Gays in Primetime -- A Special Investigative Report: Part II
On ABC’s Ugly Betty, a young boy sings and dances on
a crowded subway, performing the role of Tracy Turnblad for his parents with
broad gestures and diva-esque asides. A subway passenger mutters “fairy” under
his breath, prompting the boy’s father to come to his son’s defense.
And thousands of young people in the American television
viewing audience see a stunning reflection of their own reality, their own
sense of differentness.
It’s a powerful but rare image on network television. A
recent Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) report on GLBT
representation on the five broadcast networks found only a handful of GLBT
characters in current scripted shows, and in the last decade gay network
visibility has actually fallen. In 2008, there are networks that don’t have a
single scripted GLBT character appearing in any of their shows, and no network
has a series GLBT lead.
In this two-part series, AfterElton.com investigates why
television may be failing at presenting representative gay images, images that
provide an inspiration and mirror many in our community desperately need, and
to which much of straight America is rarely exposed.
In Part One, the Entertainment presidents of the five
broadcast networks said they want more GLBT diversity on their airwaves and
expect to do better. But they also said that ultimately the responsibility lies
with writers to create those characters.
Here in Part Two we speak to those creators, both gay and
straight, from some of the most successful shows currently on television to
explore: What hurdles may be preventing GLBT characters from being created? How
can those hurdles be overcome? And why does it matter that they succeed?
What we’ve found is a nuanced web of mixed messages, real
obstacles, some inaccurate assumptions – and a fair amount of indigenous Hollywood fear. But there are also successes where the
power of a creator’s vision, and the blinders they wear to potential
impediments, combine to allow the creation of fascinating gay characters able
to make a universal connection.
Sex and the Gay Eunuch
Gay differentness is an issue that eventually comes down to
sex. That’s a topic that neither the American public nor television does a
rational job of discussing. And while sex and romance are a critical part of
creating the conflict at the heart of any drama or comedy – it’s also the
precise point where gay characters confront the most roadblocks.
The issue of gay characters and sex comes into high relief
where it collides with the network internal censors: Standards & Practices.
These internal watchdogs, set up by the broadcast networks, police content to
ensure it complies with “legal, policy, factual and community standards.” In
practice, this often means separate and unequal treatment for gay vs. straight
intimacy.
Greg Berlanti, showrunner for ABC’s Brothers &
Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money and the recently debuted Eli Stone,
recalled for this article his own early tussle with S&P. While showrunner
on the 90’s WB teen soap Dawson’s Creek, Berlanti had to “threaten to
quit” to force a same-sex kiss – for then groundbreaking gay teen character
Jack McPhee – past S&P objections and onto the air. When two years later,
Jack got kiss number two, Berlanti reports, “We literally had someone from
Standards & Practices on set with us” timing the intimate moment to make
sure it didn’t go too long.
Greg Berlanti (left) and the groundbreaking kiss on Dawson's Creek
Pushing Daisies showrunner, Bryan Fuller, similarly
found his creative vision bump up against the S&P guard dogs. As creator
and showrunner for Wonderfalls three years ago on FOX, Fuller created
the character of Sharon Tyler, an ambitious, Republican lawyer who was also a
closeted lesbian. When it came time for that character to have an onscreen
kiss, Fuller told AfterElton.com “we were told explicitly that we could not
have two women’s lips connect, and we would have to cut away. … Standards &
Practices would not allow a same-sex kiss.”
But it wasn’t just FOX. In 2002, Fuller wrote the teleplay
for an NBC remake of the Stephen King horror classic Carrie. In one
scene, a female character gives CPR to another female character, and the
creators were informed by S&P that they could not have the “lesbian kiss”
on screen. Fuller remembers being stunned. “We were like – it’s mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation!”
But there are more subtle ways that sex – or the lack
thereof – ends up undermining gay characters. With so few gay characters
appearing on network television, they often end up on a series as an isolated
queer character existing in a world of only straights. Not only does this not
reflect reality, in the fictional world it leaves gay and lesbian characters
cut off from the romantic and sexual conflicts that help propel plotlines
forward and create viewer interest.
