--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People often ask me why I choose to…" description: "\"People often ask me why I choose to primarily play queer characters, and my answer is that as a queer man, I choose to align myself with projects in wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-17345_man_people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-prim_3195994.jpg" --- # People often ask me why I choose to primarily play queer… ![“People often ask me why I choose to primarily play queer characters, and my answer is that as a queer man, I choose to align myself with projects in which I can be of service for a purpose greater than myself: to be for an audience of queer people of color, something I didn't have the privilege of…” quote by Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-17345_man_people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-prim_3195994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-17345_man_people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-prim_3195994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-17345_man_people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-prim_3195994.jpg) > “People often ask me why I choose to primarily play queer characters, and my answer is that as a queer man, I choose to align myself with projects in which I can be of service for a purpose greater than myself: to be for an audience of queer people of color, something I didn't have the privilege of seeing as a young man.” [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing roles that reflect one's identity can serve a larger community and provide representation. **In simple terms:** Play queer roles to help queer audiences. Key Takeaway Seek projects with meaningful impact. Themes representation identity service Mood hopeful determined Type personal professional When to use this quote - acting - casting - community outreach - media production Key Concepts media studies social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What impact do you want your work to have? - How do you navigate typecasting? A Different Perspective Balancing personal career growth with community expectations can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answer Queer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer-queer-5914774/) [Audience Queer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-queer-5914775/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Play Queer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-queer-3406421/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Queer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/queer/) [Queer Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/queer-characters-698754/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) ## Related quotes > [I knew that I wanted to primarily play queer characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-knew-that-i-wanted-to-primarily-play-queer-characters/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I personally always have a hard time relating to queer characters in media because I didn't really see myself in them. They were kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-stevenson/i-personally-always-have-a-hard-time-relating-to-queer-characters-in/) [Noelle Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-stevenson/) > [What I would love is for a normalization of queer characters on TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-beatriz/what-i-would-love-is-for-a-normalization-of-queer-characters-on-tv/) [Stephanie Beatriz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-beatriz/) > [“One of the problems in mainstreaming queer characters is that people think in order to get a character accepted, they have to be totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-problems-in-mainstreaming-queer-characters-is-that-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of queer characters get painted with either a caricature brush, or they're used to teach, in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levy/a-lot-of-queer-characters-get-painted-with-either-a-caricature-brush/) [Dan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levy/) > [The more queer characters I play over my years of working as an actor, and the more I see other young artists stepping up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/the-more-queer-characters-i-play-over-my-years-of-working-as-an-actor/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I think, in general, straight actors should be able to play queer roles just as much as queer actors should be able to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiynan-lonsdale/i-think-in-general-straight-actors-should-be-able-to-play-queer-roles/) [Keiynan Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiynan-lonsdale/) > [I hope that I do make music that can speak to anyone. I don't just want to play for a queer crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-hope-that-i-do-make-music-that-can-speak-to-anyone-i-don-t-just/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I am an 'other.' As a queer, biracial man who occupies and embodies many different intersections of 'otherness,' I've spent my entire life seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-am-an-other-as-a-queer-biracial-man-who-occupies-and-embodies-many/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [Each time I turn on my own television screen and see reflections of myself in other courageous young LGBTQ-identifying actors and artists, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/each-time-i-turn-on-my-own-television-screen-and-see-reflections-of/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [Coming of age as a young queer man of color, it was a rarity to see any reflections of myself portrayed in mainstream media.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/coming-of-age-as-a-young-queer-man-of-color-it-was-a-rarity-to-see/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [“Well, of course, it was not any of my business but you get very queer glimpses of life sometimes, and you can't help speculating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/well-of-course-it-was-not-any-of-my-business-but-you-get-very-queer/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“It didn’t break the trance. She wasn’t sure that anything could, and briefly wondered if they’d stay like this until flesh rotted away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-morgan/it-didn-t-break-the-trance-she-wasn-t-sure-that-anything-could-and/) [Ashton Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-morgan/) > [I do think that for a queer person to speak truthfully without shame about their own experiences is political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-bruce/i-do-think-that-for-a-queer-person-to-speak-truthfully-without-shame/) [Liv Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-bruce/) > [Queer? Is this queer? These queer? What's up? What's up?