Paul Mescal says straight actors should be allowed to play gay roles – on one condition

Paul Mescal has spoken out about whether straight actors should play queer roles.

The actor is due to star in All Of Us Strangers with Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock), where the pair will engage in an on-screen romance. It is set to be directed by Andrew Haigh (Looking, 45 Years).

In a new interview with The Sunday Times, Mescal opened up about playing a gay character as a straight man. He argued that straight actors should be allowed to play queer roles – but on one condition.

“It depends who’s in charge of telling the story,” he said. “The issue is that there have been so many queer performances in cinema that have been offensive, but that’s because the filmmakers and the actors have been careless.

“I don’t think this film exists in that conversation whatsoever. And that’s it.”

Previously, Mescal has also opened up about filming All Of Us Strangers and its sex scenes, calling them “healing”.

“You have Andrew Scott’s character, Adam, who is in his mid-40s, who has a difficult relationship to sex. Then you have Harry come in, who is much more comfortable. Harry serves as a safe landing space for him to re-explore his sexuality, which I think is both really moving and also really sexy.

“I think sex in film, or any form of media, when it can be healing and sexy at the same time, that’s when it’s at its best.”

In other news, Andrew Scott has said Mescal would make a “great” James Bond. 

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