It’s also much easier for those solitary gay characters to
just disappear. On Fuller’s current ABC show, Pushing Daisies, Olive
Snook, the supporting character played by Kristin Chenoweth, was originally
conceived as a lesbian. But Fuller said that during development the character
was de-gayed in the interest of potential romantic involvement with the male
lead, thus creating conflict for the male and female leads’ romantic chemistry.
It’s a decision that Fuller said was dictated solely by
“story engines, ” and the executive who advised the change, himself gay, did
suggest that private investigator Emerson Cod - a character with arguably more
screen time - be made gay instead. It was a suggestion Fuller declined, having
a heterosexual back-story for Emerson that he didn’t want to give up.
So lesbian Olive, devoid of potential romantic scenarios of
her own, easily gave way to straight Olive – who the creators believed better
served the plotlines of the heterosexual characters around her.
Bryan Fuller (left) and the de-gayed Olive Snook (Kristen Chenoweth)
Inaccurate
assumptions get in the way
But the discussion of gay sexuality and Standards &
Practices highlights another recurring theme in these conversations: inaccurate
assumptions that may be affecting writers’ choices. Many of the creators
interviewed believed that there had still not been male same-sex kissing scenes
on network television, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence expressing: “I don’t
think anybody’s crossed that network taboo really.”
But in fact Will & Grace showed gay male kissing
during the final years of that series and Will & Grace co-creator Max
Mutchnick said S&P never tried to intervene, “not once.” While Will & Grace is a broad comedy, a
GLAAD nominated episode of CBS drama Cold Case from 2006 also showed male same-sex intimacy. And gay
character Kevin Walker on ABC’s Sunday night drama Brothers & Sisters
routinely has full-on make-out scenes with his various male love interests.
Both Berlanti and Brothers & Sisters creator Jon
Robin Baitz said there were no S&P interferences with those scenes, and
that there was one standard across the board for both gay and straight
sexuality on the show. Baitz expressed shock at even the idea that it would be
otherwise, “I would have hit the roof, are you kidding!!”
Brothers & Sisters' Scotty (Luke MacFarlane) (left) & Kevin (Matthew Rhys)
But given the lack of same-sex kissing on any present
network series besides Brothers & Sisters, it’s still unlikely this
overdue equality is found everywhere. And writers may be less likely to create
integral gay characters if they believe intimate scenes aren’t an option.
Fuller described creating his lesbian Republican within the no intimacy S&P
guidelines at a 2005 FOX as being “handcuffed,” a sensation most showrunners
would probably choose to avoid in their creative life.
[AfterElton.com requested a response re S&P policy
regarding same-sex vs. opposite-sex intimacy from all five networks. The
networks either explained they don’t disclose specifics about S&P practices
– or they did not respond.]
Actors and the long-term commitment to gaiety
Another issue fueling creators’ beliefs that gay characters
are not welcome is the reluctance of many actors to play those characters,
especially in series television. Paris Barclay, an Emmy winning director and
producer on high-profile dramas like NYPD Blue, CSI and Law
& Order, explained that unlike movies which an actor can do as a
“one-off,” playing a gay character on a series is “a long-term commitment to
gaiety” with contracts that run 5-7 years. Barclay said for these actors, “You
are going to be looked at as a representative of the gay community, and
possibly as gay. And not a lot of straight men want to take that risk.” Nor do
some gay actors.
Baitz reports that for Kevin Walker on Brothers &
Sisters “there’s a list of actors that we’d go out to to play guest star
boyfriends, and it would come back, doesn’t want to play gay, doesn’t want to
play gay.” In fact, the first actor cast in the role of Kevin had to be
replaced, in part because of the restrictions he imposed on intimate scenes
with other men. Barclay said that on a recent pilot he created, Hate,
the lead character, a gay detective, was hard to cast because when
potential actors found out the role was gay, “it diminished the field
dramatically.”
But actors’ reactions can be even worse if the sexuality of
a character is communicated to them after they’ve been playing the role.
Occasionally showrunners hold back the information that a character is gay from
the audience, hoping to use it as a “reveal” later on to aid the show’s
dramatic momentum. In the interest of avoiding “spoilers,” this often means the
actors too are left in the dark.
