Josh O'Connor's Instagram disappearance and the question of "queerbaiting"

Without any warning, Josh O'Connor deleted his Instagram account.

For a rising film star, this incident defies logic: In recent years, Josh has become one of the most closely watched young actors in Hollywood. His performances in The Crown, as well as in films like God’s Own Country, La Chimera, and Challengers, have all been astonishing (with Challengers even placing him as a contender for the Best Supporting Actor race at next year’s Oscars). And his upcoming schedule is packed with projects by top-tier directors—Luca Guadagnino, Steven Spielberg, Rian Johnson, Kelly Reichardt—who have already signed him on as the lead for their new films.

So, what went wrong?

It all began around the end of last month during a Vanity Fair photoshoot. For the magazine’s Hollywood issue, two British rising stars—Josh O’Connor and Jonathan Bailey—were paired together. One of them is openly gay, while the other has frequently portrayed gay characters on screen without publicly clarifying his own sexual orientation. Naturally, the photographer requested them to pose intimately, showing the audience what they supposedly wanted to see.

Yet when Josh finished posing for a hugging shot, and Jonathan, still savoring the moment, leaned against Josh looking contented, Josh appeared “nervous” and made a slight gesture as if to push Jonathan away.

This action lasted less than half a second, but it was enough to cause an uproar online. A group of fans expressed disappointment, criticizing Josh as nothing more than a “gay for pay” actor: starring in a series of gay roles to gain the favor and desire of queer fans, but essentially just a straight man leveraging his ambiguous sexuality for profit, deceiving queer viewers.

A tongue-in-cheek tweet making such claims immediately drew over a million views and nearly two hundred thousand likes. In the comments section, memes abounded, accusing Josh of queerbaiting—benefiting from playing gay characters while in reality being straight as can be.

We can’t be sure if this is the reason for Josh shutting down his account; maybe he simply tired of fan harassment. But at least we can be certain that the public narrative—queer fans’ recent surge of criticism—won’t do him any help.

So how should we view this entire incident?

First, let’s clarify: Josh has indeed played numerous gay characters.

Most memorably, he was the self-repressed farm lad Johnny in God’s Own Country, and had a standout cameo as James in Peaky Blinders. But that’s not all: In The Colour of His Hair, Hide and Seek, and Challengers, he’s portrayed gay or at least bisexual roles. In his forthcoming The History of Sound with Paul Mescal, he’ll again play one half of a gay couple, and in Guadagnino’s upcoming Separate Rooms, he’s also cast as a gay character. He even had written a gay-themed film called Bonus Track…

That’s quite the extensive list. Even so, Josh has said in interviews that playing gay roles “isn’t easy” for him. It’s no wonder queer fans feel conflicted: who wants to see a (probably) straight man, unable to confidently embrace and affirm the character’s orientation, take on a gay role?

The criticisms of queerbaiting align with Hollywood’s recent wave of empowerment for minority groups. Several years ago, Scarlett Johansson had to withdraw from playing a transgender lead due to strong protests from the trans community. From their perspective, they’d rather see no transgender-themed film than one that misrepresents them.

Placing this issue within Hollywood’s long history of dubious portrayals of minorities, we might better understand the queer community’s dissatisfaction with certain casting and narrative choices. We all recall the “blackface” tradition of white actors painting themselves to play African Americans, or Christopher Lee and others using makeup to affect “slant eyes” to portray Asians. Black and Asian communities have fought hard to end these practices. Over time, we can expect that having gay actors play gay roles and trans actors play trans roles will become standard practice.

Even so, we should remember that acting is not a one-to-one replication of reality, but an artistic interpretation. This process necessarily grants some private space to the actor and requires the audience’s suspension of disbelief. If we want to know everything behind the camera and dissect every aspect of the actor’s private life, where’s the room left for magic?

Personally, I don’t care much about Josh O’Connor’s actual sexual orientation. That’s his private matter (and I hope he doesn’t feel compelled to reveal details to the media). What I do care about is whether he’s a good actor. And the answer is obviously yes.

I haven’t seen many of his works, but enough to appreciate his versatility. He can be vulnerable and stubborn in La Chimera, and arrogant and conceited in Challengers. Still, regardless of the roles, there is a common thread: behind the characters, we see an extremely sensitive, perceptive soul.

A soul like that needs protection. I understand the queer fans’ dissatisfaction to some extent, but I also hope people won’t over-scrutinize his private life. I hope that amid this storm of public opinion, Josh can harden his nerves without losing his distinctive sensitivity.