Kristin Chenoweth Calls Newsweek Article "Homophobic"
Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth
In answer to a Newsweek article that maintains gay actors aren't believable playing straight men, Kristin Chenoweth has written a letter to the editor rebuking the author's comments.
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In a Newsweek column titled "Straight Jacket," openly gay writer Ramin Setoodeh argues that gay actors rarely can pull off a convincing straight role. Setoodeh calls Sean Hayes' performance as a straight man in the Broadway musical Promises, Promises "wooden and insincere." The writer also refers to new Glee cast member Jonathan Groff, a gay Broadway star, as "your average theater queen" in several scenes in the Fox TV series.
Calling the article "horrendously homophobic," Chenowith, who's co-starring in Promises, Promises with Hayes, wrote: "I'd normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense. But the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes or Jonathan Groff (also singled out in the article as too 'queeny' to play 'straight'). This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian."
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"The examples he provides (what scientists call 'selection bias') to prove his 'gays can't play straight' hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion," the 41-year-old actress continued, adding: "No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can't be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams."
Chenoweth — who won a Tony for her performance in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, as well as an Emmy for her role in ABC's Pushing Daisies — most recently guest-starred in a recurring role on Glee.