Jonathan LaPaglia (left) & Thomas Dekker
On NBC’s Heroes, this type of surprise led to the end
of gay Zach (Thomas Dekker), best friend to lead character Claire Bennet
(Hayden Panettiere). Tim Kring, Heroes creator, said he saw the gay
character as an opportunity to model for Claire the idea of accepting one’s
self “for our unique differences and for our unique abilities.” And Kring said
that when he and his creative staff had
settled on the character’s sexuality and how it would play into the show’s
themes, there was some excitement: “We all felt pretty good about it.”
Pushing Daisies’ Fuller was a writer on
the show at the time, and said that when the script went out where the
character revealed his sexual orientation, and the actor “saw the line of
dialogue … it was a shock to the actor and his management.” Ultimately, Kring
explained, “the actor wasn’t comfortable with [playing the part as gay], and I
wasn’t comfortable being the one to ask the actor to play something he wasn’t
comfortable with.” Thus the end of “gay” Zach.
Fuller believes Dekker balked out of fear of being too
closely identified with the character’s sexuality, interpreting his reaction as
“I don’t want to play another gay character because I’ve played a few in the
past.” In a statement on his MySpace page, Dekker insisted he had no problems
playing a gay character and the issue here was an artistic one, as he had
already conceived the character as straight with a crush on Claire. Numerous
calls to Dekker’s management for this article were unreturned.
Beyond the world of the wacky neighbor
Barclay believes the current challenge is not just getting
GLBT characters on the air, but having GLBT characters represented “in their
complete three-dimensional humanity.” Or as Mutchnick puts it, “the gay
character is living dangerously in the world of the wacky neighbor.”
Many of the creators found under-developed gay characters
more offensive than none at all, variously referring to them as “window
dressing” and giving the appearance that a mere “quota is being addressed.”
Kring described these poorly drawn GLBT characters, untethered from the action,
as nothing more than “free-floating character(s), inserted just to fulfill your
own liberal bias.”
Mutchnick diagnosed the problem with gay characters simply:
“People don’t write them well.”
“Groundless stereotyping” is one trap Mutchnick sees gay
characters fall prey to, acknowledging the indictment “is rich coming from the
mouth that created Jack McFarland.” Jack, from Will & Grace, has
been dismissed by many as just such a stereotype, but Mutchnick disagrees,
saying the character “had a fully fleshed out life that existed. He wasn’t just
a flaming homo. He had family and friends and values and lack of values.”
Straight creator Lawrence mined his own life for his GLAAD
award-winning Spin City character, Carter Heywood, basing it on his own
best friend – out gay producer Randall Winston. Lawrence said they ultimately “found” Carter
through his flaws and the relationships he developed with the other characters
on the show.
Michael Boatman as "Carter Heywood" (left) &
character inspiration, Randall Winston
Baitz as well described his character Kevin Walker’s flaws
and “fear of commitment” as one of the things that made it most “real and
interesting.” And he too used relationships to develop the character, having
the archetypes for many of Kevin’s various love interests in mind while
creating the series’ arc.
Another current example, Justin, the showtune-loving,
fashion obsessed nephew to Ugly Betty, is a character that plays into
stereotypes, but succeeds because of built-in conflict with the traditional,
Latino immigrant world around him.
A recent episode found Justin running with an
uncharacteristically rough crowd - eventually confessing to his mother the core
issue: his fear that, because of his less traditionally male interests, he is
not the son his recently passed father would have wanted. It’s an honest,
complex conflict that fits into the larger storylines of the show.
Ugly Betty creator, Silvio Horta, said the rich
diversity in his show was not a choice, but in his “creative DNA,” explaining:
“Look, I’m Latino, I’m gay. I write about these things because I live them and
I know them.” And Horta said when it came to the character of Justin, there was
no plan: “It really just popped into my head. … I tried five different types of
kids, and they all felt the same. Then suddenly, I thought – What if you had a
little gay kid? I wrote him that way, and it was like: This is fun! This is
interesting and different.”
