Colton Haynes lashes out at ‘f**ked up’ Hollywood execs who won’t cast gay actors
Colton Haynes has accused Hollywood execs of refusing to cast gay actors in blockbusters.
The gay Teen Wolf and Arrow actor lashed out on Twitter last night in a series of cryptic tweets.
He wrote: “Hollywood is so f**ked up. So much of the focus is on your personal life & has nothing to do with the talent you have to bring to the table.”
The actor went on to praise American Horror Story showrunner Ryan Murphy, Arrow exec Greg Berlanti and Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis – the three gay execs who gave Colton all his biggest roles.
The actor wrote: “Thank god for Ryan Murphy, Greg Berlanti, & Jeff Davis. They believe gay actors are more than just their personal lives.
“So disappointed in how Hollywood cant understand that playing a character has nothing to do with how u live your personal life”.
He did not publicly single out any specific producer or studio who had refused to give him a part because of his sexuality.
However, the comments add fuel to the fire over long-running reluctance to cast gay actors in ‘macho’ roles in blockbuster films.
Haynes has been cast on the upcoming seventh season Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology series American Horror Story.
The actor broke the news earlier this year, sharing an image in which he appears shirtless with bleached-blonde hair, and blood-like red stains around his mouth.
He wrote: “American Horror Story Season 7…Already feels like home ? So excited.”
British actor Rupert Everett previously said he would not advise any gay actor working in the movie industry to come out as it would not help their career.
He said: “The structure of Hollywood, the whole of Hollywood…I’m also talking about theatre. The theatre owning community is another fairly right wing organisation. Since Reaganism [President Reagan], it becomes possibly worse for an actor to come out. The mainstream actor has had to become straighter and straighter.”
However, not everyone agrees.
Star Trek star Zachary Quinto previously claimed that coming out had actually helped his career.
He said: “I work more now than I ever did when I was in the closet, and I’m doing a wider range and variety of roles than I ever did before I came out.”
In a 2016 interview, gay actor Ben Whishaw also said he was better off professionally out of the closet.
He said: “[Being in the closet] just made it worse, because then people assume you’ve got some really juicy, awful thing that you’re keeping from them. Now people aren’t that interested, because now there’s nothing being concealed.”
Former Glee showrunner Ryan Murphy is behind a slate of anthology shows that have taken TV by storm.
He has launched two further anthology series after the success of American Horror Story – Feud and American Crime Story.
The third season of American Crime Story will focus on the murder of Gianni Versace.
Ricky Martin recently signed up for a role as Versace’s same-sex partner, while Glee alum Darren Criss will play mass murderer Andrew Cunanan.
Meanwhile, Murphy has hinted that the third season of Feud may take on some distinctly gay subject matter.
He teased: “I have one good idea, but I have to get the right actors. It’s something Mark Ruffalo and I had talked about hearing.
“He’s a buddy of mine from The Normal Heart, so we talked about something, but I don’t know yet. I haven’t locked into it.”
