The star of “Will & Grace”, Eric McCormack, stated on Monday that a person's sexual orientation should not determine the types of roles they’re allowed to play, and that the most suitable person for the role should be the one who gets it.
McCormack, who is a heterosexual actor known for his portrayal of the gay lawyer Will Truman on the popular NBC sitcom, mentioned on “Good Morning Britain” that his aim as an actor has always been to portray characters different from himself, including Will.
“I didn’t become an actor so that I could play an actor,” McCormack reflected. “There's no role I've ever played where I wasn't playing something different. It's part of the job.”
He further elaborated: “And I’ve always said: ‘If gay actors weren’t allowed to play straight actors, Broadway would be over.”
McCormack also expressed that he had real-life experiences that inspired his portrayal of Will and believes that in retrospect, he portrayed the role authentically.
“I’d like to think that I represent it well, you know, literally. I came from the theater, and one of my best friends was a gay man,” McCormack explained. “So I think I took their spirit and their message in what was otherwise just a sitcom and represented it, I hope.”
However, McCormack conceded that if “Will & Grace” were to be cast today, casting a straight man to play a gay role could lead to more issues in the long run. He played Will in the NBC sitcom’s original run, from 1998 to 2006, and again when the show was revived in 2017.
“Well, I guess the answer would be, they'd have to say in the casting room: ‘And you’re gay, right?,’ which I don’t think they can say,” he said. “So I still think, as you say, it's hypothetical. I would like to think in general that the best person for the role, the one that comes in and does an outstanding job, is the one that gets the part.”
McCormack received four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance on “Will & Grace,” and won in 2001.
