Representation has been a burning topic in Hollywood over recent years. The whitewashing of characters for the sake of making it “more marketable” to the worldwide took hold in Hollywood a long time ago, and with the turn of the century, actors/actresses and people working behind the scenes in production were fed up of being marginalized for the sake of making money.
With the 21st century came a gradual change in the putting right people in the right roles, which was not based on gender, religion, or creed. But there was another trouble brewing underneath it all, this time, it was the representation of LGBTQ+ people, which came under fire in Hollywood. For years gay people were not even shown in shows and movies, and when they did try to include it, LGBTQ characters were played by straight actors and actresses.
Love, Victor is the new show from Hulu based on the hit movie Love, Simon.
Source: Michael Cimino Instagram
Then there was the image problem and typecasting of gay characters in movies and TV shows, but we have seen the change take hold in the past couple of years. Still, most of the time, still, people of the LGBTQ community are finding it hard to get work in acting in which straight performers take their roles. With the recent casting of Michael Cimino in the leading role of Victor Salazar in Love, Victor did not help the matter either.
The Casting of Michael Cimino to Play a Gay Character Controversy
Michael Cimino's picture with the Mava Gomez resulted in fans being disappointed about his casting in Love, Victor.
Source: Michael Cimino Instagram
Love, Victor is the new show on Hulu, based on the 2018 critically acclaimed movie Love, Simon. The film was about a teenage high school student trying to come out to his friends and family as gay, and the series follows suit. New student Victor Salazar finds it difficult to reconcile his inner desires and his social life.
Michael Cimino is playing the role of Victor Salazar in the new Hulu series, and the problem people are having with the casting of Michael in the role is because he is heterosexual, in other words, he is straight. After some fans scrolled through the actor’s Instagram page, they came across pictures of Michael kissing his then-girlfriend Mava Gomez.
As you can expect, most of the fans were disappointed by seeing the young actor kissing a girl. He is playing a gay character in the Hulu series and seeing him as a straight guy was like a gut punch for some fans. You can find comments made by some people who were disappointed a gay character was given to a person who was not gay.
One fan passionately wrote, “I’m just sick of LGBT actors not being given the same opportunities, not even the opportunity to place a character that they can relate to and apply their experiences to, to make it more genuine. I’m excited for it, and (I know) Michael will be amazing I just wish there wasn't so much straight privilege in the industry, even with LGBT characters always being played by straight actors. I wouldn't be surprised if Victor and Benji are the only LGBT main characters. I’m excited, but it just rubs me the wrong way.”
In all fairness Love, Simon, the movie on which the new Hulu series is based on had a straight character playing the gay role. Nick Robinson who played Simon in the movie said in an interview with Ellen, that he was straight. The movie was lauded for being the first major studio romantic film featuring a gay lead character but a straight actor played the role. A fan on his Instagram argued the same point, saying maybe Michael was the best of all the actors who went for the casting.
Releasing on 17 June 2020 – Love, Victor Cast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh-IaEaEdE0
Hulu is releasing the new series on 17 June 2020. The show was supposed to be on Disney Plus, but the studio thought it was not the right content for the Disney audience, which is why the show was moved to Hulu.
Love, Victor cast includes Michael Cimino as Victor, Ana Ortiz as Isabel, James Martinez as Armando, Isabella Ferreira as Pilar, Mateo Fernandez as Adrian, Rachel Naomi Hilson as Mia, Bebe Wood as Lake, George Sear as Benji, Anthony Turpel as Felix, and Mason Gooding as Andrew, with Nick Robinson narrating the show as Simon Spier.
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