Richard Chamberlain: 'I Wouldn't Advise' Gay Leading Actors To Come Out

Actor Richard Chamberlain made the difficult decision to come out as gay in 2003, but he doesn't think it's a good idea for leading actors to do the same.

Chamberlain, star of the 1960's TV series 'Dr. Kildare,' the 1983 miniseries 'The Thornbirds,' a Broadway veteran and now appearing on ABC's 'Brothers and Sisters,' spoke with The Advocate about his career as a now-openly gay actor -- and the struggles he thinks America still has in accepting gay men on screen.

"It's complicated. There's still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. It's regrettable, it's stupid, it's heartless, and it's immoral, but there it is," he told the magazine. "For an actor to be working is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren't, so it's just silly for a working actor to say, "Oh, I don't care if anybody knows I'm gay" -- especially if you're a leading man. Personally, I wouldn't advise a gay leading man-type actor to come out."

And while things have gotten better, he's skeptical that attitudes have changed enough:

"Despite all the wonderful advances that have been made, it's still dangerous for an actor to talk about that in our extremely misguided culture. Look at what happened in California with Proposition 8. Please, don't pretend that we're suddenly all wonderfully, blissfully accepted."

The sentiment is shared by Rupert Everett, the 'My Best Friend's Wedding' star who has been out for over twenty years.

"The fact is that you could not be, and still cannot be, a 25-year-old homosexual trying to make it in the British film business or the American film business or even the Italian film business," he said in 2009. "It just doesn't work and you're going to hit a brick wall at some point. You're going to manage to make it roll for a certain amount of time, but at the first sign of failure they'll cut you right off."

For much more from the Chamberlain interview, including his non-worries about typecasting and a look back at his career, click over to The Advocate.

Comments

[jjgg5]

05:07 AM on 01/01/2011

Why would anyone choose to be a movie/television star over leading your personal life as the man you really are?

[rcampbell]

12:15 PM on 12/30/2010

He came out in '03? I thought just about everyone knew he was gay by the time he did the Thornbirds.

[LeeCalif]

05:13 PM on 12/30/2010

I had no idea. But that's not unusual.

[Hank26]

12:49 AM on 12/30/2010

Show business isn't the only time a persons real life, personal life plays a part of their success or failure of their career. Look at politicians. Many politicians are stereotyped and don't get elected as a result....blacks, women, handicapped, etc. And in Hollywood, it's not just gays who get stereotyped and not hired for films....how 'bout overweight people, unattractive people, older women, etc. Even though these people might be outstanding actors and in most cases could even be 'make-uped' enough to make them more suitable or attractive in a lot of different roles, people bring with them to the theater their attitudes and visions of these people in real life and again, no matter how good of an actor they may be, the audience just doesn't 'buy it'. My son refused to go see ANY movie with Alec Baldwin in it because he's seen and read about him in real life and doesn't care for the man and can't see past his real life persona to see the character he is playing. Same with an 'out' gay actor. You know their gender/sexual preference in real life so no matter how good of an actor he/she may be, if their cast in a heterosexual role, movie patrons just don't 'buy it'. I think that's human nature actually.

[MIKEinNYC]

12:20 AM on 12/30/2010

Gay or straight, that's why they call it "acting|".

[zest]

11:04 PM on 12/29/2010

Richard, I was in the front row end seat stage right at the Colonial Theater in Boston of the Wednesday matineee performance before Thanksgiving 1966 of "Holly Golightly" starring yourself and Mary Tyler Moore and I thought I caught your eye. I didn't know at the time if you were gay or not but I had hope. My best regards always.

[MIKEinNYC]

12:21 AM on 12/30/2010

Do you think that gay people are always on the "make"?

[Hank26]

12:25 AM on 12/30/2010

Yes, just like heteros are!

[zest]

02:27 PM on 12/30/2010

No, I was 18 and just hoping.

[sixyfivepercentwater]

05:55 PM on 12/29/2010

Dr. Kildare was my first childhood crush. When he came out I felt like he'd wasted my time and lied to me. I know it doesn't make sense, but those things usually don't. There are just some things I'd rather not know, and this is one of them.