Ugly Betty's "Justin" (Mark Indelicato) (left) & Silvio Horta
Like many of these successful gay characters, there’s no
agenda. No self-censoring. It’s drawn from life experience. The character has
conflict built into the fabric of the show. And there’s an enormous talent
behind it all.
Executives: Mixed Messages and a Guessing Game
Ultimately, the buck stops with the executives who are the
final authority behind the scenes. And the current entertainment heads we spoke
with in Part One said part of why there are so few GLBT characters is that
writers aren’t writing them.
If true, this may be in part because writers, trying to get
a show on the air, are attempting to anticipate what the networks might accept
– or reject. It’s a guessing game that makes writers’ assumptions about
executive attitudes toward GLBT characters as important as the reality of those
attitudes.
When told that network executives said they want GLBT
characters on their air – Lawrence
replied, “I believe that’s how they feel – to a point.” One Tree Hill’s
Mark Schwahn initially declared, “I don’t think executives blink at gay,
lesbian and bisexual characters,” then wonders if his show’s supporting
bisexual character, Anna Taggaro, had instead been a lead male character
exploring homosexuality, would he have ever gotten the go-ahead. Kring said
that though he has never personally seen gay characters vetoed by executives,
he still believes that all things being equal, a prominent gay character “could
be a tipping point” between keeping a show in development and becoming a show
on the air.
As Fuller put it: “There is a mixed message being sent to
writers as to how willing and open people are to having these characters on
their airwaves.”
Fuller said that he can’t say enough about ABC executives,
and that “it’s never about gay or straight – it’s about what makes an
interesting character.” Berlanti too said his experience with gay characters and
ABC is “180 degrees” from his struggles on Dawson’s Creek at WB a decade
ago. And Baitz said “the sophistication of the executives at ABC and Disney”
was one of the things that went right in bringing the Kevin Walker character to
air.
But Baitz concedes he has “no idea” what attitudes he might
have confronted at other networks. And while Horta’s experience developing Ugly Betty leads him to believe “things
have gotten to a point where it doesn’t matter” whether a character is straight
or gay, he acknowledged, “Maybe ignorance is bliss. I mean, I am creating gay
characters on a network that doesn’t have a problem with it.” Fuller, in fact,
said that three years ago, he “definitely felt walking away from the FOX
experience on Wonderfalls that they were not open to gay or lesbian
characters.”
Additionally, there are different executive voices within
each network, not all of whom are on the same page. Berlanti said that while
there’s been a positive change at the top of the network entertainment
divisions regarding GLBT characters, there’s also a “holdover” attitude among
other executives from an earlier time - or from their own biases. Both Fuller
and Kring said it was little over a year ago that a low-level executive at NBC
cautioned them against having the character of Zach on Heroes be gay.
None of these interviews, however, turned up a clear, recent
instance where an executive with real power disallowed a gay character or
turned down a show because of a character’s sexuality. And all five current
entertainment heads – at various networks and in various capacities during
their careers - have not only allowed gay characters onto the air, most have
been central to developing and even championing those characters.
Many of the creators believe that executive reactions may
calibrate differently, depending on how high-profile the gay content is. They
see a gay supporting character as something that might be a plus for executives
and current programming strategies, while gay central leads, or multi-gay
character casts would cause more network concerns.
Lawrence said if Friends, an upscale ensemble comedy,
were pitched today “and Chandler was gay, I don’t think they’d have any issue
whatsoever.” But if one is talking about a show where “a young gay man is exploring
his romantic life, and struggling to find his way,” Lawrence believes that’s
“an impossible sell.” And Fuller seemed to believe that a multi-gay character
cast – while opening up dramatic options for those characters – would be seen
by executives as having too much of an “indie-vibe.”
“Horseshit,” said Mutchnick to all those qualifications.
“When interesting characters that are telling interesting stories are presented
to network executives with experience - they take the show. Put it this way: I certainly don’t think
they’re saying no to gay characters. The opposite is not true at all. They’d be
more inclined to do it than not do it I believe at this point.”
A High Stakes Game
Mutchnick could be right, and in 2008 it may be safe waters
for gay characters, even gay leads, and multi-gay character casts.
