Dylan O’Brien Enters the Debate on Straight Actors Playing Gay Roles

Dylan O’Brien has weighed in on one of the most persistent debates in queer cinema: should straight actors play gay characters - and does it come at the expense of queer performers?

The actor, who stars in Twinless as a pair of twins - one of whom is gay - addressed the question during a recent interview, offering a thoughtful and nuanced perspective shaped by collaboration with an openly queer filmmaker.

“Permission Goes a Long Way”

Speaking to Dazed, O’Brien explained that his comfort playing a gay character stemmed largely from his relationship with Twinless writer-director James Sweeney, who is openly gay.

Permission goes a long way. James is a gay man, and coming from a place I could trust.

According to O’Brien, the two shared concerns about how queer roles have often been approached in recent years - particularly when played by straight actors.

We had a similar take on straight actors playing queer parts - you started seeing straight actors playing a queer role completely straight. It started to feel inauthentic.

Rather than flattening the character or sanding off queerness for mass appeal, O’Brien said Sweeney encouraged him to take risks and embrace fluidity.

He’d be like, Go crazy on this one. We can dial it back if it doesn’t feel real.

Avoiding the “Too Safe” Performance

The concern O’Brien raises - that straight actors sometimes neutralize queer characters out of fear - is one frequently voiced by LGBTQ+ audiences and performers alike. In many cases, queerness is treated as something to minimize rather than embody.

Sweeney echoed this sentiment when asked about O’Brien’s performance.

These are larger-than-life characters that feel so real because he brings so much pathos.

The filmmaker was candid about how fear often shapes performances.

A lot of times, when straight actors play gay, they don’t lean into that out of fear of being vilified by the public. They’re like, We’re all the same, so I’m just going to play myself.

Sweeney stressed that this wasn’t meant as a criticism of individual actors, but rather a broader industry issue.

For Rocky to be attracted to Dennis, he would need to be comfortable with both masculinity and femininity - in my experience of dating.

The “Gay Scale” on Set

This wasn’t the first time O’Brien had spoken openly about navigating queerness on screen. In a previous interview with Variety, the actor revealed that he and Sweeney developed what they jokingly referred to as a “gay scale” during filming.

Most of the time, he’d be like, You were too straight on that.

Rather than bristling at the feedback, O’Brien welcomed it.

I was happy for that permission. A sign of a great filmmaker is to always give you the permission to go into a direction - or pull back if needed.

 

A More Productive Way Forward?

O’Brien’s comments don’t shut down the larger conversation about representation or access - particularly when it comes to queer actors being overlooked for both straight and queer roles.

But they do suggest a framework where authenticity, collaboration, and trust can lead to more honest performance, and rather than framing the issue as a rigid yes-or-no question, Twinless offers an example of what can happen when queer creators are empowered behind the camera - and when actors are encouraged to fully inhabit queerness rather than cautiously circle it.

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