Gay actor Russell Tovey on Jack Whitehall playing a gay character: 'If you're an actor, you're an actor'

'It’s like me saying I could never play a straight character because I am not going to know a straight person’s thoughts'

(Getty)

There was uproar last month when Disney announced that Jack Whitehall would be playing its first openly gay character in upcoming movie Jungle Cruise.

Legions of Twitter users complained that gay roles should go to gay actors, with as many opposing them and questioning the outrage.

The issue was put to Russell Tovey by The Telegraph this week, an openly gay actor who starred in HBO’s series about a group of gay friends living in San Francisco, Looking.

He did not appear to have a problem with the casting, saying: “If you’re an actor, you’re an actor. The whole thing with Jack playing a gay character...I’m like, just let him act.”

“It’s like me saying I could never play a straight character because I am not going to know a straight person’s thoughts,” he continued.

Tovey isn’t the first actor to come to Whitehall’s defence.

At the time of the controversy, Stephen Fry tweeted: “I share your shame @jackwhitehall – I played a straight man more than once. A FATHER even. I should have been sent for training, correction and adjustment years ago.”

Coronation Street‘s Kim Marsh meanwhile, added: “He’s an actor and actors play characters that aren’t themselves, including gay and straight roles.

“The thing we should be celebrating is that a gay character is being portrayed in a Disney film that children will watch. It’s wonderful and I think that’s something we need to see.”

The matter will likely rear its head again when Jungle Cruise, which co-stars Dwayne Johnson, is released on 11 October, 2019.