But if writers don’t perceive the Hollywood environment as
open to these characters, they won’t create them. And considering the various
challenges these characters face, it’s understandable that they might decide
including a GLBT character is one headache they don’t need. Especially when
they look at the enormous odds they’re already up against.
“It’s a high stakes game,” said Barclay, pointing out it’s
only one of 75 pilots that actually get made and stay on the air. And Barclay
believes “all the calculus” behind those numbers can scare writers from even
imagining real, representative gay characters for a show they’re creating.
Berlanti feels many writers may “have been burned” trying to
create GLBT characters in the past, and are therefore reluctant to try again
when they look at those high stakes. Fuller, who has seen four different gay or
lesbian characters be hampered or disappear completely in four different shows
he’s been creatively involved with, admitted that approaching gay characters
now, he can’t help but be “gun-shy.”
Barclay’s own pilot Hate ultimately didn’t make it on
air because “test” audiences reported that they didn’t relate to the lead gay
character. It’s an experience Barclay said has made him, too, hesitant to
create another prominent gay character: “I don’t really know how to go back at
it.”
Creamy Gay-Friendly Filling. Crunchy Gay-Free Coating.
But in a Hollywood atmosphere, as it is described in many of
these interviews, where there are large proportions of gay executives, and gay
agents, managers, directors, writers and every other imaginable position
occupied by gay people, all comfortably out within the business, and it’s a
natural part of the fabric of the industry - yet there are barely five
substantial queer characters on all of network TV – there may be something more
subtle and pervasive going on.
Lawrence and Schwahn, both straight, raise the issue of gay
actors concealing their sexuality – a seemingly unrelated topic that comes up
often in these interviews. And they see a similar set of assumptions at work
regarding the dearth of GLBT characters.
“I have tons of gay friends who are actors … who aren’t out
publicly,” confides Lawrence, “not a shame thing [but] because of the simple
fact that they believe it limits them economically.” Schwahn also sees the choice of gay actors
and their handlers to conceal as “a commerce-driven decision.” While
emphasizing their temerity in even addressing the subject of publicly closeted
gay actors Schwann said, “I’ve always felt they didn’t need to. I’ve always
felt it was silly.” And Lawrence wonders if the limitations actors fear “would
really never happen if they took the chance” to be out.
It’s a notable dichotomy that possibly the most
gay-inclusive industry on the planet would also sport one of its most closeted
professions. And it comes down to the fact that the actor is the face the
industry shows to the audience. But this concept of the closet has been so
absorbed by the Hollywood collective unconscious that it’s become an operating
principle - with writers, producers, and programmers subliminally and
automatically sifting away gay content, just as their gay actor friends and colleagues
do, when it’s time to present to America.
How else do you explain Lost, a show with a
seemingly progressive and gay-friendly creator, a central ensemble cast of 40
with every color of the human rainbow – and not a significant G, L, B or T in
sight. “No gays on that plane,” said Barclay. “And it’s going to Australia.”
(Two episodes ago one of Lost’s villains, one of the “others” and not
part of the original 40, was revealed as gay. The character is now dead. One of
the creators, J.J. Abrams, through his assistant requested a “raincheck” on an
interview. We look forward to it.)
Fuller’s striking first response to the possibility of a
mainly gay character cast is that only a gay audience would “relate to it.” He
later recants. [In fact, the multi-gay character driven Queer as Folk, a
wildly uneven cable show marketed exclusively to the gay community, had a
majority female viewing audience, the vast majority of those being heterosexual
women.]
Even Horta seems flustered when asked about the possibility of a same-sex kiss between fashion assistant Marc St. James and his boyfriend on Ugly Betty. Ultimately, Horta said he wouldn’t want to include a kiss just as a political “statement,” but that if it did happen, he wouldn’t want it to be a mere throw away either, because it is something still rare on television.
It’s a thoughtful answer, and you get Horta’s point. Yet in an industry climate where the notion that two gay characters working in the New York fashion industry might kiss while dating could be construed as a political statement, clearly Hollywood hasn’t completely wrapped its mind around the idea that the American public might accept gay people as actual human beings with real lives.
