Why Did Julianne Moore Get Criticized For Her Role?

Who doesn’t know Julianne Moore? The award-winning actress has starred in mega-hits like The Big Lebowski, The Hunger Games, and The Hours and much more. Well, we caught the 60-years old speaking about her performance in The Kids Are All Right, 2010.

The Fascinating Story Of  A Lesbian Family And The Sperm Donor

The film tells the story of Nic and Jules, a married lesbian couple raising their two children born with the help of a sperm donor. Unexpectedly, Paul, the biological father ( Mark Ruffalo ) becomes a part of their lives and mess with their family dynamic.

The movie, starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Hutcherson, Mia Wasikowska, and Annette Bening – bagged two prestigious Golden Globes awards. Plus, it got also nominated for four Academy Awards including the Oscar.

But The Film Had Its Fair Share Of Troubles Too

On the film’s tenth anniversary, Moore addressed the dark side of the coin in her interview with Variety. She addressed the criticism the movie faced for casting two straight women portraying a queer couple and how the actors coped with it.

“I have given it quite a thought. We were shooting a movie that revolves around a queer family. But all the lead actors were straight” Moore also shared – “I look back and think – wow, we didn’t think we would pull that off.”  Filming for a whole new character was very fulfilling for Moore. – “We need to give a real representation to our audience. But as an actor, it is my job to let the world have a universality of experience. The point here is that we are sharing our humanity. We are saying that we are all the same.”

She also shared that some viewers had issues with a lesbian character’s affair with her sperm donor. But she also described her character as “someone described to be very fluid, personally and sexually.” She told that her character was full of the sense of her entire identity- as a person, as a woman.

On the other hand, the film’s director and writer, Lisa Cholodenko said “I tend to believe in the make-believe concept.” She further explained – “While I want to promote trans actors representing trans roles, gays representing gay, it’s also a commercial prospect. When I cast Annette and Julianne, I could feel their ability to pull off that gayness. It didn’t seem phony to me. I didn’t feel like I was putting someone in an outfit and asking them to portray something they were not able to do. ” Lisa also shared that the crew reached out to Jodie Foster, who publicly came out about her sexuality in 2007. But, it seemed like despite being a gay person she wasn’t interested in playing a gay character.

On the other hand, Jodie Foster said she didn’t remember getting the offer. But later she explained that she was shooting for The Beaver and “wasn’t available for Kids Are All Right.”