Why do genetic women play transsexual roles in TV

[Legend]

Probably the most insulting things to transsexuals in my opinion is that major roles that are designed for transsexuals aren't even played by actually transsexuals but genetic women(ugly betty and nip/tuck)or simply guys pretending to be transsexuals(soldier boy).Do they not think that real transsexuals can act,i mean if im a director or producer and one of my characters was based on a real transsexual i would want the real thing.Does that really insult you girls when they cast roles that are meant for you to gg or guys pretending to be transsexuals or is it not that big of a deal?

[SarahG]

Probably the most insulting things to transsexuals in my opinion is that major roles that are designed for transsexuals aren't even played by actually transsexuals but genetic women(ugly betty and nip/tuck)or simply guys pretending to be transsexuals(soldier boy).Do they not think that real transsexuals can act,i mean if im a director or producer and one of my characters was based on a real transsexual i would want the real thing.Does that really insult you girls when they cast roles that are meant for you to gg or guys pretending to be transsexuals or is it not that big of a deal?

Sometimes they don't want a real trans girl. With ugly betty its a comedy and not what I would call realistic. Having a real tgirl in there, acting, talking, thinking like a real tgirl probably isn't what the writers wanted in the show.

I have seen at least one law & order episode where they had a GG play the role of a tgirl, I think the reason behind it was the plot required the character to be 100% passable in every way and the writer/producer must have assumed there would be no trans actress that would fit the bill AND be in the right age group. I don't like the implications of that... its no different from the "there is no such thing as a tgirl tricking a guy, he knew she was trans from the beginning" statements we see sometimes implying passing is impossible. :banghead

I can't say how easy it is to find good trans actresses who pass, so who knows, maybe alot of these shows/movies just weren't able to fill the role right, soon as they needed to in casting. Being an actress isn't enough if they aren't very good at acting, for instance... so being trans won't give someone a role just for being the only trans girl to show up. Especially if a GG going for the same part is 10 times better at acting.

[Wombat]

I have seen at least one law & order episode where they had a GG play the role of a tgirl, I think the reason behind it was the plot required the character to be 100% passable in every way and the writer/producer must have assumed there would be no trans actress that would fit the bill AND be in the right age group.



Yeah, that was Kate Moennig from the L Word.

[Legend]

Probably the most insulting things to transsexuals in my opinion is that major roles that are designed for transsexuals aren't even played by actually transsexuals but genetic women(ugly betty and nip/tuck)or simply guys pretending to be transsexuals(soldier boy).Do they not think that real transsexuals can act,i mean if im a director or producer and one of my characters was based on a real transsexual i would want the real thing.Does that really insult you girls when they cast roles that are meant for you to gg or guys pretending to be transsexuals or is it not that big of a deal?

Sometimes they don't want a real trans girl. With ugly betty its a comedy and not what I would call realistic. Having a real tgirl in there, acting, talking, thinking like a real tgirl probably isn't what the writers wanted in the show.

I have seen at least one law & order episode where they had a GG play the role of a tgirl, I think the reason behind it was the plot required the character to be 100% passable in every way and the writer/producer must have assumed there would be no trans actress that would fit the bill AND be in the right age group. I don't like the implications of that... its no different from the "there is no such thing as a tgirl tricking a guy, he knew she was trans from the beginning" statements we see sometimes implying passing is impossible. :banghead

I can't say how easy it is to find good trans actresses who pass, so who knows, maybe alot of these shows/movies just weren't able to fill the role right, soon as they needed to in casting. Being an actress isn't enough if they aren't very good at acting, for instance... so being trans won't give someone a role just for being the only trans girl to show up. Especially if a GG going for the same part is 10 times better at acting.

I get what your saying gg are better actors and transsexuals aren't given the job simple because they are transsexuals,i just think personally it takes away from the role a little.Have you seen candis cayne,i think she balances out being a good actor and being 100% passable wouldn't you agree?

[SarahG]

I get what your saying gg are better actors and transsexuals aren't given the job simple because they are transsexuals,i just think personally it takes away from the role a little.Have you seen candis cayne,i think she balances out being a good actor and being 100% passable wouldn't you agree?

