Two TIFF films spark debate about lack of opportunities for transgender actors

By David Friend, The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Two buzzy movies at the Toronto International Film Festival are sparking questions about how the industry portrays transgender people and gender identity.

Both “About Ray” and “The Danish Girl” tell stories about the struggles of gender transition, yet neither film includes trans actors in a lead or supporting role.

“You have people who are making sweeping movies about the dignity and rights of a marginalized group and then not hiring any of those people. It’s a little counter to the human rights narrative they’re trying to create,” says Vancouver-based producer Amy Fox, who sees a lack of opportunities for trans actors as an issue that’s being widely ignored.

While Laverne Cox rose to fame in the Netflix TV series “Orange is the New Black,” most prominent transgender roles are still going to cisgender actors, or people who aren’t trans.

Past Hollywood films about transgender people have almost exclusively been played by cisgender actors. Jared Leto won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a trans woman in “Dallas Buyers Club” while Hilary Swank got an Oscar for playing trans man Brandon Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Films starring transgender actors have struggled to break into the mainstream. The 2011 independent drama “Gun Hill Road,” which earned trans actress Harmony Santana an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her lead role, received a tiny theatrical release in the U.S. and went straight to DVD in Canada.

This summer, “Tangerine,” which features numerous trans actors, showed that not much has changed in distribution. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to strong reviews but only rolled out in a small number of North American theatres before it quietly fell off the radar.

Some in the industry have argued that trans movies just don’t have widespread appeal.

“About Ray” director Gaby Dellal said that was the message she clearly received when she was working on the original story three years ago.

“When I started it I was told: ‘Don’t have a trans character because nobody will go and see the film,'” Dellal said.

Yet “About Ray” made it into production, with actress Elle Fanning playing the title character Ray, who is embarking on the transition process with mixed support from his family. Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon also signed on to be a part of the film.

“When we were filming it a year ago, which is crazy to think about, the transgender community wasn’t as hot a topic as it is now,” Fanning said.

“To me, I think that transgender actors should have the same opportunities as cisgender actors. I think it should be an equal opportunity for all.”

But Fox says the film and TV industry are “passing the buck” when it comes to recruiting trans talent. Casting directors will often say they pick actors based solely on merit and box-office potential, which leaves relatively unknown transgender actors with little hope of gaining a major role.

Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne has tried to head off potential criticism of his portrayal of real-life trans pioneer Lili Elbe in the drama “The Danish Girl” as the film heads into awards season.

In recent interviews, he’s emphasized the amount of research he completed before shooting began.

“Getting to play something like Lili Elbe, who is an icon in the trans community, was a great privilege and you don’t take that lightly if you’re lucky enough to be cast as her,” he told the Associated Press on the red carpet at TIFF.

“I spent a year meeting members of the trans community, different generations of trans women … in order to educate me and to educate cisgender people.”

During a TIFF industry conference about diversity, stereotypes and promoting underrepresented demographics in media, “Empire” co-executive producer Wendy Calhoun said the show’s creators have discussed introducing a transgender character, but haven’t moved forward with it yet.

“We talk about shows we love … what’s happening in the media — the whole evolution of Caitlyn (Jenner),” Calhoun said.

“We discuss everything because we like to be topical.”

Calhoun said she doesn’t want “Empire” to introduce a trans character for the wrong reasons.

“I’m very cautious because when we get to the point that we want to try and tell those stories, I just want to make sure it’s organic, that we bring the humanity to it that it deserves.”

— with files from The Associated Press.

Follow @dj_friend on Twitter.

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