until he's mid-30s.

A little OT but to bring the kids-tv posts full-circle: Cambio once let actor Josh Peck loose on live-stream to flirt outrageously with Kevin Jonas, and Kevin lapped up the attention like cream. Josh was on-fire with his quips as he is with anyone, but he was blushing and staring plenty too. Who knows whether either guy liked men back in the day on Nick/Disney, but there have been noticeable vibes from both since they left.

They'd actually be a cute couple (1987 boys!) if they'd both calm down a little.

Tell us more R394...

Kevin's well-suited to a sitcom format that does not call for a convincing show of overt heterosexuality, ergo he fit in on the Disney Channel.

Harder to get a read on the other two, but rumors about Nick/Joe bullying Kevin about his sexuality always bothered me. Let's hope they're untrue.

That theory would explain a lot about Drake & Josh R407.

The press rounds they did for their Christmas movie were flirty to an outre degree,

R405 saw it. He can't act, same character minus the whiney corny same old jokes.

It's funny, though, how no one ever struggles to buy fey Johnny Galecki as a woman's partner.

Even Darlene/David seemed perfectly plausible.

R370 the twinky kid who played Tobias is Newfoundland actor Christopher Ralph. He has had cameos in such productions as Kojak, MTV's Undressed and even QAF (US, in Season 3 as a fan of that violinist Justin dated).

He also had a sizeable role in the CBC Television biopic of Shania Twain (really).

You couldn't possibly mean me ! I'm terribly masculine and I KNOW that many a girl has cried herself to sleep after I finding out that I'm gay and into men.

Especially when you consider their relatively nonchalant attitude towards guys touching guys, the episode of [italic]Silver Spoons[/italic] where Dexter almost moves across the country to be with Whitney Houston should have outed Franklyn Seales once and for all.

And the year before that, Whitney did a non-singing role as one of Katie's friends on [italic]Gimme A Break![/italic] with a really butch-looking haircut.

[quote] I KNOW that many a girl has cried herself to sleep after I finding out that I'm gay and into men. - N P H

Well, how do you think I felt about all my non-porn gayling crushes marrying women?

I actually know women who think NPH is cute and none of them knew he was gay until he came out.

Ian McKellen - Gandalf

Tom Huddleston - Taylor Swift's boyfriend. I've never seen him in a movie or anything but paparazzi photos but damn he is unconvincing.

Hey, Hey, Hey! Don't you forget about me!

Hawksilver > Witchhawk & Widowhawk.

Just sayin'.

If he wants a film career r282 it's a good move. I do however agree with r55 - Giuntoli's scenes in general with the male members of the cast were much more authentic. Tulloch and he had zero chemistry.

What about some of the actor in the DL Chronicles (Black Gay series) ? I read a vigorous debate between a male and female regarding Terrell Tilford, a very handsome guy. The woman was very anxious and said he enjoyed the man-on-man kissing too much, that he was obviously gay. Such stupid commentary because it is the job of actors top make the characters believable...wasn't it Spencer Tracy or maybe it was Bogart who said, "never get caught acting'. There are a number of different episodes with good-looking black actors, just wondering about speculation.

Eve Arden

[quote] ...always got the sense he was crushing on Josh and would have gladly slept with him if Josh was into it.

R407 FIFY.

R166, Dick Van Dyke and MTM, were totally convincing as a married couple.

Kevin Spacey. His accent on House of Cards is an affectation of a FEMALE southern accent. A male southern accent is a bit less queeny to say the least.

[quote]Hugh Grant is only convincing in MAURICE (1987).

And in the 1991 movie Our Sons (in which he also plays a gay person)

NPH was quite funny playing a debauched, douchebro version of himself in the Harold & Kumar movies.

R427, Frank Underwood is not straight.

Tony Randall.

Cole Sprouse.

Not only in 'Riverdale' (his character was originally written 'asexual' or gay-vague then got het-washed), but in his latter-day Disney work too (as a legal teen). He's a competent actor and streets ahead of his 'Riverdale' cast, just not the best hetero on television. Fortunately, this has not seemed to matter on the projects he's taken so far. From this point he'll either get better at simulating straight-passion with enforced practice from upcoming roles, or, he'll stay at the level he is and carve out a niche playing 'weird' (r: gay-vague) characters. And that's not always the worst typecasting to get, if you want interesting work.

His character got to 2nd with a girl in the finale of 'Riverdale' S1 and it was mechanical. Not clumsy, just cold or studied somehow. It takes a gay person (or a mature & experienced straight one) to spot the lack of passion in that performance, though. I don't believe he's ever cared to touch a woman sexually in real life or on-screen, but a million teen girls disagree with me, so.

Clearly R73 doesn't understand the concept of ACTING.

Seth Green.

Year old thread and it's more true about Matt Bomer now than ever.

Brad Pitt

Leonardo DiCaprio

Tom Hiddleston

Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Hiddleston

I think so many here are mistaking bad acting with bad chemistry. Henry Cavill, Taylor Kitch are simply bad actors to create any chemistry. Also some good actors just aren't inherently sexy like Jodie Foster, NPH, Eric Stonestreet, Eddie Redmaybe. Gay actors like Luke Evans, Matt Bomer, Zach Quinto can have chemistry with both sexes.

Zachary Quinto had chemistry with whom?

I did enjoy him on AHS: Asylum with Sarah Paulson, but I would not say the two shared sexual chemistry.

Neil Patrick Harris

[quote] Josh was too fat to be sexual during the show.

R407 clearly didn’t catch the final season of ‘Drake & Josh’. Josh became a butterfly, turned out he was the hot one after all.

Drake Bell flamed in AMERICAN SATAN with fellow scrawny Rock twink Andy Biersack.

r397, but they are straight. They are the definition of Frau.

Was Tyne Daly a late in life lesbian because she was married for decades and had 3 chldren. Gless also married to one man, I don't know if had any kids.

I believed Lacey and her husband drama on the show. Didn't really buy Christine and her commit relationship foes. but I brought her on Burn This as Michaels, Frau Mom and her little romances.

only gays should play gays

Jim Parsons