[Hank26]

12:23 AM on 12/30/2010

My Mom felt the same way about Rock Hudson. She felt 'fooled'.

[sabela]

05:07 PM on 12/29/2010

In case you were wondering Richard, I knew and still watched you and enjoyed you in your romantic roles.

[Robert Yager]

04:26 PM on 12/29/2010

lol,Ithought that was hugh heffner.....durn these tiny screens.

[RODERICK098]

04:12 PM on 12/29/2010

The irony here is that the gay Rupert Everett was more convincing playing a straight leading man than the straight Hugh Grant

[Aldyth]

02:14 PM on 12/29/2010

Richard Chamberlain is speaking from his own experience, as a man in his seventies. I would hope that it is different in todays world.

[whowhatwhywherewhen]

12:34 PM on 12/30/2010

but sadly...it is not.

[robjh1]

01:40 PM on 12/29/2010

He and Rupert Everette should talk.

[RODERICK098]

04:24 PM on 12/29/2010

Spelling Everett with an e. The stereotypes live on. Many gay men are more masculine then many straight men.

[robjh1]

05:34 PM on 12/29/2010

You are being way too sensitive.

[LMPE]

01:22 PM on 12/29/2010

So the idea is that heteros get cast as gays, and open LGBT people can only get cast as heteros?

[crayola 08b]

02:19 PM on 12/29/2010

no, the idea is that heteros get cast as gays and their career skyrockets, and everyone tells them how great they are; meanwhile out gay actors are lucky if they can get cast as anything at all.

[libnlandofthelost]

12:57 PM on 12/29/2010

I'm sure that these two actors speak from personal experience, its sad. Both are wonderful, gifted people. What ever opportunities they have been denied due to their sexuality is the world's loss.
These times for gays seem to be similar to what recovering alcoholics went through in the 70's before Betty Ford. No one knew what a sobered up alcoholic could be like because they tended to keep it to themselves out of self preservation.
If it is true that the success of leading men's careers depend on women's desire to fantasize about them, it must be nearly impossible to cast detestable characters.
Look at James Gandolfini, he isn't a hunk, nor was his characterization of Tony Soprano particularly friendly to women. When male stars get fat or go bald, they don't loose what ever it is that makes them bankable. Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Tommy Lee Jones, aren't what they used to be, but they still fill theatre seats. They're also known to be straight.
Maybe as more gays come out, the reality of their ordinary lives will outshine the stigma. You Go Ricky Martin!!

[greymom]

12:01 PM on 12/29/2010

He was my first big crush when I hit puberty. I had really vivid dreams and thoughts about him and when he came out with a dippy little single record, Dream, I had to buy it and I played it over and over again. I don't know if I would have felt differently had I known.

[expat2006]

12:16 PM on 12/29/2010

Yes, that's the point no one is making. Being a leading man means females are able to project their romantic and sexual desires on to them. I think women stop doing that when they find out a man is gay, the fantasy stops no matter how good of an actor he is.
Hollywood is about big bucks, and if women can't romanticize about the leading man, millions will not be made. That is reality.

[istanbulite]

05:49 PM on 12/29/2010

how funny!!! I had a huge crush on him too!! who knew that I was right to do that!! must have been gaydar lol

[lwaxanatroi]

11:49 AM on 12/29/2010

It's about the fantasy. A character actor, by definition, pours himself into a different character for each movie. We get used to seeing them in different lights. We in the audience can more readily accept that they are not their roles. A leading man is all about closing your eyes in the theatre (or at home in front of your TV) and visualizing this man kissing you instead of the leading lady.

I say this as a proud member of the Dr. Kildare fan club. I knew all the words to "Three Stars Will Shine Tonight" (the theme song to the show, which Chamberlain recorded). I cannot know for sure from the perspective of my older self how I would have reacted to the idea that Dr. Kildare was gay--and that's another thing; for the leading man, it isn't "Richard Chamberlain is gay" it's "Dr. Kildare is gay." The identification between actor and character is whole. I only know that it would have intruded on the fantasy and the fantasy was what I wanted.

My older self can at least now say that I love Richard Chamberlain even more now that I have seen his courage.