Wellington film-maker Andy Boreham's difficulty in finding actors to play gay is not a one-off problem – even the producer of top-rating TV2 soap Shortland Street has encountered it, despite the fact the show has been portraying gay characters for years. Jason Daniel told National Radio that he continues to find it extraordinarily difficult to cast gay characters, especially men. "We've recently had a gay character and I think I went through more actors for that role than any other that I've tried to cast in the time I've been here over the last six months or so. A huge number of actors turned it down," he said. Boreham needed actors for an AIDS Foundation safe sex cinema and print campaign. He told GayNZ.com he had been turned down by every agency he spoke to in Wellington. "They just said they doubted their clients would be comfortable with being in a cinema and print campaign showing them affectionate with another man," he said. "They said a cinema commercial on its own might be fine but that print material 'hangs around a lot longer'." AIDS Foundation spokesman Steve Attwood says the agencies' position is patronising. "Actors always need work and given the success of Brokeback Mountain you would think actors would be clamouring to get a gay role," he told the Christchurch Press. However, at least one of the agencies Boreham spoke to denied it was a case of homophobia. Agencie Management told the Christchurch Press they had declined Boreham's request for several reasons. Spokesperson Maria Gorham said the request had come during a busy period, and Boreham had not been specific about payment. Other agencies told the newspaper they would never discriminate against a particular role. National acting and talent agency Talent On-line, who were not approached by Boreham, said they had not heard of agencies declining roles because they were gay. Perhaps it is the actors themselves who are the problem, suggests Shortland Street producer Jason Daniel. "Very often somewhat mediocre or bad actors will blame the lack of work after playing a gay character on the fact that they'd played gay. If they were a good actor, they'd continue to get work."