A few months ago a Young and the Restless actor quit after refusing to participate in a story line that involved his character kissing another man. A similar story has just unfolded over on the set of One Life to Live.
Patricia Mauceri — she’s played Carlotta Vega for the past 14 years — was just fired after her refusal to participate in a gay story line that conflicted with her personal religious beliefs. Mauceri and her character are both devout Christians. She explained to FOX News, “I did not object to being in a gay storyline. I objected to speaking the truth of what that person, how that person would live and breathe and act in that storyline. And this goes against everything I am, my belief system, and what I know the character’s belief system is aligned to.” So, I think what she’s saying is that her character, Carlotta Vega, would have expressed disapproval of homosexuality and the show’s producers scripted Vega as being more open-minded.
I don’t know what all the gay haterade is that seems to be milling around the soap opera world lately, but I do have a question for all of you: Should actors be able to refuse participation in a story line that doesn’t align with their values system and still expect to keep their jobs?
Mauceri is part of the actors’ union AFTRA; expect a lawsuit in three, two …
So actors agree with the “serial killer” lifestyle when they play cold-blooded murderers? Interesting.
Agreed totally.. You are a actor.. acting.. Its not real.
Okay so I watch one life to live every day (im not proud of it…) and I know the storyline and everything and the actress was just ridiculous in opting out of it. It was just a mother supporting her son’s friend in being gay. In the process she tells her hetero son that she would be okay with it if he was (she thought he was at first when she discovered it was just his friend). If portraying a tolerant person is against this woman’s beliefs than she shouldn’t be on the show anyway.
No. Just like those in the medical profession should not be allowed to refuse to do their jobs because it conflicts with personal beliefs. I am referring to pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions or give the morning after pill for/to young women, OB-GYNs who refuse to provide information or prescriptions for birth control or abortions for their clients, or nurses at hospitals who refuse to assist doctors on D&Cs or D&Xs when they are needed because it conflicts with their personal stance on abortion. It’s fine to have that stance, but don’t go into health care, particularly when you take an oath to “do no harm”. Ignoring or refusing care when it is needed is doing harm.
I don’t really think this is the same situation. Refusing to pretend to be gay, when your whole job is pretending, isn’t really the same thing as aiding in what many people consider murder.
Yeah, right? That was a pretty fantastic leap of logic.
And this lady didn’t even have to pretend to be gay, she had to pretend to be a woman who would potentially be supportive if her son was gay (and the son isn’t actually gay).
i support you. i don’t think its that much a leap.
Gays always throw a fit if somebody finds their lifestyle offensive.
^ Don’t you have some sheep back on the farm to rape?
Anonymous,
^ Don’t you have some children in your basement to rape?
No, thats your job!
anonymous ppl are not entitled to opinions. write your name or stfu!
^ ok, then write your full name.
Eww!! I just clicked the link your shitty blog!! Why did you feel the need to add a picture of yourself?? Were your parents related or something?
Stop lying to yourself. Im sure I look 10 times better than you. I guarantee you would kill to have my perfect body. Where is your pic again…. right you’re anonymous. FYI people on this blog have usernames so that other posters can reply and have a sense of their general viewpoints. Anonymous is a group of randoms who just pop in with their unwanted 2 cents.
Once again Wendie you start talking about / explaining the facts about a certain event, which is innocuous enough, but in the end, in your typical/psychotic/cunt fashion you say something utterly fucking stupid.
You always talk in absolutes. Your anger with one person becomes all inclusive, and of course you have to label something either completely Good or completely Bad.
No middle ground, no gray area, no context, no nothing.
“all the gay haterade”
The woman said it was against HER “belief system”. When did she ever express a “hatred” of anyone.
So to disagree is to hate?
When you disagree with your children it would then be OK for them to hate you, or to think that mommy hates them? Since the first time you disagreed with your parents Wendie you have HATED them?
How would you like it if everyone labeled you based upon THEIR beliefs, THEIR interpretations?
That is the problem with people today. Everyone is doing exactly that.
Your not helping. What does it feel like being part of the problem?
I agree with you Jerzy….this is an odd feeling.
Surprisingly, I agree with you, Jerzy. This woman strikes me as a fool, but her decision not to participate in something she disagrees with doesn’t mean that she’s spewing hate. I disagree with hunting due to my personal beliefs, and would never participate in it, but I don’t hate people who hunt.
And keep in mind, while I’m all about gay rights and pro-gay marriage, and believe that in twenty or fifty years the whole concept of homophobia will be laughed at, we must remember that the pro-gay stance of mainstream society is a relatively new thing. We can’t expect ALL people to have modernized their attitudes just because the mainstream media has. Think of it like pre-marital sex. Nowadays it would be difficult to find any (non-religious) people who were against pre-marital sex, but fifty years ago it would be a completely different story. I’m not going to now judge people in my grandparents’ generation because their belief system is more old fashioned.
Well said Jess.
You stayed calmer than I did.
Sometimes Wendie really pisses me off with her blind hatred. Which is another problem with Wendie being an ass right out of the gate. Once a discussion begins poorly it is all down hill from there and nothing gets worked out nor is there ever any understanding.
