Titanic star Kate Winslet recently got candid about the stigma around coming out of the closet in Hollywood. Speaking to the Sunday Times Culture, the 45-year-old Titanic actress opened up about being aware of “at least four actors” who weren’t willing to make their sexuality public due to being “terrified” that it will “stand in the way” in an industry that harbours “judgment, discrimination and homophobia.” “I cannot tell you the number of young actors I know – some well known, some starting out – who are terrified their sexuality will be revealed and that it will stand in the way of their being cast in straight roles,” she explained.
“A well-known actor has just got an American agent and the agent said, ‘I understand you are bisexual. I wouldn’t publicize that.’ I can think of at least four actors absolutely hiding their sexuality. It’s painful. Because they fear being found out,” she continued.
She also discussed the conversation in Hollywood about gay actors playing straight roles. “Hollywood has to drop that dated crap of, ‘Can he play straight because, apparently, he’s gay?’ That should be almost illegal…and it can’t just be distilled to the question about gay actors playing gay parts. Because actors, in some cases, are choosing not to come out for personal reasons.”
