Straight actor Pedro Pascal’s new role as a gay man sparks debate

“Massey representatives say queer actors bring authenticity and personal experiences to queers roles that a straight, cis actor may not be able to achieve.   

Short film, Strange Way of Life, starring straight men Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as two cowboys who fall in love, premiered at Cannes Film Festival this month. The film has sparked debate of weather straight, cis people should play queer roles.  

Connor Mcleod, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor for Massey said, “We need to recognise the value queer and trans actors bring to their performances due to their personal experiences and authentic insights”.  

He felt it was important to recognise the “potential harm cis-het performers may cause or perpetuate due to caricaturising queer people or not addressing the invisibilisation of our people”. 

While Mcleod wouldn’t advocate for a blanket ban of non-LGBTQIA+ actors playing queer-centred roles, he would encourage creators to “explore the delicate balance between inclusion and erasure, and to consult our communities along the way”. 

He said it was important to consider the wider context being that LGBTQIA+ people face a range of inequities and barriers both within the entertainment industry and in wider society. 

Distance rainbow rep for Te Tira Ahu Pae, Carlee Gregory, said, “Ideally, queer roles would be played by queer actors to lend authenticity”. 

However, “whether the actor is the right fit for a part is more important than their real-life sexuality”. 

Gregory said, “there is no corresponding controversy when queer actors play straight characters”. 

Director of Strange Way of Life, Pedro Almodóvar is a Spanish writer whose movies often progressive and challenging traditional ideas, including themes such as transgenderism and homosexuality. 

The debate gets more complicated as Almodóvar himself is openly gay, however, he does not see himself as a “gay filmmaker”.  

Rather, the director’s films focus on the universal feeling of passion between people, homosexual and heterosexual. 

Strange Way of Life revolved around a pair of former hired gunslingers in the Old West. The two reconnect after working together more than 25 years earlier. However, it soon becomes clear that the reason for their meeting is not strictly friendly or coincidental. 

The short film was released overseas to the public in Spanish theatres last Friday.