Jackson and Urie Rip Article

Broadway and TV stars Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Urie attacked a controversial Newsweek article that said openly gay actors cannot play convincingly straight roles during a talk-back Monday night after an off-Broadway performance of The Temperamentals.

The piece, written by gay journalist Ramin Setoodeh, has drawn the ire of respondents including actress Kristin Chenoweth, who blasted Setoodeh for his assessment of her Promises, Promises costar Sean Hayes.

According to AfterElton.com, at the talk-back in New York City Monday, “When asked to comment on Ramin Setoodeh's recent article about how openly gay actors can't convincingly play heterosexual roles, Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Urie straight-out called the Newsweek entertainment writer an ‘asshole' who's ‘unconscionable.’”

Jackson told moderator Frank DeCaro, “It was infuriating on so many levels. Not only does [Setoodeh] say that a gay man can't play straight, he got personal, picking on Sean Hayes in Promises, Promises, [pointing out] certain scenes where he thinks [Sean] is stiff and uncomfortable. And then he picks on Jonathan Groff, who just came out. He's a young teen heartthrob [in Glee]. He's so talented and so delicious and needs our love and support. Instead, [Setoodeh] says he's not believable at all. It was very veiled self-loathing. Really upsetting."

Click here to read more of what Jackson and Urie had to say.