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or James Bond series if the actor playing the lead was gay?

Just what are you implying?

No, I don't care. Never did, really. In fact, it's one of the farthest things from my mind when I see a movie.

Caligula had a lesbian scene between two Penthouse models; it made no matter to me if they were straight and merely acting or not.

I don't think we should care what an actor's sexual orientation is. If they are a good actor they should be able to make us believe in the character they are playing, so matter if they themselves OR their character like men women or both.

Case and point, Neil Patrick Harris playing Barney Stinson. Despite being gay in real life, his character is still a pretty believable womanizer (albeit incredibly corny) and plenty of people still watch it and don't care about his preference in the real world, jah?)

Jesus Christ indeed, Victoria.

She really needs her own slot on Fox News. She'd fit right in.

Neil Patrick Harris makes me swoon in straight roles.

John Barrowman makes me moist when Cap't. Jack snogs Spike.

Shit, I don't care.

Wow. That is an amazingly bad photo of Tom Cruise. Wow.

Hugh Jackman is definitely on the list. I find it a little suspicious that 3 of these 5 are Scientologists, which makes me thing the rumors might be targeted as ways to annoy/damage them.

Though it wouldn't make a difference to me (Rupert Everett was so delicious before he messed up his face), I'm not Bible belt. And I can certainly imagine women being turned off by gay male heartthrobs. I'm not saying it's right, but man-man sex is generally considered "ickier" than lesbian sex.

Btw, re: Victoria Jackson and others...don't confuse "ignorant" with "bigoted."

I get why some stars stay in the closet. However,the "closet" is no longer a luxury anyone can afford. Visibility (At any price.The movement comes before a person's family,life, safety,and career.)and strength in numbers is the only way we'll win the Culture War.
Besides,being in the closet is unhealthy. Outing people is for their own good.

Meh *shrugs*

is cruise sporting a bieber haircut in hopes we won't notice he is pushing 50?

@superasente, wasn't that basketball player sort of flaming flamboyant in Double Team, with van damme (who come to think of it, is a bit of a femme fatale too)?

you ever notice people only speculate about sex symbol movie stars? no one ever wonders about the sexual orientation of steve buscemi, seth rogen, or paul giametti? as absurd as it sounds, it's probably legitimate, from a box-office point of view to be discreet.

Nope, I don't care. I don't judge actors based on their orientation; I judge based on whether they can act.

Boy, Victoria's baby-voice shtick gets mighty old when it's spewing hate.

I'm w/ BWeaves on Barrowman. He's one of my family's favorites. One hell of an actor I don't care that he's gay.

Same w/ NPH. Love his work. Don't give two wet farts about his sexuality.

Once upon a time it was something to keep under covers (Rock Hudson), but honestly...I don't care.

It's not illegal. Let them live their private lives as they see fit.

I'll judge an actor on his work, thank you.

@idleprimate- I speculate about Steve Buschemi, all the time, its just that no one gives a shit about what I say.

Sometimes reading the other comments feels like sitting right in the middle of the choir, listening to Pajabian preach, but here goes: I think we should know, but just so that we can then give these people Oscars for roles in which they have act as thought they fall in love with the opposite sex.

I really wish people didn't care. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection... the lovers the dreamers and me.

I don't think anyone's sexuality is anyone's business but their own, but I don't want people who live to a certain extent in the public eye to lie in order to further their career, as it makes homosexuality seem shameful. Sham marriages are a disgrace to everyone.

Kevin Spacey wants it to be one way. But it's the other way.

Look, no-one cares if he's a fan of the reverse cowgirl, but same-sex attraction IS a political subject position. In this world right now, it just is. People get killed for it. People get disowned for it. People's families are changed because of it.

It's wrong to out someone. But I think it's untenable to argue that, if you're famous, people could only be interested in your sexuality for reasons of gossip.

Gay, straight, bisexual, married or single...

Who cares?

Isn't it enough to hate them all just because they are douchebag Scientologists and/or PeTArds?

...and that was probably because I saw him first in Cemetery Man. Anyone else seen that? Hoo, boy.

I nominate NPH to be the next James Bond. Swoon.

Also, Victoria Jackson makes me sad and I wish I hadn't just wasted 2 minutes of my life listening to her talk.

Back to hot gay men - if Hugh Jackman can be Wolverine and Rupert Evertt can lead romantic comedies, then I say being a good actor means you don't have to be straight to act straight.

Three comments in one thread might be my Pajiba record, but I feel the need to pipe up because of one thing that I feel always gets forgotten wherever this debate pops up: bisexuality EXISTS. I'm attracted to men and women, and I'm currently in a heterosexual relationship. Acquaintances, people who know me through work, distant family friends, etc. probably mostly assume that I'm straight. These guy's marriages might not be any more of a sham than mine is (and trust, I'm very much in love. I even forgave him for calling Miller's Crossing a bad movie).

I also get annoyed with the gay = "not manly" association. What you do with your dirty bits does not have a direct correlation with how you handle drill bits.

I would also like to offer Tom Hardy as evidence of someone who has basically taken the "what the fuckever, who cares?" stance on his personal sexual history. He has said he is not gay, but he has talked about his sexual experiences with men, and his "manly" roles seem to be stacking up... a trend I hope continues. mmm pillow lips.

I don't mind the actors that choose to just not say anything, but I agree that the constant denials by those that are (if they are) creates the impression that it is something to be ashamed of.