Typical real-world scenario these days. All of the analyzing, contemplating, understanding, and acceptance is always after the harm is done by those who react with baseless emotions.
Except for serial killers and the criminally insane, it is always after someone harms another that they calm down, look back, and then realize that what they said or did was wrong.
What do you say people? Lets think first, come up with a fair and loving response, and THEN we can get all emotional.
All the typical conservative cockroaches show up to justify their own hatred and intolerance.
Yes DP that is exactly what I was doing when I submitted my last comment. If you and Wendie were to fuck your child would probably develop into the next Hitler.
But the world needn’t worry. You and Wendie would abort the child anyway.
Yes, their child would be exactly like Hilter.Like everyone know, Hitler was a champion for gay rights.
I can’t believe you keep saying “haterade.”
Yeah, WHAT is with the overuse of that word on this site all of the sudden?
Hey lady, that’s why it’s called ACTING!!!!!!!!!
um, also…she has worked for over a decade on a show that has all sorts of extra marital affairs, out of wedlock babies, general blackmail and backstabbing, abuses of power, serial killers, kidnappers and a host of other wayward activities & this is the event that really gets her goat? yikes.
^ha! SRSLY.
The last time I checked she was paid to be an actress for the show, not a writer. If a writer chooses to disagree with an actor’s or actress’ internal vision of a character, that is their choice. But if in any job you disagree with your employer, then you could find yourself out of a job if it’s not discrimination. She didn’t want to do her job, they found someone who was willing to do it. End of story.
Yes- agreed- dumb in a way since her job is pretending…
But just because someone disagrees with something doesn’t mean they are full of hate. I wonder why people cannot stand for their convictions anymore without being subject to ridicule.
I think it’s great she stood up for what she believed in. I just don’t want it turning into a Carrie Prejean shenanigan. Another chick who stood up for what she believed in, but didn’t do it with any class or grace. that was my main problem with her situation. I’m hoping this actress as she seems to be a mature reasonable adult took notes and can use it as a positive message such as “To thine self, be true” and not end up looking like an idiot in the media glare.
With all the unemployed actors, I’m sure they’ll have no trouble replacing her with someone willing to do the job.
I’m an actress. And I’m sorry, but this is total bullshit. If you’re as devoted to your craft as you claim, enough to make a living out of it, your goal is to tell the stories of other people and explore the human condition for WHAT IT IS. You do not get to pick and choose which people you want to represent because it’s your job to represent the fucking world that we live in. If this actress actually knew the character she was claiming to portray, she would find many different levels of discovery and learning in a Christian woman learning that she is gay. That’s a journey that deserves representation, and helps you learn about the mind of a human being other than yourself.
Additionally, she is lucky to have a fucking job. I’m sorry, but this is uppity and snobbish to suddenly decide that you have a problem with the people allowing you to live the privileged life that you do. Arguably, in the same way that I think doctors should not confuse their morality with their job, and should treat human beings because they want to help human beings, I also think that actors can’t decide that they suddenly don’t like the person they’re playing. It’s a profession. Do your job. Play a person who represents a part of our world.
She wasn’t going to play a gay woman from my understanding. She was upset her character wasn’t reacting to a gay storyline as she has an understanding of the character.
And just like a directo can choose not to cast a person because they are not right for the character, an actor can choose to not play a character if they are uncomfortable with it. If the director has a vision they can choose to work with the actor or not if it is in the best interest of the role. Here the creators saw otherwise. Oh well.
I always thought this actress did good work. Hopefully another door opens for her or she learns from this experience.
I admire her for standing her ground. Do I agree with her belief system? No.
At the same time, she was getting paid to act the part. I don’t watch soap operas, but I am assuming that she has had to participate in other “surly” plots before: extra-marital affairs, lying, scheming….all of which go against christian beliefs. Why didn’t she protest to those?
Why would she protest to those? no one is perfect… we all lie and scheme… perfection is not a part of Christianity- accepting those flaws is a part of accepting forgivness. It seems that she is protesting the gay storyline because she feels that it is not something that her character would do. We all have to draw the line somewhere and it takes a lot to stand up for what you believe in. I am one of those christians that no one talks about- the ones who believe that civil rights includes gay marriage. I am a huge fan of this blog but I hate when I see posts like this. Every time someone disagrees with the usual liberal agenda people like to accuse them of being homophobic, hypocritical bigots.
It seems that people forget that actors are artists too and actually do have the right to ‘pick and choose’ who they are going to play. Might be harsh on their careers, but that’s life. Nice that she can be an individual and not just a puppet. Yeah, A christian woman who realizes that she is gay does need to be represented, but what about the christian actress who draws the line? Where is she represented?
As a total liberal I always hate to see posts like this. What really is someone being honest with the world is too often described as ‘haterade’.
I think it’s great that she has the balls to stand up for what she believes in. I would have quit also instead of being a gay supporter. Sometimes you gotta draw the line somewhere, and supporting gay rights is where I draw it, and apparently her too.
Oh, before I forget….gays shouldn’t be able to get married, it’s wrong.
