Kristen Stewart explains "grey area" of only gay actors playing gay characters
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Kristen Stewart has opened up about what she calls the "grey area" of having only gay actors play gay characters, admitting that it is a "slippery slope conversation" to have.
Kristen, who stars in new festive rom-com Happiest Season, spoke to Variety about her role in the movie, which bucks the heteronormative trend of Christmas films – and mainstream cinema in general – by featuring a gay relationship.
Stewart plays one half of happily-in-love couple Abby and Harper alongside Mackenzie Davis in the film, and as an openly queer actress playing a lesbian character, understands the need for greater representation and authenticity when an LGBTQ+ story is being told.
Related: Kristen Stewart's Happiest Season is a perfect Christmas rom-com
"I would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who's lived that experience," she explained. "Having said that, it's a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I'm going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law.
"I think it's such a grey area. There are ways for men to tell women's stories, or ways for women to tell men's stories. But we need to have our finger on the pulse and actually have to care."
Stewart added that she believes "you kind of know where you're allowed" to play a certain role or not, saying that actors should "f**k off" if a community they're meant to be representing aren't "welcoming" to them.
"But if they are, and you're becoming an ally and a part of it and there's something that drove you there in the first place that makes you uniquely endowed with a perspective that might be worthwhile, there's nothing wrong with learning about each other," she continued.
Related: Kristen Stewart would have been "jealous" if she wasn't in Happiest Season
Referencing her co-star Davis, Stweart added: "I will say, Mackenzie is not somebody who identifies as a lesbian [but] she was the only person in my mind that could have played this with me.
"Sometimes, artfully speaking, you're just drawn to a certain group of people. I could defend that, but I'm sure that somebody with a different perspective could make me feel bad about that – and then make me renege on everything I've just said."
Stressing the importance of equal opportunity, Kristen also said that she would "feel terrible" about taking a role that should have gone to someone else. Her solution to navigating the thorny issue?
"F**king think about what you're doing!" she concluded. "And don't be an asshole."
Happiest Season is available on Amazon Prime Video and other VOD sites from November 26 in the UK, and on Hulu from November 25 in the US.
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