I am not saying GGs are better at acting, just that there are TONS more GGs than passable or nearly passable tgirl actresses.

Suppose you are a director and are casting for a role you need filled by the end of the week. You need for the part is a white highly passable tgirl between the age of 16 and 18.

How many white highly passable tgirls are there in that age group?
How many white GGs are in that age group?

Next how many of the above (for each) are actresses?

The more picky you get from there, the smaller each "pool" of applicants will be and the harder it will be to fill the part. You don't have much time to fill the part, what if no tgirl even shows up to audition? What if you only get one tgirl who shows up but she can't act? What if she can act but it isn't what you're going for (look at all the good actresses for GG parts who are turned away until the producer finds "the perfect one for the part").



Ok, there are some trans actresses out there who are good, like the one you mentioned... but if EVERY trans character was always the SAME actress, it would really start to get in the way... especially if that actress was playing parts that didn't match personality wise, age wise, whatever.

What if none of the the commonly known trans actresses aren't even interested in the part? Cayne maybe good but what if she doesn't like the script, the producer, the plot or the pay?

[Nowhere]

Honestly. I think the reason GG's play it is because there are so few TG women out there, let alone TG women actresses.

[Wombat]

Honestly. I think the reason GG's play it is because there are so few TG women out there, let alone TG women actresses.

Yes, its not like there are enough TG parts to keep them employed. They would hardly make a living, let alone make a career out of it.

[62des]

I say the #1 reason is, no actor wants to be known for making out with trannies. I remember watching "Soul Food" the series and the big time actor that played Damien, Terry's boyfriend was dating a girl and they went to her place and was making out about to fuck, and he was feeling on her and felt her dick. He didn't know she was a tranny. Basically what person wants to be on live TV making out with a real tranny? Even if its acting. Secondly most are homohobes. So they view the tranny no different as another guy so why would he put himself in that position. That's like an actor kissing another guy sexually just because he's acting. White girls do it all the time but nobody thinks twice of it. But its different for men.

[Night Rider]

I say the #1 reason is, no actor wants to be known for making out with trannies. I remember watching "Soul Food" the series and the big time actor that played Damien, Terry's boyfriend was dating a girl and they went to her place and was making out about to fuck, and he was feeling on her and felt her dick. He didn't know she was a tranny. Basically what person wants to be on live TV making out with a real tranny? Even if its acting. Secondly most are homohobes. lol That's like an actor kissing another guy sexually just bcause he's acting.

I disagree, I believe it's mainly because the industry isn't littered with tgirl actresses. The are plenty of straight actors that are willing to kiss other men. e.g brokeback mountain, the gay friends episode. So if they are willing to kiss other men, then a transgender should be a walk in the park for them.

[TJ347]

I have seen at least one law & order episode where they had a GG play the role of a tgirl, I think the reason behind it was the plot required the character to be 100% passable in every way and the writer/producer must have assumed there would be no trans actress that would fit the bill AND be in the right age group.



Yeah, that was Kate Moennig from the L Word.

Great episode. I found myself wishing she really was a tgirl... and still do everytime I see the rerun.

[Ecstatic]

Good points raised above re: number of good tg actresses who fit the role being cast, and the number of actors who would agree to doing an intimate (not necessarily sexual) scene with a tg actress (hats off to Billy Baldwin, who not only doesn't mind at all being cast opposite Candis Cayne, but who has called her the hottest actress on the set).

One quibble: while Famke Janssen was cast the lead transsexual character in Nip/Tuck, there were several actual TG's cast in supporting roles in the show.

[mbf]

why dont you write a letter of complaint to the studios/directors/networks and ask them directly?

you might even get an answer.

as for my opinion - and thats really a wild guess : there are hundreds if not thousands of underpaid natural born women out there that have some knowledge of acting around who will do the job for little money. blame capitalism.

