Luke Macfarlane has opened up about his experience playing gay and straight roles as an openly gay actor.
Since making his debut in the early 2000s, the beloved talent has captivated audiences with performances in Brothers & Sisters, Killjoys and Over There.
In addition to curating an extensive acting resume, Macfarlane has broken casting boundaries as a gay actor in Hollywood.
It’s no secret that the industry tends to typecast openly queer actors, resulting in many struggling to get the space to explore roles outside of the LGBTQIA+ sphere.
However, throughout his decades-long career, Macfarlane has been able to flex his acting chops in a variety of different roles, such as his straight lawyer character, Charlie, in Apple TV+’s hit comedy, Platonic.
During a recent interview with Variety, the 45-year-old talent dished about the show’s second season and the importance of not limiting gay actors.
“Quite simply, like most actors, gay actors, straight actors, we just need someone to say, ‘I’m gonna give you a shot,'” Macfarlane told the news outlet.
The Home is Where the Heart Is star went on to praise the co-creator of Platonic, Nicholas Stoller – who also directed Bros – for allowing him to showcase his skills.
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“The fact is somebody said, ‘That guy who just did this movie Bros, where he gets into a lot of very gay stuff, can play a straight guy,’ and that’s truly because somebody said, somebody in power said, ‘I’m going to give you a shot,'” he said.
When interviewer Marc Malkin jokingly asked Macfarlane if he would ever not play gay again, the latter exclaimed that he loved playing gay, adding: “I’ll do anything. I am very versatile.”
In addition to his role in Platonic, the Single All the Way star has been cast as straight characters in a handful of Hallmark films, which have helped establish him as one of the network’s staple leading men.
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When discussing his extensive history with Hallmark, Macfarlane gushed about their inclusion of LGBTQIA+ films, like his upcoming untitled queer Christmas project, and how they offer an escape from the current political climate.
“Hallmark is definitely telling queer stories, so I’ve been trying to find a queer story that would make sense for them… It’s a very long development,” he said.
“I think what’s so interesting with Hallmark is their brand is so intact and part of their brand has never been to overtly political… For them, it’s just continuing to tell stories that really resonate with people, that can still be an escape from the difficulties of our current situation.”
Macfarlane’s recent Variety interview comes a few days after he opened up about his biggest turn-on, which you can read about here.
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