Last week, Netflix released Ryan Murphy’s latest musical comedy, The Prom. With lead roles from Meryl Street, Nicole Kidman and Kerry Washington, it was bound to get a ton of attention. But since the release, all anyone is Googling is whether or not James Corden is gay. That’s right, James Corden’s sexuality has become a focal point for viewers, notably because he played a gay character in the show.
According to Google Trends, ‘James Corden sexuality’ and ‘James Corden gay’ are both major search terms right now. It seems that since playing Barry Glickman, a Broadway actor plagued by the traumatic memory of coming out to his parents and a subsequent pained relationship with his father, many have come to question James Corden’s sexuality.
In fact, James Corden is straight and married to Julia Carey with whom has three children. In 2017, speaking of his days starring in The History Boys with Dominic Cooper, he talked at length about his dating days with Playboy. ‘If you’re young, straight, English and in the hottest play in New York City, you're gonna get laid. That’s it,’ he said. ‘I’d basically pick up the women Dominic didn’t want, but I was more than happy with that.’
This won’t come as a surprise to most, who have seen James Corden’s life played out in the press for years. So why are so many people obsessed with searching for James Corden’s sexuality? Perhaps it’s sheer ignorance, with people unable to see a straight man play a gay character without assuming he must have come out. Or perhaps it’s people wondering why on earth a straight man is playing a gay character in the first place.
If you’ve seen the reviews, that’s certainly the question critics are asking. Because, in a film that is literally the experiences LGBTQ+ people, it seems starkly tone-deaf not to cast one of the many incredible gay male actors in Hollywood instead of a straight man.
For Guy Pewsey, Grazia’s celebrity director, it’s not necessarily that a straight man was cast in the role of Barry, but that Corden did it so disrespectfully. Throughout the film, he plays to archaic stereotypes with camp, feminine and flamboyant behaviour that only serves to perpetuate tropes that actually have nothing to do with sexuality.
‘I have no issue with a straight man playing a gay character on paper. Essentially, acting is all about being someone else. But gay men are not cast as straight men,’ Guy explained. ‘The moment that actors like Alan Cumming or Rupert Everett came out as bisexual or gay, they became typecast. Neither have achieved the success that their talent demanded, simply because they were not seen as bankable as romantic leads or action stars. So, while that issue still remains, it seems fair to address the imbalance by giving gay actors the few gay roles that are on offer in Hollywood.
‘If you are going to cast straight people in gay roles, the least you can do is ensure a sensitive, appropriate portrayal,’ Guy continues. ‘Josh O’Connor was incredible as a young gay farmer in God’s Own Country. Colin Firth was so moving in A Single Man. Neither reverted to stereotypes or offensive cliches. From the moment that James parades down the set with a lisp and a limp wrist, it’s obvious that he didn’t respect the community he was representing.’
Nathan Higham-Grady, Grazia's picture director agrees. While he does think campness should still be celebrated on screen, he would rather have seen someone who can bring authenticity to the role instead.
'I have no problem with femme gay men being portrayed on screen and I think it’s really important that we don’t suddenly forget that campness is a huge, glorious part of queer culture that should be celebrated,' he says. 'But why not give Daniel Levy, Billie Porter, Matt Bomer, Billie Eicher, Ben Wishaw the chance to take on that part? There are so many wonderful gay actors that could have brought a level of authenticity to that role. Instead James Corden just parodies what he thinks a camp gay man is and it’s often so much more smart, clever and nuanced than this caricature.'
Perhaps then, James Corden’s role hasn’t necessarily inspired people questioning his sexuality, but just how absolutely awful he was at portraying one he has no authentic experience of. At the very least, here’s hoping the interest makes casting directors think twice next time.
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