[francisfkudrow]

I think its most likely laziness. They know they can get a GG actress who will fit the part with minimal effort, whereas they'd have to do research to find a TG. In the case of TV, its more understandable than with movies, because TV shows film on a tight schedule. They may simply not have time to do that kind of research. As for movies though, its just laziness.

[TrueBeauty TS]

It can also be a double edged sword. If a TS actress is so passable, she may not want to out herself as being T.

There are a couple TS actresses that are acting normal parts (although they are small roles) that are just trying to be known as regular actresses.


.

[echimandu]

Ok, I've voiced my opinion on this subject here before and got slammed but, some just don't like the truth. Actually, Sarah reiterated some of what I said. You have thousands of gg actresses who are extremely talented that producers can choose from. How many trans? Exactly. When it comes to a lead role in a film or television episodic, studios need to sell the product. Why would you cast a trans, that no one knows, as a lead in a major project. No one will watch it. Its about bankability first, talent after that. And honestly, if I'm investing in that kind of project, I cast a recognizable gg who is talented 100% percent of the time. She will have a following from whatever she has done before. I can depend on her. And more than likely, the gg has the training and has been working at a high professional level for years. The track record of a trans actress can't compare to this. And there are soooo very few of them. Hollywood doesn't take chances and if they do, its more of a calculated risk. Millions are always on the line. The careers of everyone involved are at stake. Why would they risk all of this just to cast an unknown and unproven trans cause the role is trans? See, this is what I personally question. The trans women spends a number of years focusing on her transition. Now she may like acting, but its not a top priority. Conversly, the gg is completely focused on an acting career. Doing years of theatre, broadway and off broadway. Winning a Tony or maybe an Obie. Then she stars working in tv and film. See, were not talking about performing at clubs, balls and drag shows. Does it give you stage presence? Yes. But its light years away from knowing how to break down a script. And all the skill and nuances that come with being a highly skilled professional actress.

[62des]

I say the #1 reason is, no actor wants to be known for making out with trannies. I remember watching "Soul Food" the series and the big time actor that played Damien, Terry's boyfriend was dating a girl and they went to her place and was making out about to fuck, and he was feeling on her and felt her dick. He didn't know she was a tranny. Basically what person wants to be on live TV making out with a real tranny? Even if its acting. Secondly most are homohobes. lol That's like an actor kissing another guy sexually just bcause he's acting.

I disagree, I believe it's mainly because the industry isn't littered with tgirl actresses. The are plenty of straight actors that are willing to kiss other men. e.g brokeback mountain, the gay friends episode. So if they are willing to kiss other men, then a transgender should be a walk in the park for them.

Maybe for unknown actors who hasn't yet established a reputation but not for movie stars.

[Night Rider]

Maybe for unknown actors who hasn't yet established a reputation but not for movie stars.

Matt le Blanc, Jake Gyllenhaal many others

[Hazel Tucker]

All i know is that if i was an actress, i wouldn't be too keen on being type-casted as a transsexual. It would be slightly diminishing to my talents if i were only asked to play a tranny role just cuz i am a tranny. I think if ur an actress ur goal is to walk and talk thru a character that is unlike urself. That's acting. However, if the role was more than just being a trans person such as being Christine Jorgensen herself, then i don't think i would have a problem with it. :idea: :?:

[Tanuki]

people are TERRIFIED OF TRANSGENDERED ISSUES,,

it is always ridiculous.. tho... a man should play a man.. a woman should play a woman and a ts should play a ts..
DUH.

it breaks the illusion any other way i think.

[IndridCold]

TV gives a role to transsexuality
With taboos being erased, story lines involving transgender characters have been emerging on prominent shows.
By Roger Catlin, Hartford Courant
November 12, 2007

Gay people on TV are old hat.

By now, Entertainment Weekly reports, 61% of college freshmen, who grew up with "Will & Grace," approve of gay marriage. The finding in the national poll is up 10 percentage points from a decade ago.

A turn around the dial will bring you gay story lines in daytime soap operas, same-sex dating on MTV shows such as "Next" and "A Shot of Love With Tila Tequila," and prominent gay characters in ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" and several cable shows: FX's "Nip/Tuck," HBO's "The Wire" and Showtime's "The L Word."

