going gay?

Back when the flap started about Chinese actresses playing Japanese in the movie Memoirs Of A Geisha, I said it doesn't matter; what matters are the performances. As it is, the performances were fine but the book was such a moving experience that it didn't, in my humble opinion, translate very well to the screen. It was lacking something so important and prevalent in the book. There has also been some flap over two straight, high profile actors playing gay. That would be Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, however, a lot of the flap has come as a result of the two of them claiming in interviews that they are unabashedly straight despite the fact that their characters have sex on screen. Now a gay actor is playing a straight missionary in the film End Of The Spear and he's raising more than a few eyebrows with the conservative Christians. I've yet to see the film, however, Chad Allen has been getting good reviews for his role in the film. Get over it people, what matters is the performance. Straight actors have played gay before and will no doubt continue to do so especially in the winning season of Brokeback. Tom Hanks, William Hurt, and Kevin Kline are just a few straight actors who have played gay. Of course the opposite also holds true. Rock Hudson played straight as did Cary Grant and Tab Hunter. My point is that if a compelling and believable performance can be achieved then it doesn't matter to me if it's by an actor who is straight, gay, or even transgendered. The christian conservatives are worried that kids will see Spear and then find out that Chad Allen is gay; so what. I'd be more worried about them watching the latest sex tape that can be found online.