Actor Eric McCormack commented on the debate surrounding non-LGBT actors playing gay characters.
McCormack, who is straight but is best known for playing gay lawyer Will Truman on the NBC comedy series “Will & Grace,” said in a British television interview on Monday that he still hopes “the best person for the role” is chosen, regardless of her sexuality.
Susanna Reid, co-host of ITV's “Good Morning Britain,” asked McCormack what he thought about straight actors playing gay characters.
“This is complicated for me, because I didn't become an actor to play an actor,” McCormack said.
“There isn't a role I've ever played where I wasn't playing something I'm not. That’s part of the job.”
“And I've always said, 'If gay actors couldn't play straight actors, Broadway would be over,'” he added.
“So that’s what we do. I'd like to think I represent that well, you know, literally. I came from theater, and one of my best friends was a gay man.”
“So I think I took their spirit and message in a show that would otherwise just be a sitcom, and represented it, I hope,” said the Canadian-born actor.
“Good Morning Britain” co-host Ed Balls then asked McCormack if he thought he would be cast as Will if the show were being made today.
“Well, I think the answer would be, they would have to ask in the casting room, 'And you're gay, right?', which I don't think they can ask,” the actor responded.
“So I still think, like you said, it's hypothetical. I would like to think that, generally speaking, the best person for the role, the one who comes in and kills it, is the one who gets the role.”
Created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, “Will & Grace” told the story of two codependent best friends – interior designer Grace Adler, played by Debra Messing, and McCormack's lawyer, Will – who share an apartment in the city from New York.
Its depiction of urban singles – some gay, some straight – was considered pioneering at the time.
The show debuted on NBC in September 1998 and aired until 2006, before returning from 2018 to 2020. In total, there were 246 episodes over 11 seasons.
Source: CNN Brasil
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