Richard E. Grant says Hollywood should be casting LGBT actors for LGBT roles.
Richard E. Grant
The 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' star has said that Hollywood is in a "historic moment" when it comes to the acceptance of actors in the LGBT community, and believes those stars should be cast in LGBT roles over heterosexual actors.
He said: "The transgender movement and the #MeToo movement means how can you justify heterosexual actors playing gay characters? We are in a historic moment. If you want someone to play a disabled role, that should be a disabled actor."
Sexuality and gender can often be a grey area, and Richard also praised actors such as Timothée Chalamet - who starred in 'Call Me By Your Name' - for having an "androgynous quality" about him.
He added: "I understand why and how [the current change of mood has] come about. And what's extraordinary about Timothée Chalamet is that he has such an androgynous quality. Of all the actors out there, he is the most gender fluid of them all."
Richard, 62, is set to star as a retired drag queen in the upcoming musical drama 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' - which is adapted from the West End show of the same name - and has said it was the "most frightening job" he's ever taken on.
He said: "I sing and dance in vertiginous heels. It was the most frightening job that I've ever taken on because of the singing and dancing, and also playing a drag artist. All in a proper Sheffield accent."
And the 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' star also spoke about the #MeToo and Time's Up movements - which aim to bring an end to misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace - as he insisted he's never been involved in a production where women have been mistreated.
Speaking to The Sunday Times magazine, he said: "I haven't been involved in one of those projects where there was misogyny at large."