And ultimately, that’s what all the apprehension – straight actors afraid to play gay, double standards, and guessing games – is about: unattractive assumptions about the American public’s sophistication, provincialism, and bigotry, which may or may not be the case. Lawrence calls it a “chicken or egg thing,” seeing it as a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Mutchnick is blunter, calling it “internal oppression.” He further stated, “The only oppression that exists…exists inside these [writers] that keep saying … I don’t think that it will work, I don’t think they’ll ever say yes to it.” It’s an internal oppression Mutchnick admitted even he exercised during Will & Grace. “I think we said a lot, but I think we could have said a lot more.”
Jon Robin Baitz (left) & Max Mutchnick
Taking up the Challenge
One person Mutchnick believes was free of that internal oppression is Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz, who came to TV direct from the New York theater, a place where, Baitz reminds wryly, “you’d be hard pressed to find a character who’s not gay.”
In fact, Baitz said he reacted with amazement when his creation Kevin Walker was greeted as groundbreaking merely because he had a romantic life, explaining “it wouldn’t have occurred to me” that this was something remarkable. He feels the character exhibited the “presupposition that I live with, which is that we are all the same thing.” And Baitz believes the lack of those censorious voices in his head affected his show’s gay character in a way that elicited acceptance both from executives and the audience.
But Baitz also sees the underlying principles that keep networks and creators timid about gay characters as patently flawed. “So much of the culture has grown to the point where they have to face the irrefutable truth in front of their eyes that someone they love is gay, and it is no longer [acceptable] to shun them.”
Barclay is convinced that what Hollywood needs is proof, believing that even today a breakout character who is gay hasn’t been written. “There’s nothing out there that says this can be successful, this can not hurt our show, this can be huge, it’s all good,” said Barclay. And he feels until that happens, “people don’t have any cover. They just feel like – ‘Oh, this is an impossible dream.’”
Barclay thinks that could come in the lead of a dramatic show, or “a traditional family sit-com” centered on a gay couple with children. Barclay references the enormous impact of The Cosby Show, and believes a similar gay family comedy could find success “because people will be able to identify with it, and they will be startled that they identify with it.”
Paris Barclay (left) & Bill Lawrence
Whether in a drama or comedy, both Barclay and Lawrence say that kind of breakthrough only comes via a talent big enough to earn the respect of not only the network system, but the audience.
“Within Hollywood,” explained Lawrence, “the biggest splashes, the movies that make their mark, the TV shows people remember, are isolated incidents where someone or a group of people … by sheer force of will power or star power, or passion jam this thing through the system, and it works. And not only does it work … it’s immediately set a new bar.”
Lawrence suggested Baitz was a good example. Or as Barclay put it, “Robbie Baitz pushed that through with his fist.”
The executives who spoke for this article seem open, in some cases even committed, to bringing rich dimensional gay characters onto their airwaves. The creators as well – both straight and gay – were sincerely passionate and interested in the issue of diversity, and how to do it successfully. Some improved communication, along with some powerful creative vision, and things may be ripe for significant change- a change the creators we spoke with see as important.
As a self-professed straight, pasty, white wasp, Lawrence said that one of the coolest things about working in Hollywood is that “within a couple months, a percentage of your friends are going to be gay, or black, or Hispanic. And that happened to me.” He said it has enriched his life, and believes when Hollywood brings its own diversity to the screen, it similarly enriches the stories they tell.
Horta feels the diversity on his show has an impact that is, in his own words, a two-pronged thing. “If you’re a young kid struggling with your sexuality,” or a Latina dealing with body issues, or a trangender person, or “any number of these pieces that stem out of our show … it’s important because people see themselves in these characters and they feel a sense of pride and a sense of ‘I’m not alone.’ There’s something I can look forward to; there’s someone I can relate to.”
He also believes that for the average “middle class, straight, white guy” or for viewers who “don’t necessarily fit into these pieces … it’s funny, and they’ll enjoy it and they’ll be moved by it. And I think subconsciously it has an effect,” said Horta.
“It just becomes that this is what the world is, and this is what exists. And it’s fine.”
Read part one of "Gays in Primetime" here.