You shouldn’t be able to reproduce. We have enough Conservative bigots in the world already.
It is funny a Liberal should bitch about others not being able to reproduce, considering your hatred for creation and the perverse pleasure you get seeing your child being sucked up into the medical version of an Electrolux.
TIME TO CHANGE THE BAG HONEY!
We needn’t worry about you though DP. The sperm that you haven’t yet deposited in the asses of the children in your neighborhood is probably hanging unceremoniously from the underside of your desk.
What is your fixation with raping children?
Neither should you. The world also has enough self righteous assholes already.
Well, if you offed yourself we’d be one down.
This all seems like such a stupid non-issue. She signed up to play character on a soap opera; the character is not always going to respond to things the way she personally does, they will respond to things the way the writers have written them to. I have watched this particular show for many years (yes, a little ashamed to admit it) and personally I think being supportive and accepting of her son (who isn’t gay, she just mistakenly thinks he is) is completely in character – he is a character who has been presumed dead more than once, been the victim of mind control etc. so given that it is logical that his sexual orientation would not be a huge issue of worry for his mother. Furthermore, this particular soap has always been pretty gay-friendly in terms of its approach to gay issues, so the writer’s handling of this should be no surprise to her.
As a actress she certainly has the right to pick and choose her parts – or leave a show – based on her personal beliefs, but should not expect that TPTB will write or re-write scripts to fit with her personal beliefs.
I hope whatever bogus lawsuit she tries to pull gets thrown out of court.
So, these soap actors agree with cheating on their spouses, lying, killing, stealing, all kinds of crazy stuff that these characters do…but the gay crosses the line? Very odd. Nobody says an actor has to “agree” with what the character is doing. If they don’t want to do it, they don’t have to, but they should be prepared to lose their jobs.
Agree for the most part. Unless the script calls for some sort of actual sexual contact with a member of the same sex, I don’t see why a straight soap opera star would have a problem being in involved in a gay storyline. Pulling the Christian beliefs card when you’re on a show like that is a bit hypocritical.
Still, she should be able to make career decisions without being called names. The most hateful people I see on this site tend to be my fellow liberals.
Wow this lady is a bloody loser. I’m sorry for my horrible lack of eloquence but gah!
If I told my boss that working before noon was against my personal beliefs I would be fired. And rightfully so. If you can’t do the job the way the job is outlined, you can’t work in that particular position. Period.
This shouldn’t even be a right/left gay/anti gay argument.
She wasn’t axed for her “personal belief system” and to say so is misleading. She was axed because she wouldn’t do her job.
I don’t see why this woman’s role as an actor somehow means she should have to represent and further an idea she doesn’t believe in.
If an actor had their character suddenly written into a storyline where they became a womanizing, abusive, and sexist character who was celebrated by the other characters in the plot line, and they then refused to portray such a terrible character, we would then applaud them for refusing to perpetrate such actions as admirable in the public eye, would we not?
It’s admirable that this woman realizes that her public portrayal of a character will have an effect on others, even if we totally disagree with what she choosing to not portray. Imagine if more female actors stopped to think about how their chosen roles would affect other women? It would be pretty awesome if a female actor refused the part of a half dressed tart in a horror movie because she felt it was a poor example for women.
Whether we agree with this woman’s beliefs or not (and I do not), she does not have to portray a character that furthers beliefs that go against her own (that being a mother who accepts their homosexual child).
That being said, it’s fair for her employer to fire her, but I would assume she wouldn’t want to be involved in a show that was furthering such a storyline anyways.
This woman has played the same character for 14yrs. I imagine there are a lot of similarities btwn the character and herself and she just finds it hard to seperate herself from the character on this issue. I think that the writers are purposely sabotaging her. Im sure that after 14 yrs they knew what she was like. Most likely they wanted to get rid of her. Otherwise I would imagine that after 14 yrs, they would have been more accommodating. I dont think that Eric Braden (Victor Newman on Y&R) would be forced into doing a gay kiss. They just pick on the actors with the less firm fan bases.
Honestly, she is a pretty minor player on the show, her character is peripheral at best, I don’t think the writers are sabotaging her so much as she is not enough of a big deal on the show to write around her personal beliefs. I seriously doubt many people would have even noticed if her character was written off before this happened. Of course someone who is a big deal on the show would carry more weight, but that is the nature of the business – Brad Pitt has more pull on set than Samm Levine (to use an Inglourious Basterds analogy).
As an aside, the scenes in question are airing – they are very short, minor, and played more lighthearted than anything else. Personally, I think this is a case of an actor who has been pretty much ignored on the show suddenly having her chance in the spotlight… if she would have just gone on playing Carlotta no one – not even people who watch OLTL – would be talking about her or her character,
You made some good points. Since Ive never watch the show, Im inclined to believe you are right.
seriously. why is everything that agrees with YOUR politics, Wendy, suddenly hatred? Just because someone doesn’t believe the way you do, you automatically call them homophobes and haters and any number of things. You DO realize that you are doing the exact same thing as the people you bash are doing, right? You’re obviously a liberal and obviously support free speech, so why don’t you let other people have the same right that you enjoy so much?