Television

Euphoria star Lukas Gage responds to criticism over playing LGBTQ+ roles

By Jordan Robledo

12th June 2022

Lukas Gage clapped back at a critic after he was called out for accepting LGBTQ+ roles.

On 9 June, a Twitter user criticised the Euphoria star for portraying queer characters.

“If Hollywood can stop hiring non LGBTQIA+ actors like @lukasgage to play LGBTQIA+ characters, that would be great,” they said. “He has played 4 so far. 1 was enough.”

Since breaking out onto the acting scene in 2012, Gage has played an array of queer characters in shows like Love, Victor, Into the Dark and the HBO hit drama White Lotus.

In response to the user’s criticism, Gage tweeted, “u dont know my alphabet.”

However, the exchange between the two didn’t stop there.

After Gage defended himself with his initial tweet, the original poster asked for the actor to “enlighten the world,” which resulted in the Queer as Folk star writing “no” in response.

Over the years, the conversation surrounding the authentic casting of LGBTQ+ roles has been a hot debate within the entertainment industry.

Recently an array of actors and industry professionals have opened up the subject – with some urging for more diverse casting.

Back in 2021, Queer As Folk creator Russell T Davies sat down with Anothermag and supported the casting of queer actors for queer roles.

“My take is to cast gay as gay. Absolutely. I believe that profoundly. I think you not only get authenticity; you get revenge for 100 years of straight-washing,” he explained.

However on the other side of the discussion, actors like Neil Patrick Harris disagreed with limiting LGBTQ+ parts to only queer actors.

In a 2021 interview with The Times, Harris said: “I’m not being woke about this… but I feel strongly that if I cast someone in a story, I am casting them to act as a lover, or an enemy, or someone on drugs or a criminal or a saint.

“They are not there to ‘act gay’ because ‘acting gay’ is a bunch of codes for a performance. You wouldn’t cast someone able-bodied and put them in a wheelchair, you wouldn’t Black someone up. Authenticity is leading us to joyous places.

“I’m not one to jump onto labelling. As an actor you certainly hope you can be a visible option for all kinds of different roles. I played a character [in ‘How I Met Your Mother’] for nine years who was nothing like me. I would definitely want to hire the best actor.”