Not everyone is happy that Jack Whitehall has been cast as a gay Disney character

Opinion is divided over Jack Whitehall’s casting as Disney’s first openly gay character.

The comedian and actor will star in Jungle Cruise alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt.

Whitehall announced the casting on Instagram, saying he was “so honoured to be part of this epic adventure”.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BmRf7VUjW0o/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Both Whitehall and Disney have come under fire from those who believe the role should be played by a gay actor, after a source told The Sun that Whitehall’s character would be “hugely effete, very camp and very funny” and confirmed “he is playing a gay man.”

https://twitter.com/CSalvatore/status/1028732159509520384

https://twitter.com/rhiannaconda/status/1028916926737784832

https://twitter.com/Clarkhf/status/1028652236178644993

https://twitter.com/imjamesbarr/status/1028797660336140289

Some have compared Whitehall’s casting to Scarlett Johansson’s attachment to the film Rub & Tug, in which she was due to play a transgender man. The actress withdrew from the movie acknowledging the casting was “insensitive”.

https://twitter.com/shauntae_stay/status/1028742203642990598

https://twitter.com/sophwilkinson/status/1028925943728025600

On the other hand, many argue that there are plenty of gay actors who play straight roles, and that the whole point of acting is that it’s transformative.

https://twitter.com/tms96_/status/1028763294100869122

https://twitter.com/wesstreeting/status/1028912767959556096

https://twitter.com/StanBartolome/status/1028914112829513728

https://twitter.com/LozzaFox/status/1028908560971902976

https://twitter.com/mattuthompson/status/1028910937422667776

https://twitter.com/PeripateNic/status/1028920880221577221