May 9, 2008 | Celeb Watch

Come out already!

Across the pond in a land filled with sexy accents, one of the stars for the British version of "The Office" says it's time for high-profile Hollywood celebrities to come out of the closet.

"The funny thing about the acting business is that there are more poofs in it than you can have hot dinners thrown at you," said actor Martin Freeman. "But no one is out. It's not so bad here, but in Hollywood … In this so-called liberal industry, no one has the guts to come out because of the box office, but someone has to be first in the firing line."

Other British stars have made the same claim. Sir Ian McKellen last year argued it was the Hollywood producers fault for encouraging gay actors to hide their sexuality.

"With all that liberal attitude, you have a local industry which is saying to local people who live in the area, 'When you come to work, you are not gay,'" Sir Ian said. "And I think to myself, 'Can people whose minds work like that make good films? And if at the heart of Hollywood there is that lie, how many other lies are there?'" [more]

Openly gay "Torchwood" actor John Barrowman doesn't feel he has been denied any roles because of his sexuality. "If it (being gay) has been a problem, no-one ever told me so. I know people who lie about being gay because they think it will affect their work chances. That is just sad," he told The Stage in January.

But Rupert Everett disagrees. In his autobiography, "Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins," he says being gay did limits the roles he was able to get. He was denied parts in "About a Boy" and "Basic Instinct 2" because he's openly gay.

There is hope. On the small screen actors like TR Knight, Neil Patrick Harris and Luke MacFarlane have come out. It is only a matter of time before one of the big names from the big screen declares himself a big man-lovin' 'mo!