Director Todd Holland Clarifies Advice on Coming Out as an Actor

Emmy-winning director Todd Holland clarifies his advice (offered at a panel at Outfest) that to succeed, actors should stay in the closet. Here's part of Holland's clarification, all of which you can read at The Wrap:

"If you’re a guy, no one cares ... unless you're in that fractional .002 percent of the young male actor population, and you really have the goods to become a true leading man. Then there may be obstacles to both living authentically and achieving that Holy Grail of dreams: real, tent-pole-sized Hollywood Stardom. Gatekeepers abound at every level. Studios are like feisty Chihuahuas -- they are inherently fearful, and if their bottom lines are at risk, they’ll bite. Agents and managers do not push rocks up hill -- they’ll push level (but prefer downhill). And their bottom lines are also at risk. Casting directors (sometimes gay ones especially) are often very reluctant to promote openly gay actors fearing, I imagine, some 'what the f--- are you thinking?' response from straight employers. My damning words were: 'If you are that .002 percent ... I can't tell you to come out.' I never said stay in the closet. And that matters. My meaning in 'I can't tell you to come out' is inherently parental. Translation: 'If you take the path of coming out, you will be living authentically -- and that is a great achievement in anyone’s life. But I can't promise you're going to skirt the gatekeepers or scale the hurdles the system has in place.' To me, that is a real and honest answer. Yes, it is neither activist nor idealistic -- but it is the real world I work in every day. It is the world in which I live authentically."

I appreciate Holland's clarification, but do take offense at his characterization of blogs as cockroaches.

In related news, film director Don Roos made remarks at Outfest similar to Holland's. Roos says that he doesn't believe actors should come out of the closet:

“I prefer more mystery. I don’t want to know about [the actor’s] political views, whether they’re gay or straight. I have a deep respect for homophobia [in American society] and I don’t think it will ever go away. I don’t think actors coming out is going to help end homophobia. I think doctors, teachers and lawyers coming out will end homophobia...We’re a country of bigots. I don’t want that to go away entirely. We wouldn’t be interesting anymore."

Outfest Director Doesn't Challenge Advice That Actors Stay Closeted

Emmy-winning director Todd Holland has issued an apology for language he used at an Outfest panel over the weekend when he suggested that gay actors should stay in the closet if they wish to succeed in the business.

Said Holland: "As an openly gay man in Hollywood, I know firsthand the tremendous challenges that people throughout the industry face in terms of being open about who they are. For people who know me, they know that I believe it's important for people to live openly and authentically, and I am sorry for my poorly chosen words at Outfest. At the end of the day, I hope my comments do not prevent us from having honest, thoughtful conversations about the significant barriers that make being an out actor in Hollywood an ongoing obstacle."

Holland did not go so far as to recant the advice.

Outfest Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer responded but did not go so far as to challenge Holland's assertion. Said Schaffer: "Coming out is a personal choice. It has become easier for many people, but for some, especially those in high-profile professions, it is still a challenge. Our mission at Outfest is to promote cultural and social change through film and media arts and to encourage dialogue. Outfest will continue to shed light on LGBT issues and, eventually, I know we will live in a world of equality." 

Activist Robin McGehee told the L.A. Weekly's Patrick McDonald that the gay community should be "challenging the machine" that keeps actors closeted. Of LGBT groups who criticize slurs made by entertainment personalities and media, she said: "If we're going to fight someone who called an actor a 'faggot' on set, we should have those same groups fighting this one."

According to McDonald, "McGehee said ending the gay closet in Hollywood was just as important as any other gay rights struggle, adding that anti-gay legislation, violent attacks against gays and lesbians, and people remaining in the closet are issues that are 'inter-connected.'"

Previously...
Gay Director Todd Holland to Actors: To Succeed, Stay in the Closet [tr]

Gay Director Todd Holland to Actors: To Succeed, Stay in the Closet

Emmy-winning director Todd Holland caused a stir at an Outfest panel over the weekend after advising actors who wants to succeed to remain in the closet:

"Holland, who was talking as one of the featured panelists, and who once worked as a director on the critically acclaimed HBO sit-com The Larry Sanders Show, explained that it's a necessary career choice if a gay actor wants to succeed in Hollywood. Fellow panelist and filmmaker Kirby Dick, director of Outrage, a 2009 documentary about gay politicians who stay in the closet to further their political careers, told Holland: "I know where you're coming from, but it's a regressive argument." Holland, who was legally married before Proposition 8 was passed by California voters in November, responded that he was just being realistic, but Dick believed that if "an A-list actor came out, it would have more impact on the culture than an A-list politician." No one talked about the personal repercussions of a gay actor succeeding in Hollywood by lying about his sexual orientation to the general public."

Certainly one actor who would agree with Holland is Rupert Everett. Everett has continually blamed his lack of career momentum on his openness about his sexuality. Said Everett to Kevin Sessums in April: "There is just very little opportunity for a fag. That’s the reality. There isn’t."

Note: an earlier draft of the L.A. Weekly article stated that Kirby Dick is a gay filmmaker. He is not gay. This has been corrected.