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" Michael Douglas has said that he knows of gay Hollywood actors who have stayed in the closet in order to protect their careers. The Oscar-winning actor and producer recently starred as entertainer Liberace, who denied being gay during his lifetime, in the Steven Soderbergh-directed biopic Behind the Candelabra.      Asked by Shortlist if he thought the public would struggle to accept an openly gay actor playing a straight character, Douglas replied: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a good question. Without naming names, I certainly think there are a couple of people out there who have not come out in the spirit of protecting their careers and livelihoods. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s probably a little bit more difficult going that way. I think that&amp;#039;s true.&amp;quot; Douglas also recalled meeting Liberace with his father Kirk Douglas when he was 12: &amp;quot;He just stopped to say hello, this guy in this Rolls-Royce convertible with sunlight bouncing off the gold and diamonds round his fingers, round his neck. &amp;quot;His hair was perfect. And he just looked like this happy guy. He was a wonder, really well-liked, really popular, very generous, great party thrower. That was about the only time.&amp;quot;  The 68-year-old added that Liberace&amp;#039;s sexuality did not matter to fans because &amp;quot;he brought so much fun&amp;quot;. &amp;quot;He just made you smile and you felt so happy,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;You were sucked in and the old ladies didn&amp;#039;t really care about it.&amp;quot; Behind the Candelabra premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month and screened for US audiences on HBO last Sunday (May 26). It will debut in UK cinemas on June 7. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a485707/michael-douglas-i-know-of-gay-actors-who-havent-come-out/>