Alan Cumming talks LGBTQ representation
"Who’d have thought that CBS is the most progressive network?"
Alan Cumming, who co-stars in CBS’s “Instinct,’’ is coming to Boston as part of Pride Month celebrations. The actor, best known for his seven-season run on “The Good Wife’’ and his Tony Award-winning performance in “Cabaret,’’ will be at Boston’s Society for Arts and Crafts on Wednesday for an evening Q&A and conversation facilitated by artist and designer Izzy Berdan. Cumming caught up with the Globe ahead of his visit to Boston to talk LGBTQ representation in media and the world.
Q. What do you look for at this point in a role when it comes to representation? Do you seek out characters that identify as LGBTQ?
A. Obviously representing the community is something that’s very important to me and something that I’ve done throughout my career. And not just trying for a role that’s called LGBTQ, because often those roles are stereotypes that I don’t want to encourage or support. I think it has to be roles that are dealing with an issue that’s important, like how on “Instinct’’ our character just happens to be [gay]. I call that an “and also’’ way of dealing with one of the parts of the acronyms.
We’ve got to stop putting the sex [orientation] of queer folks in front of people. You don’t say “straight actor’’ or “heterosexual singer.’’ You would say “gay actor’’ or “lesbian politician’’ or whatever. I always feel that’s a great indication of how backward we are in this country about these issues, how much more we have to educate people and how much farther we have to get before people don’t see that as the most important thing about someone. Because it isn’t the most important thing about someone. It is a part of them, just as a part of the person who’s straight, you don’t define yourself always as a straight something. And the sad thing is you normally only ever do that in relation to people.
Q. What would you like to see in TV and movie roles in regards to representation?
A. I think the most encouraging thing for me has been, bizarrely, that in a time in our country when LGBT rights are being taken away, and civil rights in general, and women’s rights especially. All the trans protections that the Obama administration put into place are being voided. It’s a scary time, in terms of the way that our country is being lead, and the messages [that] are being sent out, and the way that hate crimes are absolutely multiplying exponentially of course. But also it seems at the same time as that — and I think this happens a lot under kind-of oppressive regimes — culture rebels and it seems to me that right now it’s actually possible to get very progressive messages out into the world via television, film, theater, and new media. What I’ve really found fascinating is that, I think the best way to do that is to do things where you don’t actually make a fuss about the issue — this whole “and also’’ thing.
What is bigotry but the notion that people are unfamiliar and scared of something? And when you make them more familiar, they are less scared, and they will not be bigoted. That’s it in a nutshell. So that if you really can reach so many people with these mediums, and you can show them people who are not scary and who are also not cliches and stereotypes — because I think that’s what they’re also scared about as well, if that’s what they’ve been told LGBT people are and you see these stereotypes, that’s only going to solidify their opinions. But I think it’s really a way that we have to have more representation, but representation that is also sort of secondary and the stories are not about sexuality. There just happens to be an LGBT person. I really do think that’s the way forward to change people’s attitudes, to make them less scared, and to make them therefore less bigoted.
Q. Anything else?
A. I’m just going to say that it’s actually very interesting . . . who’d have thought that CBS is the most progressive network? Certainly not me. I think that things can change. Maybe “Instinct’’ won’t last after this season but the fact that this happened on CBS . . . have faith. Things can change. Monoliths can alter their course and corporations can surprise you. It can be daunting when so many oppressive things are happening, but actually I still believe that people are essentially good and will be kind to you if you’re kind to them. I really do.
Alan Cumming will appear at the Society of Arts and Crafts on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, starting at $50, are available at eventbrite.com.
