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AE: How long before Hollywood/America can accept a gay man in a romantic leading role?
RE: That would only be fair because we've had closeted gays in heterosexual roles and maybe we've had closeted gays in gay roles for all we know.

AE: And we've certainly had openly heterosexual men in gay roles.
RE: That's the standard. Oh, it's Robin Williams, so we know he's okay. I think that the first time it happens they'll think they're going to get resistance, but they won't get it. But first you have to give me the hypothetical actor that is homosexual and will play a heterosexual role. But right now if you think of openly gay men who are romantic leads, I'm left with Rupert Everett, and he's getting a little old. You gotta have a guy who looks great. I don't know how long it's going to take. I don't think it will take Hollywood as long to cast a gay man in a straight role as it will for the gay man to come out.

AE: You just think a gay man will be too afraid too risk everything to take that role?
RE: I think it's so. It's going to take somebody with some courage to say, “I am gay.” Now where is that actor? Isn't it very possible that [Actor X, a current star] is gay, but won't come out? [Actor X] always has these roles where they are always by themselves in the world and has these roles where they are best friend, role model, or guru or plays a criminal. But [Actor X] isn't about to come out and probably won't, even though it isn't much of a secret.

AE: It's that whole Ellen DeGeneres phenomenon. That had to be the worst kept secret. Before she officially came out you could have gone into a grocery store in Dubuque, Iowa , and they would have known she was gay.
RE: And then when she came out it was total acceptance. Her show is very popular among all demographic groups.

AE: She is now. I would say she went through a definite backlash period.
RE: But her backlash period was complicated by her relationship with Anne Heche. Somebody said to me they thought it was very interesting that this show [the Oscars] didn't have a single gay presenter, and I said to them “What about Lily Tomlin?” and they said, “Oh, I always forget she is gay. She's been gay for so long that I didn't think about it.” I thought it was an interesting answer. They looked right at Lily Tomlin and didn't see any gay people on stage. That's important.

AE: I think that is like that with Ellen. You don't look at her see a lesbian. You just see Ellen.
RE: And you get black actors who are not seen as black. I'm going to out somebody in a different way. Vin Diesel is black, but he plays an Italian American character in the new Sidney Lumet film where he's got the lead. And it's a brilliant performance. It's based on [Rudy] Giuliani's attempt to try the mafia in New Jersey. It's called Find Me Guilty. He's the key character in the entire movie, and he's just fabulous. And he's always said, “I don't want to get into my ethnic background. It's just not relevant.”

AE: And hopefully one day soon it won't be relevant if an actor is gay. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, Roger.
RE: My pleasure.