"This is a very fine line" — Internet divided over Rebel Wilson calling it "nonsense" to have only gay actors play gay roles

Rebel Wilson recently criticized the idea that only gay actors should play gay roles. During her interview with BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on Sunday, June 2, 2024, the Pitch Perfect star weighed in on issues related to representation when asked if women in comedy can get away with different jokes as compared to men.

"I’ve definitely said a lot of edgy jokes, and said them sometimes in very public places like the BAFTAs. Yeah, I don’t think there’s a different standard, it’s more this thing about if you are something then now you’re allowed to joke about it."

Rebel Wilson elaborated with an example and said that if someone is overweight, they can make jokes about it. She added that it was "not really gendered." When asked about if she finds it restrictive, she said:

"I think that’s hard. It’s going into this territory of like saying, ‘Well, only straight actors can play straight roles, and gay actors can play gay roles,’ which I think is total nonsense."

Rebel Wilson's comments sparked a discussion online. Many agreed with the 44-year-old actress, stating that if only gay actors played gay characters, they would be forced to disclose their sexuality. Here are some comments seen under @PopCrave's post about the same:

"I think this is a very fine line. We want representation of the community and not a straight actor probably doing stereotypical traits of a gay person. But then with the assumption every actor who plays a gay person is in fact gay leads to scenarios like Kit Connor being outed," commented one user.

"It’s called “acting”. The whole point is portraying something you’re not," added another.

"as always, actors should not need to disclose their sexualities publicly in order to play the roles they feel comfortable playing. rather, we need LGBTQ+ writers rooms and directors and producers to keep the authenticity of the story. and they don't need to disclose that either!" remarked @officialmro.

There were others who felt that Rebel Wilson's logic would only work in a perfect world and that LGBTQ+ actors and other marginalized groups would continue to receive fewer opportunities.

"the issue is that lgbtq actors stop getting cast in cis het roles once they come out while cis het actors keep getting more and more lgbtq roles because it’s seen as a “challenge” for them. if openly lgbtq actors aren’t being cast in cis het roles and are losing lgbtq roles to cis het actors, then what’s left for them?" argued Lucas Ramos.

"There’s so few queer actors, striaght people shouldn’t take roles from them," wrote one user.

"That logic makes sense in a perfect world, but it ignores the struggle for marginalized groups. Once everyone has an equal shot at every role, then sure. But I don't see many opportunities for trans people to play cisgenders, so cisgenders can't ALSO take their trans roles," another chimed in.

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"At the end of the day, you are trying to entertain people" - Rebel Wilson about playing safe in comedy

Rebel Wilson continued to tell BBC Radio 4 that actors should be able to "play any role (they) want." However, getting back to the conversation about comedy, she added that an actor's job is to "flirt with that line of what's acceptable". She explained:

"But I always think, in comedy, your job is to always flirt with that line of what’s acceptable. Sometimes you do step over it but, at the end of the day, you are trying to entertain people. If people are just always being safe and protective, you’re not going to get good comedy from that."

The actress also spoke about her fiancée, Ramona Agruma, with whom she shares an 18-month-old daughter, Royce. Rebel Wilson came out as gay in June 2022 in an Instagram post after she learned an outlet was planning to reveal their relationship.

The Australian explained she was not trying to hide her relationship with Agruma but added they were "slowly telling people in (their) lives." But they were suddenly put into a situation where they were forced to announce. She added that it was probably a few months before they planned to.

Rebel Wilson confessed she was "lucky" when it came to coming out. She explained that, despite coming from a "very conservative background," it went well with her family, adding that even her grandparents were "cool with it." However, she stated it did not go over well with Ramona's parents.

Rebel Wilson recently released her memoir, Rebel Rising, which was released on April 2, 2024. The full episode of Desert Island Discs is available on the BBC Sounds website.