Actor Guy Pearce has spoken out against suggestions that actors should announce their sexual preference, political stance, or personal identity before getting work.
On March 27, Pearce posed a question to his Twitter followers: “If trans actors are the only ones allowed to play trans roles then are we also suggesting trans actors are therefore only allowed to play trans characters?”
It was followed by debate, to which the actor wrote, “Isn’t the point of an actor to be able to play anyone outside your own world?”
“Many people out there with incredible life experiences … fall flat when the camera is rolling. It’s an art form,” he added.
Pearce shot to fame in his role as a drag queen in the 1994 Australian film, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”
The Australian actor soon deleted the thread and issued an apology while still standing by his views.
“I see that raising the question of gender identity within the casting process on a platform like Twitter was not a good idea,” he wrote in a statement.
“I acknowledge it has only stirred up and inflamed attitudes and made us all dig our heels in.”
Pearce said it was an issue better discussed “face to face, person to person,” rather than online.
He said it was clear that many minority communities were “underrepresented on screen.”
“But I don’t believe artists should have to announce their personal identity, sexual preference, political stance, disability, religious beliefs etc. to attain work,” he added.
“I believe that to suggest ‘acting’ can only come from our own lived experience annihilates our imagination. I wouldn’t want that restriction placed on a minority actor or any actor for that matter, myself included,” he said.
Pearce said the artistic community should discuss and develop and understanding on these issues, instead of “politicians and press barons” telling them what to think.
Trans Debate Engulfs Women’s Rights Advocates
The transgender debate has engulfed other celebrities, notably Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling who has criticised the movement for eroding women’s rights—drawing the ire of trans activists.Parker was met by counter rallies in every city she visited until violent scenes in Auckland, New Zealand, eventually forced her to abandon her tour.
“I genuinely thought if I fell to the floor, I would never get up again, my children would lose their mother, and my husband would lose his wife,” she wrote on Twitter.
“My activism is simple; we #LetWomenSpeak. Why does that make anyone so angry? We showed the world what happens to women when they try to speak,” she also wrote.
The controversy drew the attention of UN Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women and Children, Reem Alsalem, who said having different views was not a “green light” for threats and violence.
“[Very] concerning that in last few weeks, physical, political + online violence has intensified against #women asserting sex-based needs +spaces in several countries,” she wrote on Twitter on March 26.
