In the early aughts, while coming out as gay certainly wouldn't end your career, for actors like Rupert Everett, it pigeonholed them into exclusively playing gay characters, the perception being that them playing straight characters was unbelievable.Įven with its gay characters, studios are still allowing any hints of their sexuality to be erased, such as with Dumbledore in the latest Fantastic Beasts.The fear of coming out for actors was and remains very real, and in that unnamed director's words that fear is evident.
In the 1980s and '90s, fear over the AIDS pandemic further fueled the fire, as being gay was not only frowned upon but thought of as a detriment to the safety of society. In the Golden Age of Hollywood, studios often had gay actors enter "lavender marriages," where they would marry straight partners to avoid losing public favor. Hollywood has been taking bigger steps in terms of LGBTQ+ representation in recent years, but that wasn't always the case. None of this would be happening without the love the actor has quickly garnered. But now that her character has so quickly become a fan favorite, a Queen Charlotte prequel show is in the works that will split timelines between Rosheuvel in her present day version of the character, as well as focus on the earlier, more strained days of her marriage with George. And then her being out as a female director, as a lesbian director, I was like, ‘I don’t understand this advice.’ It blew my mind."īefore gaining buzz in the hit Shondaland show, Rosheuvel was primarily known as a theater actor in the U.K. I’d rather not work in an industry that doesn’t accept me… It just wasn’t how I was raised. It could or it would ruin your career as an actor.’ I would rather lose a job than not be true to who I am. And it was an absolute no: ‘You absolutely shouldn’t do that. "We were talking about being out and proud and representation and whether I should say I was gay in interviews. While discussing whether Rosheuvel should openly say she was a lesbian in interviews, the director said "no" in no uncertain terms. But when she was still an up-and-coming actor, she received some dispiriting advice from a director, who was also a fellow gay woman. In an interview with Variety, Rosheuvel talks about the importance of the role, as well as the fact that she's playing it as a proudly gay woman. Related: Bridgerton: How Old Is Queen Charlotte (& Why The Show Made Her So Young) She's a pivotal role in Bridgerton, and yet, Queen Charlotte wasn't even originally in the books by Julia Quinn the show is based on. And when she desires to find the true identity of Lady Whistledown, the publisher of a popular gossip rag, no one better step in her way. When she claims Daphne Bridgerton as the season's Incomparable, the girl is thrust into the spotlight as the object of everyone's desire and envy. Charlotte's favor or displeasure of the girls of the court can make or break their status through the season. Queen Charlotte rules over the country in place of King George III, who's physical and mental decline keeps him secluded. In essence, Rosheuvel steals the show from under the Bridgertons themselves. Rosheuvel plays Queen Charlotte, an extravagantly-wigged, commanding tastemaker with equal parts flair and vulnerability. The Regency era show presents England as a matriarchical society where women are the powerful rulers of their households. Bridgerton itself has been a boon to inclusivity with not only its racially diverse cast, but with its strong sense of feminism. Hollywood has not always been so kind to LGBTQ+ performers, as Bridgerton actor Golda Rosheuvel reveals she was advised to stay in the closet by a lesbian director.