Actor and comedian James Corden has faced backlash for his performance as gay Broadway star Barry Glickman in Netflix's new film The Prom.
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The movie follows a group of has-been Broadway actors as they rally behind a teen girl's efforts to take her girlfriend to the prom in a conservative Indiana town.
Corden, who identifies as heterosexual, has come under fire from both viewers and critics, with his performance branded 'horrifically bad', 'grossly inappropriate' and drawing from 'bad gay stereotypes'.
AwardsWatch's Erik Anderson called the film as a whole 'gorgeous and vibrant', but singled out Corden for criticism.
He wrote on Twitter: "The main, and huge, drawback is James Corden. His performance is gross and offensive, the worst gayface in a long, long time. It's horrifically bad."
IndieWire's Zack Sharf was also not a fan, writing: "The Prom shouts about tolerance but has James Corden leaning into effeminate gay stereotypes every chance he gets. Someone make it make sense?"
Most regular viewers were not any kinder to the actor. One wrote: "I'm only 3 minutes into The Prom movie and this James Corden performance is already giving bad gay stereotypes."
Another said: "James Corden's performance is grossly inappropriate. It's not brave playing a gay man, in fact you stole the role from a member of the LGBTQ community."
However, not everyone was critical of Corden. One fan wrote: "Unpopular opinion but I don't think James Corden is that bad in The Prom?"
Another said: "Not really a fan of @JKCorden acting but I'm gonna defend him on this one. He's good in #TheProm."
For his part, Corden has said he is 'very proud' of his performance, explaining that guidance from director Ryan Murphy, who is gay, was invaluable in capturing the character.
He told Metro: "[As an actor] you spend quite a long time, just personally, feeling like you might be able to have a bit more to give. Like you might be able to have a bit more depth and you want someone like Ryan to come along and drop a script in your lap like this
"And then you go, 'Oh God, what if I am not able to do these things?'. Ryan, I will be indebted to forever for his guidance, the way that he led me through it. The way he led me through it as a director, the way he led me through it as a friend, the way he led me through it as a gay man. And I'll treasure those days.
"I find it very moving when I think about how I felt on those days when it was just Meryl [Streep] and I. I love those scenes and I'm very proud of them."
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: TV and Film, Netflix