Ramin Setoodeh: Stop Digging

Has anyone got a more blinkered view of gays in the entertainment industry than Ramin Setoodeh?  Last year, for reasons that escape me, he decided that Sean Hayes shouldn’t be playing the lead in Broadway’s Promises, Promises because Hayes is gay.  Worse, Setoodeh thought it was a good idea to share that insight with the whole world.

You’d think that experience would have taught him a lesson, but he’s now back claiming that not only do audiences not “see” gay actors in straight roles, but that Hollywood won’t even let gay actors play gay roles.

Given the economy in California, it’s possible (I suppose) that TV doesn’t count as “Hollywood” anymore, but anyone who saw the Emmy awards last year might have noticed that one category alone — Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — had nominations for gay actors playing straight, gay actors playing gay and a straight actor playing gay.  Yes, the straight actor won, but does anyone at all think this Hollywood has any problem with any qualified actor playing gay roles?

Whatever it is Setoodeh is qualified to write about, gays in the entertainment industry seems not to be it.

One Comment for “Ramin Setoodeh: Stop Digging”

  1. posted by Tom on

    Setoodeh’s comments focus on the film industry, which has a different culture and is driven by different economics than television.

    He makes a point that has been made by others in recent years — Hollywood, dependent on economics deriving in large part from the box office draw of leading actors and actresses, is historically and remains almost pathologically risk-adverse when it comes to casting out gays and lesbians.

    Television can afford to be less risk-adverse, because a relatively small market share can be profitable.

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