Sekiro and Red Dead Redemption 2 actor speaks out in support of gay shipping
Noshir Dalal is happy for his characters to inspire gay fan fiction.
Noshir Dalal, the actor mostly known for playing Charles in Red Dead Redemption 2, and Sekiro in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, has shared his feelings on the fact his characters often feature in fan fiction.
Gay shipping, as it is referred to, is imagining two fictional characters to be in a homosexual relationship. Usually, these characters aren't presented as gay in the context of the work they originally appear in. A vivid imagination, coupled with the lack of gay characters in leading roles send fans down this rabbit hole of creation.
In Dalal's case, some Red Dead Redemption 2 players imagine Charles and Arthur as lovers, giving them the nickname Charthur. The same is also true for Sekiro, where there's a contingent of players who wish he had a thing with Genichiro.
In a new Instagram video, Dalal addressed this fandom, offering his support for their work.
"If there's something going on that needs to be called out or checked, it needs to happen," said Dalal.
"In the last couple of months, some of my fans have been kind enough to direct me to, for example, the Charthur tag - I didn't even know what the word 'ship' meant," he explained. "I see these comments, like you know, 'Wtf are you doing?' 'Don't do that to my Charles,' 'Sekiro is my boy' and then insert derogatory term here."
"Let me be really, really clear: the idea of a gay Charles or a gay Sekiro, it's not that I don't have a problem with it - I am all about it," he added. "If that's something you wanna do, I encourage it and I support it."
The veteran performer went on to say that once they're out in the world, characters no longer really belong to their creators. He also made a great point on why Charles and Sekiro specifically invite that connection with players.
"Charles is a man who has never felt like he belongs, and even though he's been thrown a lot of s**t in his life and made to feel less-than or not included, he's always trying to lead with heart and trying to do the right thing.
"And you have Sekiro, a man whose entire story is based on the conflict that comes from knowing what the given system is demanding of him, what the authorities say he should do, vs the thing his heart tells him is right. If you truly love either of those characters, don't think you can go around hating on other people for exploring who they are," he concluded.
We spoke to Dalal earlier this year about his various skills in motion capture, stunts and acting in a wide-ranging interview about how it often takes many actors and performers to bring a single character to life, but not all of them get credit.