“Yay another straight man playing a gay icon” Lambert tweeted when it was announced that actor Theo James would be playing the openly gay singer. George Michael passed away at age 53 in 2016, Lambert has previously said that if a biopic was ever to be made about George Michael that he would like to throw his hat in the ring but apparently no one asked Lambert when they were doing casting because James ended up with the role instead.
Perhaps Lambert’s invite to the casting call got lost in the mail or maybe they just didn’t hit him up on social media, that’s the way things are done nowadays, right?
Adam Lambert lambasts straight man playing gay icon George Michael
Lambert does have a bit of a point though, some of the saucier scenes might be a bit challenging for even the most seasoned of actors to play convincingly if that’s not their preference. Still, when you’re an actor you sign up to play a role and embody that character within the confines of that role, so it’ll be interesting to see how James handles the titular role of George Michael. Though we do wonder just what Lambert’s version of George Michael would look like and if it would be any more authentic than the one that Theo James is set to portray.
This hire kind of goes against the woke wave of hiring people that embody the characteristics that you’re casting for, casting LGBT people for LGBT roles, instead it makes you wonder what other George Michael-like qualities that James embodied and how his portrayal will do the biopic justice. After all, if it’s not good then he’s got generations of fans that would be angry at him, not just an isolated social media following.
This was George Michael, the guy that singlehandedly made Careless Whisper popular, and the fans, even after all these years are still as ardent as ever about their favorite singer. As far as talent goes, anyone who’s seen Divergent knows about what they’re getting into. It’ll be interesting to see how James handles the role, preferences and all. Stay tuned!!!
