Neighbours star Matt Wilson, who plays a gay character on the Australian soap, says he ‘acts straight and acts normal’.
During an appearance on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, the straight actor was criticized for his comments on how he described his role.
He said: ‘There are a lot of people who think you should have a gay actor playing a gay character, but that’s like saying you should get someone in a wheelchair to play a character in a wheelchair.
‘I think it’s important that we are expressing it. We specifically designed the character to act straight and act normal.
‘When I say “normal”, I mean he’s not like the characters on Modern Family, where they are flamboyant and camp and they walk around tiptoeing.
‘That creates separation – that’s us and them. It shouldn’t be like that. It should be all equal and no-one should have a problem with that. The way other characters act around my character is that there is never a problem at all.’
Many called Wilson out on his language.
Drinking game for gays and non-gays. Take a drink each time you cringe while watching this clip from this morning’s @5WrightStuff
pic.twitter.com/wxiXdcM1qv
— WayneDavid
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(@WayneDavid81) June 29, 2017
Oh god the level of ignorance in this is… just… staggering. Glad to know I’m not ‘normal’ because I’m effeminate.
— James W.B. (@dontforgetjames) June 29, 2017
Ooh no. That was a car crash in slow motion. We should all act normal and homophobia will stop.
— anthony (@ant_917) June 29, 2017
Apologizing, Wilson said on Twitter: ‘Choice of words wasn’t right and apologies if it comes across as offensive.
‘The message I want to get across (and this is in support of one of my closest friends as he is having issues coming out) that he sick and tired of people assuming that because his sexuality is different to the guy next to him that they “expected him to act different”. This isn’t the case, and shouldn’t be preached on TV.
‘Once again – apologies for offending you, I trust you can see through this and see we are promoting the same message.’
