Kristen Stewart believes the debate around whether straight actors should play LGBTQ characters is a “grey area”.
Kristen Stewart
The 31-year-old actress is openly bisexual, and has said that whilst she doesn’t like the idea of actors telling stories that “really should be told by somebody who’s lived that experience”, she also believes it can be a “slippery slope”.
Kristen insisted that telling straight actors not to play LGBTQ characters means she should “never play another straight character”, and said the emphasis should be on making sure Hollywood has its “finger on the pulse” to find the stories that need to be told.
Speaking to Variety magazine, she said: “I think about this all the time. Being somebody who has had so much access to work, I’ve just lived with such a creative abundance. You know, a young white girl who was straight and only really was gay later and is, like, skinny - do you know what I’m saying? I so acknowledge that I’ve just gotten to work.
“I would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who’s lived that experience … Having said that, it’s a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I’m going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law.
“I think it’s such a grey area. There are ways for men to tell women’s stories, or ways for women to tell men’s stories. But we need to have our finger on the pulse and actually have to care. You kind of know where you’re allowed. I don’t have a sure-shot answer for that.”
Kristen is starring in LGBTQ festive movie ‘Happiest Season’ alongside Mackenzie Davis, and the actress noted her co-star is “not somebody who identifies as a lesbian”, but does play a closeted one to her family in the movie.
She added: “Sometimes, artfully speaking, you’re just drawn to a certain group of people. I could defend that, but I’m sure that somebody with a different perspective could make me feel bad about that - and then make me renege on everything I’ve just said. I acknowledge the world that we live in. And I absolutely would never want to traipse on someone else’s opportunity to do that - I would feel terrible about that.”
Ultimately, the ‘Twilight’ alum believes the conclusion to the debate is to “f****** think about what you’re doing! And don’t be an a******”.
Tagged in Kristen Stewart Mackenzie Davis