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Anonymous asked: Why do you think so many Hollywood actors remain in the closet? Do you think your British backgrounds helped give you confidence to come out?

Watson:  I never used to understand why so many actors stay closeted until I was staring down the barrel of it myself.

Holmes:  It isn’t homophobia, at least not direct.  It’s indirect.  Hollywood doesn’t care about your sexuality, they only care about money.  Anything that impacts your ability to sell a film impacts your career.  If you’re known to be gay, the fear is that Middle America won’t go see you in a film.

Watson:  Whether that’s true, right or appropriate doesn’t matter.  

Holmes:  It’s easier in Britain.  But both of us had been working in Hollywood for many years, so I’m not sure it had an effect on us.

Watson:  Nobody’s willing to take the risk so nobody finds out if that’s even true anymore.  It’s a vicious circle.  But nobody of Sherlock’s stature had ever come out before.

Holmes:  My stature?  You have stature, too.

Watson:  But you had prestige and history and credibility.  I was Mr. Date Movie Guy.

Holmes:  A title I daresay you weren’t sorry to give up.

Watson:  It was a good niche to find, but I wasn’t sorry to find a new one, no.

[in which “Performance” John and Sherlock Answer Your Questions. Submit yours to the Askbox, click the tag for previous questions and answers.]

19 August 2011 ·

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• performance in a leading role
• ask john and sherlock