Mapplethorpe's Matt Smith Defends Gayface With Slippery Slope Argument

Matt Smith — who plays gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the biopic Mapplethorpe — defended straight actors playing queer roles, asking, “Where does it stop?”

Mapplethorpe — who rose to fame in the 80s for his unapologetically queer photographs that showcased nude male bodies and BDSM themes — died in 1989 from an AIDS-related illness.

As reported by Vulture, Smith was asked by Mapplethorpe producer Eliza Dushku whether or not the photographer should be played by a straight actor at a Q&A at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

“I think your sexual orientation, or your sex and your choices outside of work, shouldn’t influence — in either way, positive or negative — what happens,” Smith responded at the February 14 event. “So, to me, it doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight. That has no bearing on whether you should get the part.”

“Where does it stop?” he said. “Like, do we then say, do we apply that logic to going, ‘Okay, I’ve got a part, and it’s playing a brother, and he’s addicted to heroin.’ Do we then go to people that have only taken heroin?”

Smith joins a larger cultural discussion around LGBTQ representation on screen.

At this year’s Oscars, Olivia Colman, Rami Malek, and Marhershala Ali — all straight actors — won Academy Awards for their work playing queer roles. In addition, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Melissa McCarthy, and Richard E. Grant were also nominated for playing LGBTQ actors.

While there were a record number of queer characters celebrated at the 2019 Oscars, no out actors took home awards — except for Lady Gaga, who won for Best Original Song.