Imperfect casting can weaken a character’s credibility by creating cognitive dissonance over who the character is supposed to be in theory and who the character is on screen. Kennedy was brash, overly aggressive (both in challenging Buffy and in pursuing Willow), wore leather jackets and suspenders, and was a U-Haul lesbian to boot.
In the soap opera A character may feel inauthentic if given too many negative, stereotypically lesbian traits. Just $6 for 6 issues delivered!-SAVE 79%
If we can identify a breakdown in one or more key inputs as a cause of an “unconvincing” gay character, then it follows that a “convincing” character will successfully meet all three inputs. Because the credibility of a character’s sexuality seems to be correlated only weakly with that character’s popularity. For example, a formerly heterosexual character suddenly becomes attracted to someone of the same-sex with whom she has little chemistry—especially if it appears to be a ratings ploy or an effort to bring more “diversity” to the show. At least in Season 1, which is when I stopped watching after Erica Davidson resigned from Wentworth Prison, Franky could come across as a poor man’s Shane (Hollywood is, for the most part, good at its job; plot, writing, and casting are the key to any show, whether gay or not, and because it does them well, “unconvincing” female characters on TV are limited.
237.3k Followers, 541 Following, 404 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Nicole da Silva (@thenicoledasilva) Given the incredibly subjective nature of assessing a character as “unconvincing,” many readers may disagree with the examples and are welcome to offer counterarguments in the comments section.The credibility of a character’s lesbianism or queerness may be undercut if the object of her affection seems implausible.