Celebrity Sex: Straight Celebrities Who've Played Gay Characters

Last year, Bret Easton Ellis, writer of American Psycho, created a huge controversy after stating that Matt Bomer shouldn't play the title role in Fifty Shades of Grey because he was gay.

He then went on to tweet about gay actors playing straight characters, singling out Neil Patrick Harris on How I Met Your Mother. If anyone can prove that your sexual orientation does not influence your acting ability, it is NPH as the womanizing Barney Stinson.

But what about when straight actors play gay characters?

Colin Firth was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a gay professor in A Single Man, and Sean Penn earned his second Oscar for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician elected to public office.

And who can forget Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger's portrayal of gay lovers in 'Brokeback Mountain'?

I think it's safe to say an actor's sexual orientation is a non-factor when it comes to acting ability. SEE THE GALLERY: Straight Celebrities Who Played Gay

Straight Celebrities Who've Played Gay Characters

From Sean Penn to Jake Gyllenhaal, these acclaimed actors have gone gay for movies and television.

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