Viggo Mortensen Hits Back At People Saying Straight Actors Shouldn’t Play LGBT Characters

Viggo Mortensen has played a whole raft of characters on the big and small screen, from a sword wielding king to a bouncer-cum-driver.

The actor believes he should be allowed to play whatever role he thinks he will be able to accurately portray, and is unimpressed by suggestions that straight people should not play LGBT roles.

He recently wrote the script for Falling, which will be his directorial debut, and has cast himself in the lead role. His character in the film, John Peterson, is a gay man who lives with his partner and tries to get his father to change his views.

He's since found himself in the middle of the debate about whether casting directors should pick LGBT actors to play LGBT characters.

Viggo thinks people should be allowed to take on a role if they think they can do it justice.

Speaking to The Times, the actor said: "Look, these are the times we're living in, and I think it's healthy that those issues are brought up.

"The short answer is that I didn't think it was a problem. And people then ask me, 'Well what about Terry Chen, who plays my husband in the film, is he a homosexual?' And the answer is I don't know, and I would never have the temerity to ask someone if they were, during the casting process.

"And how do you know what my life is? You're assuming that I'm completely straight. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. And it's frankly none of your business.

"I want my movie to work, and I want the character of John to be effective. So if I didn't think it was a good idea I wouldn't do it."

Scarlett Johansson was famously dropped from a film called Rub & Tug that would have seen her play a trans-man, following a vocal outcry from activists.

Kristen Stewart, who is bisexual, believes there is a 'grey area' in the issue.

She told Variety: "I would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who's lived that experience.

"Having said that, it's a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I'm going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law."

The Twilight actor said it's a case by case basis and that people should be allowed to play certain roles if they believe they're equipped to fully express the character.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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