10 Gay Actors Who Always Play Straight Characters

Hollywood is a land of pretend. We fall in love with characters and forget that they are merely actors. Acting is about embodying an image and mindset that varies depending on what character the actors are portraying. In today’s society, the stigma around homosexuality had faded and many celebrities have come out with their sexuality.
There are countless actors that are gay but are always cast as a straight character.

If you are an actor, you are expected to rise to certain challenges in order to play different roles. What people need to understand is that an actor’s sexual orientation does not matter because a talented actor is able to become someone else when they are at work. A straight actor should be able to play a gay character and a gay actor should be able to play a straight character. Although our society has come a long way with gay rights, there is still work that can be done. We need to stop defining people by labels like “gay” and “straight” and instead we need to define people for who they are as a person.
The following ten actors are doing an incredible job in breaking the stigma surrounding homosexuality; ten proud gay actors who only seem to play straight characters.

10. Victor Garber

Victor Garber is best recognized by our generation from the television series Alias where he played Jennifer Garner‘s dad. Many never realized that the talented Victor Garber is gay, however in 2012 he spoke publicly about Rainer Andreesen, his life partner. Like most celebrities on this list, Garber’s sexuality was never a secret, he had just never made this information public. Besides Alias, he has played other strong straight men in movies like Sleepless in Seattle and Legally Blonde. Garber is a great example of how sexuality does not change your talent as an actor.

9. Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson is a beautiful and talented actress who has played some incredible roles. Paulson has made herself a household name in the past few years due to the immense success of the FX television series American Horror Story, as well as her incredible role in the Oscar winning film 12 Years Slave. Sarah has been connected to other openly gay celebrities like her good friend, the talented Ryan Murphy (creator of Glee and American Horror Story). Paulson was in a public relationship with Cherry Jones for a few years, however they broke up in 2009.

8. Matt Bomer

Matt Bomer is definitely classified as a Hollywood hottie. His talent and extreme good looks have led him to huge success in his career. A lot of women around the world were left broken hearted when they found out he was gay. It was surprising because of the characters he plays. In 2011, Bomer took the leap and married the love of his life, Simon Halls. While promoting Magic Mike XXL, Bomer got extremely frustrated with a reporter when asked if the gay community was harder to please than straight women. Bomer is all about equality and we are right behind him; his frustration was clear and understandable.

7. Guillermo Diaz

Guillermo Diaz has appeared in some pretty epic movies like 200 Cigarettes and Half Baked, as well as some awesome television shows like Weeds and his most recent role on the incredible television series Scandal (if you are not watching it, you should be). His characters on screen have always been straight men, and he plays his roles extremely well. Diaz, who was raised in Brooklyn and went to school in the Bronx, felt like he had to hide his sexual orientation due to the environment he grew up in. This hardship however, is what probably made him such a great actor.

6. Raven Symone

When you are a child actress, especially when you are on a huge show like The Cosby Show, people will pay close attention to you. Raven Symone eventually got her own show, titled That’s So Raven. Rumors of her sexuality have floated around Hollywood for a long time, however Raven chose to ignore them. In 2013, she finally came out, in a subtle but obvious way. Applauding the legalization of gay marriage in certain states, she then casually stated “Now I could get married,” and that was it. Raven never made a big deal out of her sexuality because to her it is just “who she is” and we love her for that.

5. Wentworth Miller

When the world found out Wentworth Miller was gay, straight women around the globe shed a tear and gay men around the globe celebrated. This stud was born in Oxfordshire, England and was raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 1995, Miller moved to Los Angeles in hopes of making it big. After landing a few small roles he finally got his big break, his Prison Break, that is. Miller landed the lead in the hit series where he played the lead character Michael Scofield. Miller is extremely open about the struggles he has faced in regards to his sexuality and is a great advocate for the gay community.

4. Cynthia Nixon

Cynthia Nixon is best known as Miranda on the iconic television show Sex and the City. On the show, her character, like her co-stars, are man-crazy. The entire premise of the show revolves around what it’s like to be a single woman dating men in New York City. Sex and the City is all about sex between men and women, which is why many were surprised to discover one of the stars of the show has no interest in men sexually…at all. Nixon, who is probably most people’s least favorite character from the show, has been married to Christine Marinoni since 2012.

3. Jim Parsons

Jim Parsons became a household name after becoming the star of the hit television show The Big Bang Theory. Although his character on the show is not a womanizer at all, Sheldon, who is played by Parsons, is still a straight man. In recent seasons, Parson even finds himself a girlfriend on the show – Amy, who is Sheldon’s perfect on-screen match. However, he has no need for a girl in real life. Parsons and his life partner are very happy together. The pair live a simple and loving life, that is besides Parson’s fame.

2. Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster has had an incredible career and through the years she has had the opportunity of playing some epic roles. Foster began acting as a child and earned her first big role in the 1970s classic Taxi Driver. Since then, rumors of Foster’s sexuality have circled Hollywood, however Foster always remained a private person. That was until the Golden Globes in 2013, where Jodie Foster finally came out publicly. Foster is now married to Alexandra Hedison, a beautiful photographer, and claims she has never been happier.

1. Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris is best known for his role as Barney Stinson, the ladies man, player extraordinaire from the hit television series How I Met Your Mother. When he came out of the closet, the world was shocked. However, nothing in his career really changed, he continues to play straight roles, and why shouldn’t he. Since How I met Your Mother has come to an end, Neil Patrick Harris appeared in the insanely popular film Gone Girl as well as American Horror Story: Freak Show. Harris has a gorgeous husband and two stunning children and claims that he wouldn’t change his life for anything.
Sources: therichest.com