Sir Ian McKellen weighs in on gay-for-pay actors

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Knighted Companion Of Honour, former Magneto, and all-around gay icon Ian McKellen has once again weighed in on whether or not straight actors should play gay roles.

The oft-debated topic came up this week when McKellen was in attendance at a 25th anniversary screening of the Holocaust drama, Bent.

Adapted from a play of the same name, director Sean Mathias’ 1997 film tells the story of Max (Clive Owen), a gay man living in 1930s Berlin who is arrested by the Gestapo after the infamous “Night of the Long Knives” and sent to a concentration camp. McKellen co-stars as “Uncle Freddie,” who attempts to help Max by organizing papers so that he can flee the country.

While Bent‘s heavy subject matter (and NC-17 rating) makes it a tough watch, the film has been commended for putting a spotlight on the persecution of the LGBTQ community during the Holocaust. Owen, who is straight, has also been praised for his authentic, tear-jerking performance as the film’s gay protagonist.

Related: The Nazis came for us too. Bent recalls the horror of the queer Holocaust.

In a post-screening Q&A, McKellen…

Read full story, and more, from Source: Sir Ian McKellen weighs in on gay-for-pay actors