Stanley Tucci defends straight actors playing gay characters: 'An actor is an actor is an actor'

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"The Devil Wears Prada" actor Stanley Tucci defended straight actors taking on gay roles while referencing his career during a radio show on Sunday.

While appearing on BBC Radio 4’s "Desert Island Discs" show, Tucci discussed his life and his many famous movies including "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Supernova," both of which he portrayed a gay man despite being straight.

When asked to weigh in on the debate over whether a heterosexual actor should play someone who is gay, Tucci defended the practice if it’s done "the right way."

"Obviously I believe that’s fine," Tucci said. "I am always very flattered when gay men come up to me and talk to me about ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ or they talk about ‘Supernova,’ and they say that, ‘It was just so beautiful,’ you know, ‘You did it the right way.’ Because often, it’s not done the right way."

Stanley Tucci attends "La Fortuna" premiere during 69th San Sebastian International Film Festival at Kursaal Palace on September 24, 2021 in San Sebastian, Spain.  (Carlos Alvarez)

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He added, "But I really do believe that an actor is an actor is an actor. You’re supposed to play different people. You just are. That’s the whole point of it."

Tucci’s comments contrasted some arguments from his fellow actors over the past few years. In an interview with The New York Times Magazine in 2022, Tom Hanks admitted that he would not have taken his Oscar-winning role as Andrew Beckett in "Philadelphia" due to the character being gay.

"Could a straight man do what I did in ‘Philadelphia’ now? No, and rightly so," Hanks said. "The whole point of ‘Philadelphia’ was, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man. We’re beyond that now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy." 

Tom Hanks admitted in 2022 that he would not have taken on his award-winning role in "Philadelphia" today. (Getty Images)

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He continued, "It’s not a crime, it’s not boohoo, that someone would say we are going to demand more of a movie in the modern realm of authenticity. Do I sound like I’m preaching? I don’t mean to."

"Star Trek" actor Zachary Quinto remarked in a 2018 Sirius XM interview that it is often rare to see openly out gay actors playing straight roles compared to the reverse.

A debate has continued over whether straight actors can continue to play gay characters. (Mariana Nedelcu/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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"You look at how many straight actors play gay roles, and how that door doesn’t swing the other way as much," Quinto said. "There are fewer gay actors playing straight roles. And there is something about that. You look at a movie like ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ which is an incredible film. The work by those straight actors was really great, but what would have been like if there were gay actors in those roles? I don’t know! Are those characters gay or just exploring something? Who knows."