Viggo Mortensen on criticism for playing gay role: ‘You’re assuming that I’m completely straight’
"Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. And it’s frankly none of your business."
(Picture: Viggo Mortensen and Terry Chen in Falling/Modern Films)
Viggo Mortensen has once again weighed in on debate around straight actors playing gay roles, saying critics are “assuming that I’m completely straight”, but that it’s “frankly none of your business.”
Which are both good points.
The 62-year-old star who plays a gay man in his new self-directed film Falling, addresses the issue in a new interview with The Times.
“I think it’s healthy that those issues are brought up”
Mortensen, also known for his work on the The Lord of the Rings films, told the publication: “Look, these are the times we’re living in, and I think it’s healthy that those issues are brought up.
“The short answer is that I didn’t think it was a problem. And people then ask me, ‘Well what about Terry Chen, who plays my husband in the film, is he a homosexual?’ And the answer is I don’t know, and I would never have the temerity to ask someone if they were, during the casting process.”
The star, who also discusses the film in the current issue of Attitude, added: “And how do you know what my life is? You’re assuming that I’m completely straight. Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. And it’s frankly none of your business.
“I want my movie to work, and I want the character of John to be effective. So if I didn’t think it was a good idea I wouldn’t do it.”
Actors who are widely believed to be straight but are playing gay in high profile upcoming films also include Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci in Supernova and Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Ammonite.
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