Josh O’Connor says he has ‘mixed feelings’ about playing gay roles

Actor Josh O’Connor has said he has “mixed feelings” about playing gay roles.

The 34-year-old played a gay man in 2017’s God’s Own Country to great acclaim and will do so once again in next year’s hotly-anticipated The History of Sound, opposite Paul Mescal.

Elsewhere, in Luca Guadagnino’s Zendeya-starring Challengers, released last year, Josh’s “fluid” character is depicted as having sexual chemistry with his best friend, played by Mike Faist.

“I’m not 100% sure how I do feel about it” – Josh O’Connor

Speaking about the matter in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Josh explained: “It’s a really difficult subject. The truth is that ultimately I will read a script and what affects me, affects me. The History of Sound is a film about many things.

“For instance, it’s about grief. It’s about companionship. It’s also about music. It’s about what happens in life when you fall in love with someone, and maybe that connection is broken, you know?”

The star furthermore explained: “The other character from God’s Own Country was someone who was unable to love and be loved and receive love.

“A character’s sexuality, a character’s background, where they’ve grown up, their dynamic with their family — these are all aspects to any character, and so I take those as seriously as I would any other aspect. But to be totally truthful, I’m not 100% sure how I do feel about it. I think I have mixed feelings.”

Josh’s other movie credits include 2016’s Florence Foster Jenkins and 2021’s Mothering Sunday. His TV credits include The Crown and Peaky Blinders.

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