This Friday’s 12 at 12 delves into the waters of Hollywood actresses who played gay, on the quiet, like.

1. Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive

David Lynch’s 2001 film Mulholland Drive is way too insane to even attempt to summarise, but you should definitely see it. It’s an amazing film, with the added bonus of Naomi Watts playing gay.

2. Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures

This is not a happy film. Based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, two close friends who share a love of fantasy and literature, who conspire to kill Pauline’s mother when she tries to end the girls’ intense and obsessive relationship (aka lesbian relationship). It’s disturbing and upsetting, and even more so because it actually happened, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy Kate playing a lesbian character. Even if she’s a scary lesbian character. Note: The actress who plays Pauline Parker, Melanie Lynskey, went on to star in “But I’m A Cheerleader” and was also in “The L Word”.

3. Meryl Streep in Manhattan

Meryl plays the ex wife of Woody Allen in his 1979 film “Manhattan” who has since come out and is now living with a woman.

http://youtu.be/x7TuFo_Y0ys

4. Olivia Wilde in The OC

It’s possible you did know this, but I think it’s worthy of a mention all the same. Olivia has played bisexual characters in two different roles, her first being the role of Alex in hit teen drama “The OC” back in 2004.

5. Michelle Williams in If These Walls Could Talk 2

“If These Walls Could Talk 2” is a HBO TV movie set in the same house over the course of fifty years, chronicling the lives of the lesbians who live in the house over this period of time, and showing how things have changed in society over the years. It’s a good film, and worth a watch, especially for the relationship between Michelle Williams and Chloe Sevigny.

6. Emily Blunt in My Summer Of Love

Unfortunately, a lot of the films on this list are pretty depressing, which has been a bit of a theme in mainstream film land when it comes to portraying lesbians, bisexual women and their lives. This is no different when it comes to 2004 film “My Summer Of Love” which is about the relationship between two women from different classes and backgrounds, set in Yorkshire in the UK. Depressing, but still a really good film.

7 & 8. Audrey Hepburn & Shirley MacLaine in The Children’s Hour

Speaking of depressing, this one definitely wins the award. From way back in 1961, it’s about two teachers who are accused of having a lesbian relationship by a troublemaking student. Though, the word lesbian is never actually mentioned, it’s strongly hinted at. It’s so sad that a film with Audrey Hepburn playing a lesbian had to be a tragic one!

9. Susan Sarandon in The Hunger

Way before Twilight we had sexy bisexual vampires in this 1983 film. Much better!

10. Charlize Theron in Monster 

Monster is a 2003 crime drama about serial killer Aileen Wuornos who was executed in 2002 for killing six men in the late 1980s and 1990s. Another not-so-happy film for the list. Sorry! I tried.

11. Brenda Fricker in Cloudburst

Brenda Fricker stars in 2011 film “Cloudburst”, a film about a lesbian couple escape from their nursing home and head up to Canada to get married.

12. Vanessa Redgrave in If These Walls Could Talk 2

There are actually a good few well-known actresses in this film, including Sharon Stone and Ellen DeGeneres, as well as the previously mentioned Michelle Williams. Vanessa Redgrave stars in the first section of the film, based in 1961 about the loss of her partner and how she’s ignored by society and has no legal rights when it comes to hospital visits and house ownership. It’s very sad altogether, but the rest of the film gives us a lot more hope, so we’ll let this one slide.