Lukas Gage Talks Straight Actors Playing Queer Roles, Pressure He & Kit Connor Faced to Come Out
Lukas Gage opened up about the pressure that he and actors like Kit Connor have faced to discuss their sexuality in Hollywood.
The 29-year-old actor has previously addressed questions about his sexuality after playing multiple queer roles.
In a new interview, he recalled facing a “witch hunt” as people speculated that he was straight and taking the roles from other actors. He also shared his thoughts on straight actors playing queer.
Keep reading to find out more…
Speaking with Attitude, Lukas said that people accused him of “stealing” gay roles.
“I was dealing with people coming for me, being like, ‘Why is he stealing a gay role? He’s just a straight guy, how dare he,’ blah blah blah,” he recalled, via Out.
Lukas noted that Kit came out as bisexual in 2022 after facing similar pressure for his role in Hearstopper.
“Feeling bullied into coming out at 18 years old? That area where public and private intersect is so confusing to me. I want to have visibility, to be a role model. I want little kids to see me and think, ‘He’s doing it; I could do it too.’ But it’s also the thing Tina Fey said, ‘Authenticity is expensive,’” he said.
As for straight actors playing queer roles, he said that “it’s two-fold.”
“I’m in the camp where there’s of course certain scenarios. It’s an injustice to not cast with diversity and inclusion, to tell the most authentic story,” he said. “In other less specific cases, it’s important to remember it is acting, and we should be free to play as many different kinds of roles as possible. There has to be grace and generosity. I don’t like it when people do a witch hunt for people for doing it.”
We recently got photos of Lukas sharing a playful kiss with an actress.