Richard Madden Doesn’t Believe Gay Roles Should Be Restricted to Gay Actors

Richard Madden, who plays Elton John’s manager and lover John Reid in the upcoming biopic Rocketman, said he doesn’t believe gay roles should be restricted to gay actors.

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Said Madden to The Guardian: “It’s a really terrible route to go down if we start restricting people’s casting based on their personal lives. We have to focus more on diversity and having everyone represented, but I’m also a firm believer in the best actor for the part.”

Taron Egerton, who plays Elton in the film, recently weighed in on the topic, telling UK’s Attitude magazine: “It’s easy for me to sit here as a white, heterosexual man and say I should be able to play a part I want. But I completely understand why a gay actor would feel that this is an opportunity for which they would be better suited. The way I feel about it is that Elton asked me to play him in a movie about his life. I am proud and privileged to be playing this person who happens to be gay. I want to live in a world where people are excited about playing people who are different from themselves. I believe that there is something inclusive and progressive about that.”