'Labelling LGBTQ actors by their sexuality should stop'

Los Angeles: Actor Alan Cumming says the practice of labelling LGBTQ actors by their sexuality should stop.

The 54-year-old actor, who made a history when his role as Dylan Reinhart on Instinct became the first ever openly gay lead in a US network drama, believes a person's sexuality should not be the only defining factor.

"I get really pi**** off, I'm bored, when people say 'gay actor' Alan Cumming or 'queer actor' Alan Cumming. Fair enough, all those things are true, but you wouldn't say 'straight actor', or 'heterosexual actor'," Cumming told People NOW.

"When you look at it like that... We have to get to the point where we just tell stories about people, and one of the facets of them is that they're LGBTQ or whatever." The actor added playing Dylan has been an honour for him and he appreciates that his character's sexuality is not the focus point of the arc.

"If you have these characters, and they just happen to be gay or whatever. That should not be the main thrust of their narrative."