Neighbours star slammed for ‘straight acting’ comment
Image: Photo: Matt Wilson / Twitter.
NEIGHBOURS actor Matt Wilson, who plays a gay character, has been criticised for his comments that his character “acts straight and acts normal”.
Wilson made the controversial remarks during a television appearance, Gay Star News has reported.
“There are a lot of people who think you should have a gay actor playing a gay character, but that’s like saying you should get someone in a wheelchair to play a character in a wheelchair,” he said.
“I think it’s important that we are expressing it. We specifically designed the character to act straight and act normal.
“When I say ‘normal’, I mean he’s not like the characters on Modern Family, where they are flamboyant and camp and they walk around tiptoeing.
“That creates separation—that’s us and them. It shouldn’t be like that. It should be all equal and no one should have a problem with that. The way other characters act around my character is that there is never a problem at all.”
Social media users called out Wright on his comments.
“Glad to know I’m not ‘normal’ because I’m effeminate,” tweeted one person.
“We should all act normal and homophobia will stop,” wrote another.
Wilson apologised on Twitter, writing, “Choice of words wasn’t right and apologies if it comes across as offensive.
“The message I wanted to get across (and this is in support of one of my friends as he is having issues coming out) that he sick and tired of people assuming that because his sexuality is different to the guy next to him that they ‘expected him to act different’. This isn’t the case, and shouldn’t be preached on TV.
“Once again—apologies for offending you, I trust you can see through this and we are promoting the same message.”
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Gay people come in all types and anyone is welcome to play whatever character is required by the TV series, movie, play or whatever. What isn’t nice is to generalise about all gay people or assume that an effeminate gay person isn’t “normal” or acceptable.
It is time to ban stupid celebrities from opening their fat mouth, on subjects they have no idea about! I am a butch cisgender gay men and we should have respect and dignity to effeminate men of any sexual orientation, HIV status or gender identity as well! I in the past worked with a effeminate straight man and boy was he did his 10 hour job more efficiently run than me working within the NSW Government. People made jokes about him behind his back, but I always had his back! The very people that made fun of him had big skellitons in their closet! I have a saying: “Stereotypes and bigotry kill performance and productivity, but inclusiveness and openness empowers productivity and performance!”
Oh FFS! The gay community is way too precious sometimes. Get over it, there are all types in our community. Flamboyant gays are portrayed all the time on TV, it’s nice to have a “normal” gay character. Yes normal, not flamboyant, not transgender, not a drag queen just a normal suburban homo.
I don’t mind straight actors playing gay or cis actors playing trans or able-bodied actors playing disabled, but I do mind people playing those roles who seem to lack any empathy for the experience of those characters in the real world.