10 Straight Actors Who Played Gay Roles To Perfection

4. Michael Douglas: Behind the Candelabra

A big-laugh line from the first Austin Powers movie is when Austin is reflecting on all the history he missed and notes, “Liberace was gay? Who saw that coming?” The pianist was known for his fantastically flamboyant manner and, at one point in the 1960s, was the biggest entertainment star alive. Looking back, it’s obvious that he was gay, but that sort of thing wasn’t discussed and he was actually promoted as a ladies’ man to try and sell him to female fans. It took until after his death in 1987 for his homosexuality to be confirmed. The HBO movie Behind the Candelabra had Michael Douglas in the role of Liberace with Matt Damon as his lover.

Douglas looks the part with the wild hair and outrageous outfits, but showcases how Liberace can’t be as totally honest with his sexuality as he’d like. His sexuality is treated as an open secret in Hollywood, everyone knowing but not talking about it. Damon matches him as his lover, with an ugly breakup causing a massive media row that ruined Liberace’s image. But Douglas is great playing the part as a real man, not a caricature to show how this icon of his time fought a secret battle for his real life.

5. Jessica Capshaw: Grey’s Anatomy

For some time, Grey’s Anatomy had been unfolding the plot of Callie (Sara Ramirez) finding out that she was bisexual and with a woman. That relationship ended just as Jessica Capshaw was cast as Arizona Robbins, a pediatric surgeon, on the show. She was only supposed to be on for a few episodes, but from day one, the chemistry between Capshaw and Ramirez was undeniable. So Arizona was kept on as the duo were soon in a relationship and eventually married. While Callie wrestled with her sexuality, Arizona was comfortable with it and Capshaw sold her nice pride and fun in the role with a great humor. They had major ups and downs, with Arizona losing a leg in a plane crash and cheating on Callie. They split but remained on good terms before Ramirez left the series. Currently, Capshaw continues to delight as Arizona, including a current romp with the hot sister of a fellow doctor. Married since 2004 with four kids, Capshaw has turned this minor character into a TV lesbian icon to be enjoyed by all.

...[ Continue to next page ]