I feel like lots of people overlook this, but if this movie is about a Trans woman, then shouldn't she be played by a Trans woman? This also applies to that Elle Fanning Trans movie, and even Transparent (even that show does have other Trans actors on its cast). I mean, I'm sure that there are Trans actors in Hollywood who would do just as good a job. Am I the only one who thinks this?
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Why do you think it's strange? Name one bankable trans star.
shareThe OP has blatantly missed the point that acting is about playing a variety of different roles where you don't actually have to be the type of person you are playing in real life. IE you don't need to be gay to play someone who is gay, you don't need to be transsexual to play a character that is transsexual. Similarly you don't need to be a doctor to play a doctor, firefighter to play a fireman, police officer to play a policeman/woman etc!
IMO it's actually quite ignorant and patronising to say to a trans actor "oh, this role is perfect for you because the character is transsexual"! Trying to fit someone into a box of playing roles simply because of their gender or sexuality is incredibly short sighted.
Oooo good point. When are we going to get past these damn labels. They cause too many problems. I wonder if Eddie Murphy was sent the script to Beverly Hills Cop and the roll called for a black cop or, you know, just a cop.
I agree it would be patronizing and is a bad trap to fall into because then transsexual actor could get stuck like Latinos got stuck only playing gang members or thieves playing ONLY transsexuals. And if they truly believe that transsexuals should play transsexuals that shouldn't the flip side hold true also that no transsexuals should be playing non transsexual roles?
Yes you're the only one that thinks this, it's called acting so any man can play the role as long as they have the acting chops!
shareWhat did you expect? These films have to get financed and Eddie Redmayne's buzz for The Theory of Everything surely secured that. The same with About Ray; Elle Fanning is the most in-demand actress in her age group. Not to mention, these films are depicting the transition.
I wouldn't think too much of it. Hollywood has always had a limited idea of what is a leading actor/actress. They just want to be as 'safe' as possible.
It's an ordinary high school day. Except that it's not.
These films have to get financed and Eddie Redmayne's buzz for The Theory of Everything surely secured that.
Pedro Almodóvar already answered this question as early as the 1980's (and kept on answering it in the 90's and 00's and 10's). And the answer is NO, a transgender character does not necessarily be played by a transgender actor. Throughout his career, Almodóvar has casted Trans actresses for trans- and cis-women roles, and also cis-men and cis-women as trans women. Also, of course, what is more common, heterosexual men and women as gay people, and cis- gays and lesbians as heterosexual people, and any other combination possible :-). Whatever worked for each role. Al this with tremendous commercial and artistic success, I have to say.
And because they were all notorious actors and actresses in Spain, everybody knew their real-life gender, and that added a fine coat of irony to his often crude, crazy, surreal stories.
For example: in "La ley del deseo" (Law of Desire, 1987) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093412/
Bibiana Fernandez (formerly known as Bibí Andersen)(trans-actress) plays the role of Ada, a cis-woman, formerly married to a man who became a trans-woman after their divorce, played by Carmen Maura (cis-woman), as the story occurs after her transition.
It was challenging for both actresses to exchange their gender identities in their respective roles, not to talk about the physical efforts needed, but the result was fantastic, being Bibiana, by far, the most feminine of the two. I cannot imagine the inverted cast. It worked perfectly this way.
I recommend that film. And most of Almodóvar's filmography, by the way.
the movie has one trans actor Rebecca Root she plays Lili's Nurse .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Root
English is not my native language .
That's why it's called 'acting job'. An actor takes a role and plays it. Besides the story starts when he was a man and then changed into a woman.
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