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dirt/queer-is-this-queer-these-queer-what-s-up-what-s-up/) [Joe Dirt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dirt/) ## More by Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman > [At 21 years old, I found myself in Vancouver, and that's where I got the part for my first movie. I was sitting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/at-21-years-old-i-found-myself-in-vancouver-and-that-s-where-i-got/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I watched some shows like 'The Simple Life' and 'The Anna Nicole Smith Show,' but I hadn't really watched 'The Bachelor' until I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-watched-some-shows-like-the-simple-life-and-the-anna-nicole-smith/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [The more queer characters I play over my years of working as an actor, and the more I see other young artists stepping up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/the-more-queer-characters-i-play-over-my-years-of-working-as-an-actor/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I had examples from a very young age of gay actors or personalities coming out in late '90s and early 2000s who faced a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-had-examples-from-a-very-young-age-of-gay-actors-or-personalities/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [Every fan interaction I have when someone tells me they can look to their television screens and see themselves reflected in me is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/every-fan-interaction-i-have-when-someone-tells-me-they-can-look-to/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [From the most remote of villages to the largest metropolitan cities, we, as a species, have the same internal need to be seen, heard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/from-the-most-remote-of-villages-to-the-largest-metropolitan-cities/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [Coming of age as a young queer man of color, it was a rarity to see any reflections of myself portrayed in mainstream media.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/coming-of-age-as-a-young-queer-man-of-color-it-was-a-rarity-to-see/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I think that Linda Perry is such a beautiful example of strong female representation in the industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-think-that-linda-perry-is-such-a-beautiful-example-of-strong-female/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [As an actor, it was important to me to play gay characters because, growing up, it was something I never really saw done on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/as-an-actor-it-was-important-to-me-to-play-gay-characters-because/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I never really felt like I quite fit in. Other boys were playing sports and into hunting and stereotypically masculine activities. I was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-never-really-felt-like-i-quite-fit-in-other-boys-were-playing/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I feel like people are so eager and willing to accept the concept of females being bisexual and having it be a very natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-feel-like-people-are-so-eager-and-willing-to-accept-the-concept-of/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [I love my blackness... I love my queerness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/i-love-my-blackness-i-love-my-queerness/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [At 16 years old, I was signed to my very first modeling agency. That was my first real introduction to the entertainment industry. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/at-16-years-old-i-was-signed-to-my-very-first-modeling-agency-that/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [Sometimes in order for change to be made in a positive fashion, we must force ourselves to look unblinkingly at painful realities and reevaluate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/sometimes-in-order-for-change-to-be-made-in-a-positive-fashion-we/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) > [Each time I turn on my own television screen and see reflections of myself in other courageous young LGBTQ-identifying actors and artists, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/each-time-i-turn-on-my-own-television-screen-and-see-reflections-of/) [Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) [Explore all 37 Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/) ## More Man quotes > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [If you're in a meeting and a man talks loudly over you, rather than copying that behaviour and normalising it, what you could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/if-you-re-in-a-meeting-and-a-man-talks-loudly-over-you-rather-than/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Man United has always had a unique aura about it, and when you watch them play everyone knows it's something special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-glazer/man-united-has-always-had-a-unique-aura-about-it-and-when-you-watch/) [Joel Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-glazer/) > [I came to Hollywood to be a movie song-and-dance man just at the time those films were going out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-berry/i-came-to-hollywood-to-be-a-movie-song-and-dance-man-just-at-the-time/) [Ken Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-berry/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [“Well, God be with you,’ she said as she finally left him. ’I’m sure He is,’ he replied. She gave a start. ’Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/well-god-be-with-you-she-said-as-she-finally-left-him-i-m-sure-he-is/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“A man's life is about keeping rules, breaking them, and making new ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/a-man-s-life-is-about-keeping-rules-breaking-them-and-making-new-ones/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) > [“Haunted by the longing to feel something real, deep and magical; I searched for a shared ecstasy... that's when you came along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/haunted-by-the-longing-to-feel-something-real-deep-and-magical-i/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [Elvis was sincere, and he was - he was so loyal. And he was so homespun. He loved his mother, he loved America. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-thompson/elvis-was-sincere-and-he-was-he-was-so-loyal-and-he-was-so-homespun/) [Linda Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-thompson/) > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) [Browse all 10,452 Man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People often ask me why I choose to primarily play queer characters, and my answer is that as a queer man, I choose to align myself with projects in which I can be of service for a purpose greater than myself: to be for an audience of queer people of color, something I didn't have the privilege of seeing as a young man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-primarily-play-queer-characters/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-primarily-play-queer-characters/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-17345_man_people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-prim_3195994.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-17345_man_people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-prim_3195994.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman-17345_man_people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-prim_3195994.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People often ask me why I choose to primarily play queer characters, and my answer is that as a queer man, I…” — Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People often ask me why I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-primarily-play-queer-characters/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bowyer-chapman/people-often-ask-me-why-i-choose-to-primarily-play-queer-characters/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```