I keep thinking of Kathy Griffin, who ragged on Tom Cruise in one of her standup specials a few years ago. She said, "You know how you can tell you're no longer hot? When the gays don't want you anymore. Uh-uh. It's all about Gyllenhaal now." I do wonder if some of the speculation about the sexuality of certain male stars is just wishful thinking on the part of people who need it to be true, whether for fantasy fulfillment or because it'd make good fodder for the gossip rags.

I take a somewhat removed interest in the personal lives of my favorites, simply because a little interest is natural, but too much interest makes it hard for me to set aside their true persons and focus on the characters they're trying to create. I love NPH and Spacey, but don't think I could watch either one of them if I were to wonder, every time one of them kisses a female actor in a scene, "Oooh, is he thinking 'ewww' while he does that?" I also love Colin Firth, and found him wholly believable as a gay man in A Single Man, but had to suppress the memory of seeing him paw his wife on the red carpet at sundry premieres in order to fully enjoy his performance.

I can't remember who said it, but someone said after Brokeback Mountain was hailed as a breakthrough for homosexuals and homosexuality in the movies, "True progress will have been achieved when an out gay actor can play an out gay man in the movies and no-one blinks an eye." Agreed. When a gay man or lesbian can play a gay or lesbian in a film or onstage, and his/her performance includes a love scene, and the only comments are about the quality of the performance and not how doing so must have been easy and no great shakes, then we'll have moved forward.

I don't really care about celebrities' love/sex/private lives. If I admire an actor, artist or author I tend to hope they're happy and fulfilled, simply because I wish them well.
Having said that, celeb gossip has become an industry in and of itself and I wish people outed themselves more - simply to level the playing field (albeit to the lowest denominator).
That way the headline "Oooh, blonde biscuit de jour is trolloping about with her very married leading man" would equal "Wow, gay TV series hottie is cheating on his live-in bf" instead of "TV series hottie is GAY (shock, horror, squeals)".
If that makes any sense.

I don't think people care as much as you think. NPH and Ian Mckellen are two of the most out and popular actors around and no one bats an eye when they play straight. It's sad that this is even an issue and I'm hopeful one day this whole homosexual phobic thing we have going on will be looked back on as archaic and shameful much as "Separate but equal" is to us today.

I do recall Rupert Everett commenting on how coming out "ruined" his career by excluding him from portraying the leading man and relegating him to supporting roles.

That said, the only thing I can reckon about Kevin Spacey vehemently rebuffing claims of homosexuality is his desire to maintain casting freedom. I've always thought of Spacey as an actor's actor, so I was shocked to read that he'd taken offense to such claims. As a former Acteurre myself, I know it takes a sexually secure man to play the game. Any straight dude that's gonna have a hissy over his sexuality being questioned needs to get of the mfing pot, bc, like tears and baseball, there's simply no homophobia on the stage.

Of course I recognize that film is an entirely different monster, but I do believe it is one where the topic of sexuality and gender are constantly being broached, making a certain degree of ambiguity necessary to secure commercial acceptance. Deep down, I think most people really just want to be gay; how else can you justify any heterosexual female/male choosing Bieber's decidedly masculine soccer mom hairdo, or Megan Fox's anti-child-birthing boy hips?

One final thought:

Can we just not with the crazy blue-eyed emu? Sure I made the mistake of seeing Limitless, but maybe I was on a date, and maybe I thought it served the bastard right to loose some cash over such an awful choice. All I know is that there is a definite line where a person's eyes can be too blue, and it was reached up the butt and out the wang in that film. I can never unsee the terror that is Cooper's massive bird-face.

I have a major problem with two things..

1. Gyllenhall as Bourne. Gay or not he'd stink up the screen

2. Victoria Jackson and her stupid, whiny, Betty Boop voice saying homosexuals have no right to exist. I'm straight and I'd rather watch a boatload of gays fucking their brains out than see her bloated, bigoted, bible-thumping puss on my tv screen. SNL what were you THINKING????

The first words out of Victoria Jackson's mouth were "It doesn't matter what I think..." To true, victoria. Too true.

Other persuasion? What in the hot fuck is that?

And most of the Renner rumors are attributable to the fact that one of his first roles out of the gate was freaking Jeffrey Dahmer. Kind of difficult to play off that kind of first impression.

Straight, gay, whatever, emu is emu. Reminds me of nothing so much as Dan Futterman's "after" on Will & Grace.

I dont think anyone should just have to admit their sexuality to the public, as it IS their right to decide if or when to share it.

But I do believe that in an age when children kill themselves because they're gay, to not be open about being gay or bisexual can be...how can I put it...there's no way to word it that wouldn't be offensive but I just wish the actors people basically KNOW are gay would admit it if only to send the message to kids that it's okay. A swedish footballer recently came out and made a big point of saying his sexuality doesn't affect his playing. I wouldn't think any less of these men (or some women) if they came out because it doesn't make a flying fuck of a difference to their ability to act.
It makes me sad they're so scared to be who they are that even when the whole world is saying 'dude, we know, it's cool',, they still hide away.

Oh Come oN!
It's Pajiba and the world does not revolve around this website (sadly). There's a whole intolerant world out there. Things have NOT changed that much.

I'm shocked Zachary Quinto wasn't up there, but he's basically out anyway, he just hasn't made it official.

@Captain T: I agree so hard! I'm waiting impatiently for that to finally happen. I mean, so many action/adventure franchises have the "bromance" or whatever, how hard would it be to take out the "b" every once in a while? It angers me when I see a male/male friendship that would DEFINITELY be a romance if one of the characters was female, but there's such a double standard. I'm not saying every male/male friendship has to be romantic, but I'm getting tired of these armored closets.

Also: thank you so much for mentioning Tom Hardy, SuiteT.