Did you like it?
Or, not so much?
“It” is THE PROM, the Netflix produced streaming version of the Broadway musical from last year about a high school girl in Indiana prevented from going to her prom with a girl so a bunch of hasbeen Broadway actors come to her rescue (while trying to improve their own careers). It’s a very gay show from the very gay hands of uber producer/director Ryan Murphy so you know it must be great and gay approved, right?
Except some folks are pissed that talk show host/actor James Corden as the main male protagonist in the show as the hammy actor trying to save the prom in question, isn’t gay yet is playing a gay role in a way that some people aren’t happy with….
Eh.
Frankly, I’m totally #TeamAllActorsAreFreeToPlayGayRolesAsLongAsTheyreGood because that’s what acting is all about…assuming the roles of different kinds of characters and a straight actor playing a gay role (or vice versa for that matter) isn’t a case of inappropriate casting like casting a white actor to play a black role. Physically changing appearance to take a role meant for an actor of different ethnicity is creepy and racist. But, “gay” isn’t a physicality; it’s purely internal despite all the fabulous outfits we wear. ANYONE can be gay.
AND, don’t even start with “straight actors shouldn’t take roles from gay ones because it marginalizes and deprives gay actors of roles they need!” because acting is one of the VERY few professions where being gay isn’t really marginalized. Gay folks, or at least ‘sexually fluid’ folks have dominated the world of acting for a very long time. And, frankly, I’ve seen straight actors do a better job at playing gay, than some gay actors. (And, vice versa for that matter…meaning gay actors playing straight.)
Anywho, I’ll get off that soap box. I haven’t seen the film but other than the fact I’m not a huge fan of James Corden (he has this smug thing that annoys me and makes me want to punch him…no biggee!) but his portrayal seems fine from the clips I’ve seen….looks like a lot of gay actors I know! He is a theater trained actor and has worked with a great many LGBTQ people in his career and this production was created and produced BY queer people so I think if you have a problem with it, that’s your issue to deal with and easily solved by not watching the film! If I can deal with my JamesCordenPhobia you can deal with your issues, too!
So, other than that, I’m seeing people on my own personal social media liking the film very much, as a sweet charming little show with some fun numbers and a terrific cast headed by Corden and the divine Meryl Streep and the divine Nicole Kidman and lots of other divine people like Kerry Washington. In fact, everyone is so divine, they made a video proclaiming how divine they all are and how much fun they had while making “The Prom”.
Check it out.
Tags: James Corden, Straight Actors and Gay Roles, The Prom, The Prom (Netflix)
