Ben Whishaw, best known for starring in films like Skyfall, The Lobster, and 2023's Passages, chimed in on the discourse surrounding actors coming out of the closet — more specifically, discussing why it's so tricky for out queer actors to succeed in show business.
"It's complicated and probably different for every individual, but I think it's still something to do with the fact that if you want to be really successful, you have to conform to what is deemed to be heterosexual taste," Wishaw told The Guardian. "Or be sexy in a heterosexual way. I'm always amazed by how much sex is underneath everything, actually. Or desire. There's still a lot of homophobia and hatred."
The actor added, "I mean, it's better, but it's still true. Also, who knows what journey people are on with these things? I don't blame people for being private."
Wishaw is currently promoting Peter Hujar's Day, his new movie with Passages filmmaker Ira Sachs, which centers on the titular character's life and career in New York City during the 1970s.
Whishaw, who won a 2019 Golden Globe Award for his performance on A Very English Scandal, had a complicated experience navigating his own coming-out story.
In 2011, the actor told Out that "as an actor you have total rights to privacy and mystery, whatever your sexuality, whatever you do. I don't see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye. I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities. It's difficult talking about it. That's why I didn't want to go there, but at the same time I know this is a gay magazine and that means there's a conflict there."
Wishaw acknowledged his own sexuality and coming-out story a few years later, in 2014, during an interview with The Sunday Times magazine.
When asked about coming out to his parents, Wishaw said that he "did have to [come out]. It's a phrase I'm not entirely comfortable with, but since it's the only one we have…" the actor mused. "My experiences were not dramatic. No walking around the block. And everyone was surprisingly lovely. I hadn't anticipated that they would be, but they were."
Peter Hujar's Day opened in theaters on November 7.
