Zachary Quinto Calls Out This Major BS Notion About Gay Male Actors

There’s a stereotype about gay male actors that Zachary Quinto is ready to see come to an end — and he’s speaking up.

In an interview with The Independent the AHS: NYC actor talked about how something in Hollywood has changed in the decade since his own decision to come out in 2011. Particularly in how there has been an “incredible explosion of visibility” for LGBTQ+ people in the media, in specific for the trans community. But he also has a point that there’s still a lot of work to do, in particular, Quinto told the publication, for openly gay men in the industry.

“There’s still a tremendous amount of fear around particularly openly gay men in our industry,” Quinto said, referring to the way that gay men are seen as being less “manly”.

“There is this long-held and stubborn belief that to identify as an openly gay man on some level means you’re inherently less masculine, inherently less believable as a straight character.”

Quinto went on to explain why many actors still feel like they have to remain closeted for the sake of their careers as a result of these kinds of beliefs. “There are still actors who believe their careers are better served by not acknowledging their authentic selves. That’s their prerogative, but I think we’re part of a movement that is unstoppable,” he shared.

This isn’t the first time Quinto has broached this subject. Back in 2018 during an interview on SiriusXM, he explained how there’s a double standard, and that straight actors playing gay don’t have to fear the same impact on their careers.

“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.”

In recent years, there’s been a growing belief that marginalized roles should be played by actors whose lived experiences align with the character. Many good-faith arguments have been made on both sides. Quinto suggests a thoughtful wait-and-see response. “There’s a lot of controversy surrounding people playing roles that are actually in line with who they are authentically. It’s an interesting time, right?” he noted. “Part of the nature of being an actor is to step outside of ourselves and have experiences that aren’t in line with who we are. But the political climate, and the race for equality, has kind of shifted the ground around that notion and I think we have to be patient and see how things settle.”