Actor Richard E. Grant Says Straight Actors Shouldn't Play Gay Roles

Actor Richard E. Grant, who was nominated for an Oscar last year for playing a gay HIV-positive man in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," told the Sunday Times Magazine this week that he believes straight actors should not play gay roles.

Grant, who is straight, said he has "concern" when straight actors play marginalized people in film.

"The transgender movement and the #MeToo movement means, how can you justify heterosexual actors playing gay characters?" he told the newspaper. "We are in a historic moment. If you want someone to play a disabled role, that should be a disabled actor. ... I understand why and how [the current mood has] come about."

Nevertheless, Grant went on to praise Timoth�e Chalamet, who is also straight, for his role as a young gay man in the 2017 film "Call Me By Your Name."

"What's extraordinary about Timoth�e Chalamet is that he has such an androgynous quality. Of all the actors out there, he is the most gender-fluid of them all," he told the Sunday Times.

Grant's comments come after Darren Criss said he'd no longer play queer roles after he won an Emmy for his portrayal of gay serial killer Andrew Cunanan on "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story." Additionally, Grant's remarks come after Scarlett Johansson caused a fury online when she said she should be allowed to play trans roles.

Grant will appear in the upcoming "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" this month.

Click here to read the full interview with the Sunday Times.