Kristen Stewart’s Happiest Season offers audiences a rare if not unprecedented Christmas film that focuses on a gay relationship between two women. While promoting the Hulu romantic-comedy, Stewart explained why she believes the idea of only gay actors portraying gay characters may be more complicated than it would seem.
Directed by Clea DuVall, Happiest Season stars Stewart as an art history student named Abby whose girlfriend, Harper, invites her to spend the holidays with her family. While Abby is initially reluctant, she accepts the invitation with the intention of proposing to Harper should the meeting with her family go well. Unfortunately for Abby, her plans are derailed when she realizes that Harper hasn’t come out to her conservative family.
During an interview with Variety, Stewart was asked where she stood on the topic of gay actors being the only ones to play gay characters as opposed to heterosexual actors taking on such roles. “I would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who’s lived that experience,” she said. “Having said that, it’s a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I’m going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law. I think it’s such a gray area. There are ways for men to tell women’s stories or ways for women to tell men’s stories.” Stewart added that believes actors might be able to know if it’s appropriate to take certain roles depending on whether or not members of the community being portrayed are welcoming, saying, “if they are, and you’re becoming an ally and a part of it and there’s something that drove you there in the first place that makes you uniquely endowed with a perspective that might be worthwhile, there’s nothing wrong with learning about each other. And therefore helping each other tell stories. So I don’t have a sure-shot answer for that.”
In Happiest Season, the role of Harper is portrayed by Mackenzie Davis, who does not identify as a lesbian. “She was the only person in my mind that could have played this with me. Sometimes, artfully speaking, you’re just drawn to a certain group of people,” Stewart said of the casting decision. However, the Twilight alumn noted that she still understands the importance of LGTBQ+ actors being able to tell their own stories. “I could defend that, but I’m sure that somebody with a different perspective could make me feel bad about that — and then make me renege on everything I’ve just said. I acknowledge the world that we live in. And I absolutely would never want to traipse on someone else’s opportunity to do that — I would feel terrible about that,” she explained.
Stewart summarized her thoughts by suggesting actors carefully consider the roles they accept. “So my answer is fucking think about what you’re doing! And don’t be an asshole,” she concluded.
Stewart’s next prominent role is that of Princess Diana in a biopic on the late icon by director Pablo Larraín. In order to prepare for the role, Stewart watched the fourth season of Netflix’s Crown, in which Diana is portrayed by Emma Corrin.
Happiest Season is now available on Hulu.
Source: Variety
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