Viggo Mortensen defends decision to play gay role

As he stated, it's called "acting"....this stuff is getting ridiculous. Sadly, criticism such as this leads to the real fools throwing out comparisons that are completely false equivalencies (for example, someone comparing this to someone dying their hair a different color in a biopic. A more comparable criticism would be that of an Atheist playing a Catholic).

At the end of the day, it's acting.

I don't see why he cant, unless gay actors won't be allowed to play straight folks anymore. Fair is fair.

I’ve said it before, but I love Vig even more since taking this stance.

Go you good thing!

Fine, play a gay guy.

But don't you do what most straight actors do, and totally wimp out when it comes to expressing love or desire for another man! I want to see you making out with another guy, and I want it to be HOT!!

Good for him. It's OK for gay men to play straight roles so I don't see what the big deal is. It works both ways and it's not like this is the first time a straight man has played a gay man.

It wont be believable unless he contracts monkeypox.

Mortensen is not really a cowboy, or a thug, or a navy officer, or an elf, or the devil, either. So what? He's an actor, and portraying people who are not who he really is is his job. If straight actors can't play gay characters, then gay actors can't play straight characters. That's only logical and right. But the entire controversy is absurd to begin with. He has no reason to defend himself.