it is nice to see rockmond dunbar getting work.
he was on private practice and now he is on son’s of anarchy.
but, rockmond claims he was punished for playing a gay character in his first role punks.
he sat down with hiv plus for an interview…
You had a really well-received role in the indie film Punks, a film about black gay men. What was the reaction to it?
I was punished for taking that role. Equally applauded and parodied.
Did that change how you felt about the role?
I still believe you do a role because it will change someone’s life. Regardless of the stones that are thrown, I did it with no regrets. I am an artist.
At the time, you told The Advocate that other actors wouldn’t take the role because of the kissing scene with another man. That was a decade ago. Is that fear still there among actors?
Yes, the fear never goes away when your concern is how you will be perceived in the industry.
What kind of support have you gotten from the gay community?
Tons of support. The most inspirational support was from E. Lynn Harris, a great writer and human being. I was invited to his house for dinner, and not only did he welcome me, but he was overt in his support and celebration of me as a heterosexual actor and the work I had done on-screen.
well will smith’s first role was a gay man and it propelled him to higher heights.
he hasn’t played gay since.
but, will was determined to move above and beyond with his career.
he didn’t want to be trapped in a “box” that hollywood can create for black men.
is everyone is meant to be a “will smith“?
and what happens to the “andra fuller” once they play gay?
andra played his role great,
but does that guarantee him another shot at something else?
this one here played gay and hasn’t been seen since:
ya know,
there is a trend between rockmond, andra, and jensen.
they all played “the ideal wolf”.
the top.
the man’s man.
the one we desire….
… but vixen’s can’t lust after and straight wolves get confused about?
“he can’t be gay! he plays basketball!”
“naw he ain’t gay. he fucked this bitch last week!”
they all played roles that were not the stereotypical feminine hair dresser.
hell, not even the masculine fox who is getting the pipe.
fresh air for most of us,
but it created a claustrophobic box for them as artists.
truth be told, it takes acting chops to be a genuine straight man and play a gay one.
i started to wonder is playing gay okay…
… As long as you aren’t “The Wolf“?
Each person knows what they want to do in roles as an actor, but they all could appeat in my sitcom…
Lets not forget that Jensen, with all his great looks, needed acting classes. Heavy. Andra does too and hopefully he gets them.
So I think it’s a combination of things.
You HAVE to be able to act.
You HAVE to be diverse.
And you HAVE to be well liked.
The one thing that sets Will apart from all of the others is that Will had a captivating personality. He didn’t just do dramatic roles, he also did comedy. More than that, he had an established fan base that was used to him being a little left center.
Lets not forget that Will was always a little soft. Especially on Fresh Prince.
Will also had a plan & sought advice from mentors. From what I remember, it was Denzel that told him not to film the kiss – that he would have problems in the industry if he did…so he didn’t.
The difference between Andra and Jenson is that Andra is a better actor. He will be fine. His betrayal of Kaldrick King was more than just a str8 man wanting some boy booty. Jensen didn’t really do much with Wade but look cute…..but that can also be do the writing though.
Rockmund played gay in another movie too. I think it was called Dirty Laundry.
I think Jensen was more ghetto-ized & ended up doing more gay roles afterwards. I don’t think Hollywood took him seriously as an actor – period. Dunbar has done a couple roles (Dirty Laundry? & Noah’s Arc), plus he’s a good actor. I think Fuller will be fine; it didn’t hurt Ving Rhames, Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, Leguizamo (sp?), Heath Ledger, Gyllenhaal, the guy that played Adebisi on Oz, etc. I mean, you haven’t seen ANY of the Noah’s Arc cast in much else – save for Darryl Stephens & Wilson Cruz, so…*shrug*
Not saying that any of them are gay, but i can tell theyre also open minded off the screen… #thatisall
I dont know, I know that its about more than just playing on the shows. However, I think Andre Fuller is going to get another role becuase Decective Stabler, from SUV did in spite of OZ and he also got some movie roles.
As handsome as Mr Dunbar is, I get a feeling that the reason he may not have gotten the work, is he wasn’t right for any of the parts he went for. It’s easy to blame something that one can’t measure. I look forward to seeing anything that fine looking man is in, but don’t blame a part he played some years ago for the reason he didn’t get some work. Man up!!!!!!
I think if a dude plays a Fox and he’s not gay he will be treated differently, that’s the way it works. In my eyes it’s cool but a straight person might not feel the same. A person just has to be prepared for the way he might be treated after paying the role.
Jensen is gay or bi, I know someone he use to date in the industry that is gay.
^send him my site.
lol
Jensen Atwood is NOT gay or bi…