Behind The Candelabra: That's Gay!

This weekend viewers and critics fell head over heels for Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as make-believe lovers. But what if their gay romance had been portrayed by actual gay actors? Would it be a different, less-seen story?
Here's the deal: the ratings are in, and the much buzzed-about Liberace movie Behind the Candelabra is a big winner. The biopic nabbed 2.4 million viewers, HBO's highest ratings for an original movie in nearly a decade. It's not entirely surprising. You had A-list actors doing plenty of promo. You had a juicy story: a look at the loving but difficult relationship between a dramatic showman and his younger lover...
The success must have been vindicating for director Steven Soderbegh, who took his blockbuster-made cast to HBO after movie studios balked that the film was "too gay." The record-setting ratings (and even a cursory glance at social media) confirm that lots of straight eyeballs wanted to see the flick - so "too gay" it was not. But could it have been? 
Watching noted heterosexuals Michael Douglas and Matt Damon playact being a couple is one thing. But what if these gay roles were played by actors who are actually gay? Would 2 million people still be willing to watch them smooch? That seems worth asking, before we become too self-congratulatory about living in an age where a movie like Candelabra can be a success...

Interesting piece by Scott Kearman, Gay Lib(erace): Would "Behind the Candelabra" be a hit with out actors?
Conclusion: "I don't know. There are no major examples to look to. And maybe that void, in a way, answers the question."
Meanwhile Fagburn's still pitching his BTC-themed gay porn flick, 'Michael, Douglas, Matt, Damon'...

And here's (yet another) crap cartoon by the the hopelessly unfunny and graphically-challenged Andrew Birch in The Independent...

Update: Michael Douglas tells ShortList about actors who stay in the closet. Yes, apparently some do.