Kristin Chenoweth Slams Newsweek's 'Horrendously Homophobic' Article

By PopEater Staff Posted May 11th 2010 06:42AM

Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth has slammed Newsweek writer Ramin Setoodeh, who criticized Sean Hayes for not being able to successfully play a straight man in 'Promises, Promises.' He went on to generalize the casting problem to all gay actors.

An upset Chenoweth immediately wrote a lengthy response to support her Broadway co-star. "This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian. For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile," she wrote.

"Setoodeh even goes so far as to justify his knee-jerk homophobic reaction to gay actors by accepting and endorsing that 'as viewers, we are molded by a society obsessed with dissecting sexuality, starting with the locker room torture in junior high school.' Really? We want to maintain and proliferate the same kind of bullying that makes children cry and in some recent cases have even taken their own lives? That's so sad, Newsweek! The examples he provides (what scientists call 'selection bias') to prove his 'gays can't play straight' hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion. Come on now!" Chenoweth continued.

"I am told on good authority that Mr. Setoodeh is a gay man himself and I would hope, as the author of this article, he would at least understand that. I encourage Newsweek to embrace stories which promote acceptance, love, unity and singing and dancing for all!" she finished.

In Setoodeh's original article, he went to great lengths to criticize gay actors. "But frankly, it's weird seeing Hayes play straight. He comes off as wooden and insincere, like he's trying to hide something, which of course he is. Even the play's most hilarious scene, when Chuck tries to pick up a drunk woman at a bar, devolves into unintentional camp. Is it funny because of all the '60s-era one-liners, or because the woman is so drunk (and clueless) that she agrees to go home with a guy we all know is gay?" Setoodeh wrote.

"The truth is, openly gay actors still have reason to be scared. While it's OK for straight actors to play gay (as Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger did in 'Brokeback Mountain'), it's rare for someone to pull off the trick in reverse," he added.

Tags: kristen chenoweth, sean hayes

Comments

(58)

Tuesday 11 May

By suzy

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i saw the play which was very good but sean did lapse back into his jack role sometimes

By Alexandra

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What does the author mean "it's rare for someone to pull off the trick in reverse"? It´s not rare at all, look at some of the most popular actors from Hollywoods´ golden age. The gay men in that industry have all had to act straight until very recently because it wasn´t accepted and, earlier, even illegal. I would have thought a gay man writing about film and theater would know all this?

By webbigail1

You hit the nail right on the head...those were my first thoughts too! There are plenty of gay men who convincingly play straight every week on TV: Neil Patrick Harris on 'How I Met Your Mother' and Jonathan Groff on 'Glee' just to name a few. This writer sounds like someone who may still be hiding in the closet himself.

By Suzanna

I didn't even know Jonathan Groff was gay.

By Judy

Absolutely. When I think of the heartthrobs from when I was a young girl - Rock Hudson, Montgomery Clift - I was totally shocked years later to find out they were gay. They played heterosexual very well and very convincingly. If an actor is an actor, playing a role in which they play for the other team is no problem. Look at Sean Penn in "Milk". The real problem is that so many of the so-called actors these days can't act their way out of a paper bag and can't even portray themselves adequately.

By Bonbon

Two words...Rock Hudson.

By RobD

Some notable gay actors off the top of my head, Rock Hudson, Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen and John Barrowman (he was turned down for a role in Will And Grace because he wasn't gay enough).
I don't think anybody can really say they couldn't act "straight", especially Rock Hudson, usually the big romantic lead in his movies.

3 word- Neil. Patrick. Harris. He could play a table convincingly.

By Jeff

Man, has Kristen Chenowith got it so right and Setoodeh sooo wrong! I've known many gay men (and women) that straights (which I am) would never guess are gay. Some of them are actors. Bad gaydar? Maybe. But here's a shocker: there are straight men who are quite effeminate. Being gay or straight is not a marker for or against one's talent and the subjective analysis of a "good" or "bad" performance does not require an inane qualifier. Setoodeh has done a pirouette on a non-sequitur. Sad, really.

By ss7773

How about Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, and others from many years ago? They played straight so convincingly that Doris Day was fooled. Let's get real, people. This homophobic attitude is what leads to bullying and gay people staying in the closet and this kind of writing should not only be immoral by anyone's standards; it should also be illegal.

By so9205

Kristen Chenowith is definitely a person I consider a true Christian. She does not denigrate anyone and speaks out against all forms of bigotry. I agree with Alexandra there were and are countless actors (and actresses) who have lulled the public into thinking that since they are playing a romantic lead they are heterosexual. Guess that why it's called acting! A critical review should be based on the merit of the performance. The unfortunate situation is that Sean Hayes is so deeply ingrained in the public consciousness as "Just Jack" that they cannot see beyond that character and that's what they are expecting.

By Binx

Very well said, so9205. Hayes played Jack so well and for so long that it must be difficult for some people to see him in any other role. Of course that's no excuse for Setoodeh to make a broad generalization about gay actors.

By the way, Hayes was nominated for a Tony (Best Actor in a Musical) for Promises, Promises. Someone must have thought he was convincing!

By mgdoolin

Two words - Rock Hudson. Ask you Mom.

By BTDT

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Randolph Scott. Ask dad.

By Naota

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Man has the ability to act in consort with the law and order that governs the universe. Man also has the ability to act against the natural order of the universe. Actions that support the order of the universe produce positive results, and those that act against the natural, have negative results.

By natures design, sex is intended to produce children, and marriage is an extension of that intent of nature - to provide a stable environment.

Homosexual acts are in direct conflict with the intent of nature, and their negative impact on society extends beyond the act of the individual.

By vicmar75

God, in his infinite wisdom, made 10% of humans homosexual. I guess that makes it "natural". However, he also taught us to "Love our neighbors as ourselves". Since you obviously condemn homosexuals, you must be the "Unnatural" you speak of in your naive diatribe.

By mezl

what would the negative consequences be? two people who love each other?

if some one were born with a chemical imbalance which caused, say, mental illness, doubtless you would be supportive of that person, epecially if she or he were a relative or friend of yours. but should that chemical imbalance cause the person to be homosexual, you have a problem with it.

i say, live and let live. so long as no one is harmed, so what?

tend to your own life, and stop worrying about what other, consenting adults do. why is that so hard?

By Zia

Obviously you have not studied nature, only the world according to mythos.

In nature, there are many creatures that are homosexual. This is not just a human trait. Declaring that homosexuality is against nature is just plain ignorant. Check your facts before you spout rhetoric, someone just as foolish might be listening and believe your hate.

By ZBee1

Naota,

I am a born-again Christian and I wonder what universal natural laws you can present to bolster your statement that having sex without producing children goes against the natural law of the universe? I, and many other Christians, happen to know that the only Biblical injuction against birth control is within the context of Levirite marriage, where a man marries his relative's widow in order to produce children for her. That was God's "social security" system in the olden days.

Monday 24 May

By Penny

so what does tht have to do with the acting job a person does?

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