Arts & Entertainment
Actor Lee Pace reluctantly comes out
‘The Hobbit’ star found the question about his sexuality ‘intrusive’
Lee Pace (Screenshot courtesy of YouTube)
Actor Lee Pace, whose acting credits include “The Hobbit” and “Pushing Daisies,” has revealed he has dated men and women but wasn’t keen to discuss his sexuality.
Pace spoke with Brian Moylan (former Washington Blade arts editor) for W Magazine in promotion for his role as Joe Pitt, a closeted gay Mormon man, in the Broadway revival of “Angels in America.”
“Our understanding of what it means to be gay is just so different … It’s just so much further down the road. It’s an interesting thing for me to think about in this moment while working on this play,” Pace begins.
When asked about his sexuality, the interviewer notes Pace seems “surprised by the question.” While he shares his dating history he stops short of labeling himself.
“I’ve dated men. I’ve dated women. I don’t know why anyone would care. I’m an actor and I play roles,” Pace says. “To be honest, I don’t know what to say ― I find your question intrusive.”
Ian McKellen, Pace’s “The Hobbit” co-star, seemed to out Pace in a 2014 interview with German magazine Brash.de when he lists Pace as an “openly gay actor” in the film.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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