Suspected of being gay is no longer the guaranteed laugh it was on TV anymore, even on macho shows like "Two and a Half Men." And characters such as George on "Grey's Anatomy" or Barney on "How I Met Your Mother" can be credible as virtual Lotharios, though they are played by gay men.

No, to add shock to TV shows in 2007, writers have turned to transsexuals.

How surprising was it last season on "Ugly Betty" when Alex, the long-lost brother of Mode magazine editor in chief Daniel Mead, returned as Alexis, who was not only a woman but a woman who looks like Rebecca Romijn (exactly like her, as it turned out)?

A story line over the summer on "Entourage" involved Johnny Drama trying to get in good with the mayor of Beverly Hills by hooking him up with what appeared to be a beautiful woman at a trendy bar. Her pre-op secret was revealed in one of those skirt flash shots the paparazzi so love. But the mayor (Stephen Tobolowsky) decided he liked his exotic new acquaintance anyway.

Sultry blond

Another politician on a TV series who decided to stick with his transsexual is William Baldwin's Patrick Darling on ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money." Though a married New York state attorney general running for U.S. Senate, he is determined to continue his illicit relationship with Carmelita, despite entreaties from his family lawyer.

Carmelita, a sultry blond with a very low voice, is notable because she might be broadcast TV's first recurring transsexual character who actually is played by a transsexual. She is played by Candis Cayne, whose previous credits include "Wigstock: The Movie," "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" and an episode of "CSI: New York."

A transsexual story line also occurs early on another new ABC series, "Big Shots," in which divorced cosmetics CEO Duncan Collinsworth, played by Dylan McDermott, hooks up with a transsexual prostitute at a rest stop -- a tryst that threatens his career when the story gets out.

A more normal depiction of a transsexual life comes as a small part of the FX series "The Riches," about a family of grifters, whose youngest son prefers to dress in women's clothes.

Even as more daytime talk shows take a more serious look at transsexuals, including an October episode of "Oprah Winfrey," some in the transgender community are not encouraged by TV's tendency to depict transsexual women, especially those of color, as prostitutes. The only transsexual women who so far escape that profession are white.

'I'm totally natural'

But on "There's Something About Miriam," an imported BBC series on the Fox Reality cable channel, a group of men vie for the affections of a Mexican woman. According to Fox Reality, the show involves "six eligible men, one beautiful model named Miriam and an enormous secret reveal you never saw coming."

But in this season of transsexuals, of course you saw it coming.

And if you didn't, it was revealed in the premiere (shown, oddly, on Halloween, following the announcement of a winner on "The Search for the Next Elvira").

"I'm not a real woman. I wasn't born as a girl, I was born as a man. I'm a transsexual," Miriam says with about 10 minutes left in the first episode. "I see myself as a girl because I've been living about half my life the way I am living now.

"I don't have any operation. I'm totally natural, this is me."

A doctor from Spain is then interviewed, so he can say, "I can confirm that she has got masculine genitals."

"I see myself as a girl, so basically I like straight guys," Miriam says. The guys won't find out until the final episode.

When "There's Something About Miriam" first aired in the United Kingdom in 2004, it was called "the cruelest reality show idea yet."

Its participants sued the show for conspiracy to commit sexual assault, defamation, breach of contract and personal injury in the form of psychological and emotional damage.

The cases were settled out of court, and the show since has been shown in Australia and Poland. Still, it is perhaps understandable that the cast refuses to do interviews related to the show's U.S. debut.

Mara Keisling, executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, has said, "It's just natural that as there are more trans people visible in public, that's going to be reflected in popular culture."

But its emergence comes with terms that are offensive to the community, such as "she-male" and "tranny."

And conservative watchdog groups are against it altogether.

Christopher Gildemeister, in the TV Trends column for the Parents Television Council, says ABC has an "apparent fetish for transsexuals" in a season where "bizarre forms of sex are being emphasized to a much greater degree on television than ever before."