Paul Feig Says He Has to Be ‘Coy’ About Whether Kate McKinnon Plays a Gay Character in Ghostbusters

Photo: Sony

All signs point to Kate McKinnon as the breakout star of Ghostbusters. Part of the appeal seems to be the lively sexuality of McKinnon’s character Holtzmann; Vulture’s Kyle Buchanan wrote: “Nearly everything turns her on, including dangerous weaponry and her fellow Ghostbusters, and her free-floating sexual swagger is likely to inspire ardor from the audience, too.� But try to pin down the character’s sexuality beyond pansexual flirtation and your efforts are likely to get busted, as Sony seemingly doesn’t want the question answered.

That much was made clear by a conversation between Ghostbusters director Paul Feig and The Daily Beast’s Jen Yamato. Asked point-blank if McKinnon, herself gay, is playing a gay character in the reboot, Feig responded, “What do you think?� When Yamato said she thought Holtzmann was indeed gay, Feig gave a “silent nod� and explained: “I hate to be coy about it … But when you’re dealing with the studios and that kind of thing … “

He then added, “You know, Kate is who she is and I love the relationship between Kate and Melissa’s characters. … I wasn’t like, ‘And now you should wink at them.’ This is stuff that is coming out of Kate! That’s why you connect with those characters. They’re playing versions of themselves.� Of course, the strong possibility that a female lead in a major summer movie is gay isn’t nothing — and just weeks after the massacre at an Orlando gay club, when someone hates “to be coy� about something, it would be ideal if they didn’t have to be.