Oscars: And The Award For Biggest Victim Goes To...

Ian McKellen, the veteran British actor who found global fame through the Lord of the Rings movies, has cautioned that homophobia is as much of an issue among Academy voters as racism. Commenting on Monday on the current row over the lack of diversity among both Oscar voters and this year’s nominees, McKellen suggested prejudice was the reason no publicly out man had ever received an Academy award for best actor.

He expressed sympathy with black actors angry that they were “being ill-treated and underestimated,” but said the issue was a wider one.

“No openly gay man has ever won the Oscar; I wonder if that is prejudice or chance,” he said, with the implication that he felt it tended towards the former.

Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Sean Penn have all won best actor Oscars for playing gay men. “How clever, how clever,” said McKellen. “What about giving me one for playing a straight man?" ...

Guardian.

It's chance really, isn't it, dear?

Actually, I'm not sure you could even call it 'chance'.

Can you name one out leading gay actor (out of the six) who you could genuinely say was cruelly snubbed?

Maybe the American Academy Of Motion Pictures could just invent special categories every year so no-one feels left out?

Best Old Poove Playing A Wizard etc.

Update: For some reason it looks like every media outlet on Planet Earth has picked up on this interview. I'm not interested enough to do anymore, but Google some combo of 'McKellen gay Hollywood disregarded'.

Telegraph: Questions To Which The Answer Is 'No'...

Daily Telegraph.