Emmerdale star Mathew Bose has spoken out regarding his views on straight actors being cast in gay roles.
Mathew, best known for his role as Paul Lambert in Emmerdale, said he wouldn’t want good gay acting roles to be handed to straight actors because “it’s not the same playing field.” The 44-year-old, who also starred in Channel 4’s It’s A Sin as Dr Sullivan, argued he was able to play straight characters despite being gay off-screen.
Speaking to the Express about his role in It’s A Sin, Mathew said: “You will probably remember at the time there was some controversy because Russell T Davies said that he had cast all queer actors. And then I noticed on my social media, a lot of, I have to say straight white male actors saying, ‘it’s ridiculous actors are just actors’, and you think this is where the privilege is - under their nose.
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"No queer role on It’s a Sin was not played by somebody who was not queer themselves. I kept saying to people, 'but guys what you don't realise is, if it was a level playing field, then that would be true'. If the people who make the decisions were doing so regardless of my age, my sexuality, my colour, my gender, who I go to bed with all the rest of it, then it will be a level playing field, and then actors will just be actors. But until that time, it's not the case. My personal theory is, and I should put this in as a caveat because otherwise people just start cancelling you and it might not be their experience, and good for you, I'm very happy for you, but it is mine."
The Indian-British actor first came onto our screens when he arrived in the Emmerdale village back in 2004 as the son of Rodney Blackstock, played by Patrick Mower, and Val Lambert, depicted by Charlie Hardwick. Throughout his time on the ITV soap, Mathew’s character was at the centre of some major storylines and even made TV history after being one half of the programme’s first gay couple to get married. Mathew originally left the soap after his character Paul tried to reconcile his relationship with Jonny.
The former soap star added: “I can play gay parts, I’m allowed to do that but straight parts, I don't really go up for those but I go up for non-sexualized ones. I just don't think that the people who make the decisions actually understand that most of the people who are watching these things probably don't really care,
"But at the moment, from my personal viewpoint, I do care. I think that if there are good gay parts, I don't want them to go to straight actors because I think that it's not a level playing field because I'm not allowed the same bite of the same apple [if it's] the other way around."
