Richard E Grant defends drag role | News – The Times

Richard E Grant has defended his decision to portray a gay character after he previously raised concerns about such casting decisions.

The Oscar-nominated Withnail and I actor plays the drag queen Loco Chanel in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the film adaptation of the successful West End musical. It tells the story of a teenager from Sheffield who overcomes prejudice to become a drag artist, and was premiered at the Royal Albert Hall last night.

Chanel is Jamie New’s mentor and Grant said the character gave him sleepless nights as he wrestled with a Sheffield accent and his first foray into singing. But the character is significant for another reason: it is Grant, a straight man, playing a gay character for the first time since