Kristen Stewart has claimed she was advised to hide the fact that she was in a same-sex relationship in order to further her career.
The Twilight star, who was in a relationship with model Stella Maxwell for two years, told Harper’s Bazaar: “I have fully been told, ‘If you just like do yourself a favour, and don’t go out holding your girlfriend’s hand in public, you might get a Marvel movie. I don’t want to work with people like that.”
Stewart did not reveal who she claims made the offending remark, though it highlights a common problem regarding attitudes towards LGBT+ actors.
In February, Ellen Page revealed that she too was told to withhold her sexuality in order to boost her professional prospects.
Speaking to Porter, the 32-year-old actor said: “I was distinctly told, by people in the industry, when I started to become known: ‘People cannot know you’re gay.’
“And I was pressured – forced, in many cases – to always wear dresses and heels for events and photo shoots. As if lesbians don’t wear dresses and heels.”
Stewart went on in the interview to expand upon how the film industry has hindered her freedom of expression in other ways.
“Like what, you can’t go outside with who you’re with? You can’t talk about it in an interview?” she said.
Stewart continued by addressing the need that some people feel to put a label on her sexuality.
“I was informed by an old-school mentality, which is – you want to preserve your career and your success and your productivity, and there are people in the world who don’t like you, and they don’t like that you date girls, and they don’t like that you don’t identify as a quote unquote lesbian’, but you also don’t identify as a quote unquote ‘hetero-sexual’. And people like to know stuff, so what the f*** are you?’”
In April 2013, Stewart’s personal life came under intense scrutiny due to a very public breakup with her Twilight co-star, Robert Pattinson. Revisiting their relationship in Harper’s Bazaar,, Stewart explained why she resented ever discussing it in previous interviews.
“When me and Rob were together, we did not have an example to go by,” she said.
“So much was taken from us that, in trying to control one aspect, we were just like, ‘No, we will never talk about it. Never. Because it’s ours.’”
