Ewan McGregor is wading into the ongoing debate about whether or not straight actors should be playing queer roles in TV and film projects.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the longtime actor known for his iconic parts in titles like Star Wars and Trainspotting and who is portraying legendary gay, American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick in the upcoming Ryan Murphy-produced Netflix series Halston, was asked to weigh in on current cultural discussions about non-queer actors taking on queer roles, especially since LGBTQ+ actors do not get as many opportunities or critical acclaim as their straight counterparts.
"I hear the discussion and I respect both sides of it, I really do," Ewan said, admitting he had some concerns about the possible backlash when the news of his casting in Halston broke.
When Emmy winner and Pose star Billy Porter's famous words from a 2019 THR roundtable came up about how straight men always get awards whenever they play gay, Ewan even seemed to agree with the sentiment, saying, "I haven't walked in Billy Porter's shoes I don't know what it's like to lose out parts when you might feel it's to do with your sexuality. So I can only respect his point of view."
Ultimately though, McGregor took the role of the openly-gay fashion icon who passed away from AIDS-related complications back in 1990, saying there was more to Halston's life than his sexuality that he wanted to be able to explore and portray on-screen.
"If it had been a story about Halston's sexuality more, then maybe it's right that gay actors should play that role," he told THR. "But in this case — and I don't want to sound like I'm worming out of this, because it's something I did think a lot about — I suppose ultimately I felt like it was just one part of who he was."
Halston premieres May 14 on Netflix.
