James Corden is under fire for his new performance in The Prom, with critics slamming it as inappropriate use of gay-face. Corden plays Barry Glickman in the film, a gay Broadway star. He joins Maryl Streep’s Dee Dee Allen and their other Broadway friends as they try to throw a prom for a young girl in Indiana whose school won’t let her attend with her girlfriend. The movie musical, which hits Netflix on December 11, is based on the Tony-nominated musical of the same name.
The cast is rounded out by Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, and Kerry Washington. The movie is directed by Ryan Murphy as part of his overall deal with Netflix that has seen him bring a formidable slate of content to the platform over the last year. The film has just been made available to critics ahead of its streaming debut, and reviews are pouring in. While they have great things to say, for the most part, one point of contention is Corden’s performance.
According to Indiewire, many critics are frustrated with Corden’s overtly flamboyant performance. The actor, who identifies as straight, is said to be overplaying the femininity of his character in an effort that comes across as gay-face. Much of the frustration around this centers the fact that the film is supposed to be an uplifting queer story, but it seems as if Corden’s performance gets in the way of that. While not everyone hated the performance, it seems as if the general consensus is that it’s insensitive, if not overtly offensive.
With the criticism around Corden’s casting at the forefront, one of the questions surrounding it is why a queer actor was not cast in the first place. There is no shortage of queer actors in Hollywood, as the industry continues to evolve and give space and access to LGBTQIA+ folks that were previously denied. Opinions differ as to whether being queer is a prerequisite to playing a queer role, but it does seem counterintuitive to cast a straight man in a queer role in a film that celebrates queer acceptance.
It seems as if many of the reviewers are not focusing on the fact that Corden is playing a queer role, but that he plays into a certain stereotype that can quickly become offensive. We’ve seen, even over the last few years, straight actors play queer roles without receiving the same response that Corden has. The late-night host is naturally theatrical, as evidenced by his performance in Cats, so the added femininity seems unnecessary. It sounds like that’s what ultimately doomed his performance in The Prom and his role probably would have gone largely unnoticed if it weren’t for his over-exaggerated mannerisms and characteristics that he imbues in the character.
Source: Indiewire
