James Franco as Robert Mapplethorpe

It seems James Franco has a natural talent for playing gay characters--so much so that we often question his own sexuality or, moreover, question why many of his roles don't go to actors who are actually openly gay.

OK, we're not complaining about this, because who doesn't love seeing him play on our team every now and then? On that note, Franco recently posed in the pages of German magazineGQ Style as the controversial gay photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe.

The entire collection of photos, shot by Mariano Vivanco and available on Gay.net, are paired with the news that Franco will play the late visionary, who died of AIDS early in his career, in an upcoming film co-produced by actress Eliza Dushku.

Photo: GQ Style