Andrew Scott: Opposing gay actors in straight roles is 'prejudice'

Andrew Scott says it’s “prejudice” to oppose gay actors playing straight roles. Maybe. But it’s also a pretty neat way to end the conversation before it starts. Casting isn’t a moral exam. It’s a practical one. Producers are trying to sell a story, protect a budget, and avoid unforced errors. If an actor can carry the role, great. If not, they shouldn’t get it just to make a point.

The truth is, Hollywood has been playing dress-up with identity forever. Straight actors have played gay. Gay actors have played straight. British actors play Americans with suspiciously perfect vowels. That’s the job. Acting is pretending, not testifying. When Scott frames any disagreement as bigotry, he’s basically saying only one view is allowed, and everyone else is suspect.

We also notice the double standard that always sneaks in here. The industry is perfectly happy to police casting when it fits the politics of the moment, then turns around and lectures everyone about “art” when the policing gets inconvenient. Nobody should need permission to question a casting choice. If the performance is right, the audience will show up. If the performance is wrong, no amount of scolding will fix it.

Scott is talented, and he’s right to want to be judged on his work. So let’s do that. Let directors cast who they want, let audiences react how they want, and let critics argue without turning every disagreement into a character indictment. Stop treating casting like a courtroom. It’s a screen, not a sermon.