As a weird coincidence, my best friend and I were discussing Heath Ledger (or more specifically, his role in Brokeback Mountain) on the day his tragic death was announced. Now, neither of us actually saw the movie; but we understand that there are a few male/male kissing scenes in it.

Our discussion centered around whether or not we, if we were actors, could bring ourselves to kiss another man like that. I suppose you will do just about anything for the right amount of money; but as a straight male it is difficult for me to imagine kissing another male. I wonder if you have to have a little bi-sexuality in your character to do so or is the money simply motivation enough.

I recall once seeing a Dutch film where the male star sucked on another man’s penis. That actor eventually came to America and stared in several big budget movies and his characters were always straight. Personally, I don’t know whether the man was straight or not; but I definitely have a hard time imagining sucking on another man’s penis…regardless of the money involved.

There are actors and actresses who have turned down roles because of nudity or other issues. These actors must have known what the script called for them to be doing before they signed on for their roles, so, if they really had strong feelings about it or reservations, they could have turned down the roles.

Do you think actors can divorce themselves from their own sexual preferences for the good of their roles? Or do you think that a straight male who is willing to kiss another male, or more, for a role isn’t quite as straight as he would like to think he is?

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