Here's What Stanley Tucci Had To Say About Straight Actors Portraying Gay Characters On Screen

"You’re supposed to play different people."

Stanley Tucci doesn't have a problem with straight actors playing gay characters — as long as it's done right.

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As a straight man, Stanley has portrayed gay characters in movies on several occasions, including his role in The Devil Wears Prada.

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Looking back, Stanley says he's even been complimented on his roles by members of the LGBTQ community.

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"Obviously, I believe that’s fine," Stanley said during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s “Desert Island Discs” show.

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He continued, "I am always very flattered when gay men come up to me and talk to me about The Devil Wears Prada or they talk about Supernova, and they say that, 'It was just so beautiful,' you know, 'You did it the right way.'"

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Unfortunately, Stanley says it's often "not done the right way," seemingly referring to when actors lean into caricature and stereotypes.

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"I really do believe an actor is an actor is an actor," he said. "You're supposed to play different people. You just are. That's the whole point of it."

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Stanley's opinion differs from a lot of other actors, including Tom Hanks, who says he wouldn't take on his role as a gay man in the 1993 film Philadelphia if it were filmed today.

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"Could a straight man do what I did in Philadelphia now? No, and rightly so," Tom said. "We're beyond that now. I don't think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy."

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You can listen to all that Stanley had to say here.