‘True Blood’ Actor Quit Show Because Of Gay Content
True Blood has taken a lot of left turns with its characters, killing them, turning them into vampires, even revealing that they’re faeries!
Well, it turns out at least one cast member wasn’t happy with the direction his character was going — and it was enough for him to quit!
Fans may have noticed that Luke Grimes, the actor who joined Season 6 as James, Jessica’s high-cheekboned, brooding loner boyfriend in the vampire concentration camp, has been replaced for season 7 with hunky Aussie actor Nathan Parsons. Tons of eyebrows were raised last December when reports surfaced that Grimes had left the production—his highest profile role to date—over “creative differences.”
Well it turns out that “creative direction” was out of the closet door.
The True Blood writers were refashioning James as a not only a love interest for Jessica, but also a love interest for Lafayette. So, in a truly retrograde bit of homophobia, Grimes decided that playing a gay (or, really, bisexual) role was unacceptable, whereas playing a blood-sucking demon and occasional murderer was totally fine.
A source close to the HBO show says Luke was not happy about the homosexual storyline and said he wouldn’t do any same-sex love scenes! And when the writers refused to back down, he left the show!
Luke’s rep denies this accusation and maintains the actor’s exit was all about scheduling, but of course his publicist would say that.
Before anybody claims that Grimes was right to walk away from a role when he wasn’t given fair warning about his character’s sexuality shift, remember that this is TRUE BLOOD, one of the gayest shows of all time and one in which almost every vampire character becomes bisexual over time. Both of the show’s male heroes have had same sex dalliances (Bill Compton in fantasy sequences, and Eric Northman in actual sexual intercourse with a man he intended to murder). So yeah. Gay stuff is never not in the cards on True Blood.
Meanwhile it’s 2014 and career-panic homophobia continues to thrive in Hollywood. Lol
About author
You might also like
A Look Inside The Homophobia Of Uganda
“Tell me something about Ugandan culture,” prompts Vice correspondent, Isobel Yeung, to a group of locals on a recent trip to investigate violence against gays in the country. “The first
“I Don’t Have A Homophobic Bone In My Body.” Kevin Hart Ponders Homophobic Tweets And Apologizes Again to LGBTQ Community
Before he stepped down from his previously announced Oscars hosting gig, Kevin Hart said he wouldn’t comment on or apologize for the homophobic jokes he’s tweeted in the past, but
‘Ex-Gay’ Mormon announces separation from his wife and apologizes to the LGBT Community
An ‘ex-gay’ Mormon has announced that he is divorcing his wife. In 2012, Josh and Laurel Weed went viral when they revealed on the tenth anniversary of their wedding that
16 Comments
anonymous
June 27, 05:20IMO, it’s one thing to play a gay character, it’s another thing to play a gay character and act gay sex scenes too…if he isn’t comfortable with it, he had the right to walk. Not everyone is comfortable with certain things, or should all actors/actresses now be okay to act nude since nudity is obviously a norm in 2014??
Absalom
June 27, 07:12I don’t know but I think it’s high time Hollywood gets called out on its “homophobia” (that word is hardly adequate). Gays are still too other-ed in that industry. This one is even small; the one that hurts me more is the trend that of you come out as gay, your career is gone; no one wants to watch a gay man play roles that’d be likely heterosexual. I know movie makers are in business to sell, but they are aslo their to use art to improve society; their reluctance to call out their audiences on this bullshit attitude is a disservice to the gay community. Abeg, first world gay problems: we have kito to worry about here! *back to 3rd world*
pinkpanthertb
June 27, 08:02Hehehehehee! Oh Absalom. You and this your banner of love over us sef.
JustJames
June 27, 07:54Lol. It’s his choice na. We can’t force him to act what he doesn’t like. At least he’s not saying I hate gay people or somfin. He just doesn’t feel comfortable about it which is understandable. We shouldn’t expect people to be only accepting of us and our preferences alone… we should learn to accept them too. And if being naked with another guy is too much for him to handle then hopefully he gets a better role elsewhere….
Chizzie
June 27, 08:42I don’t even know who this person is, so no one would should feel the least bit bothered
Lothario
June 27, 09:02Oh! Was that why he left? Gosh! He looks like a coke head self…I prefer the new dude. But at the same time, we should see where he’s coming from. If he’s uncomfortable with it, let someone else do the job…#shikena
trystham
June 27, 09:42Abeg, all of una wey watch am enter season 2 try. I thought True Blood was very fake and low budget…and the sex scenes were not even that HOT
pinkpanthertb
June 28, 11:43You’re right. Season 1 is the only one I watched well. After that, it became a struggle to keep my interest on the series.
Mart
June 27, 12:37Maybe he is not aware what became of Isaiah Washington. This might be the dirge to his carrier.
pinkpanthertb
June 27, 12:40Hollywood can like to vex for political incorrectness ehn. Kai! Isaiah’s career is a typical example of how you can suffer if you do any-anyhow. Lol
Obatala
June 27, 17:29in other news, I like the new theme of this blog. pink panther, why not change the colours to rep the flag and do away with the .WordPress. its quite tedious typing. might wanna put up an ad or two to fund it too. nice one.
Thus sayeth OBATALA
pinkpanthertb
June 27, 17:54Sweety I know you mean well but you do know it costs quite a bundle to leave the shelter of WordPress.com and strike out on your own, right? 🙂
Obatala
June 28, 01:58you will find a way
I know you will
aproko pikin
June 28, 11:38Maybe I’m the only uninformed person, what happened to Isaiah Washington?
pinkpanthertb
June 28, 11:40You watch Greys Anatomy, right?
Kote
June 28, 14:57Na him sabi oooo…Abeg make anoda person do d work jare….Radarada ati Redered….