I assume when we see them outside of roles, as themselves, they are playing the image of themselves that they want us to see. Since there are many more roles for heterosexual actors and since the perception of straightness occurs in the mind of the viewer, a gay actor who is good at playing straight has a strong motivation to keep his sexual orientation secret.
This is a strange debate, because we don't know the sexual orientation of every actor. And it's pretty clear that there are.'Īnother entry in the debate about whether gay actors can 'play straight.' 'Either there exists a certain set of characteristics, expressions, and vocal modulations that can indicate sexual orientation to an audience or there aren't.
