Rebecca Romijn's prep for TS role

[Talon DeRojo]

I just read this in the newspaper and I thought that others on this forum would be interested. Rebecca Romijn plays a male-to-female character on TV's "Ugly Betty". When asked during an interview how she prepared for the role, she is quoted as saying "I have two friends who are transgender, who are men who became women ... one who's a very close friend and she's as feminine as any biological woman." I caught a bit of her performance last week and she seemed OK, but not enough to comment further. Did anyone see the whole show?:happy:
Talon

[Joy Carter]

I just read this in the newspaper and I thought that others on this forum would be interested. Rebecca Romijn plays a male-to-female character on TV's "Ugly Betty". When asked during an interview how she prepared for the role, she is quoted as saying "I have two friends who are transgender, who are men who became women ... one who's a very close friend and she's as feminine as any biological woman." I caught a bit of her performance last week and she seemed OK, but not enough to comment further. Did anyone see the whole show?:happy:
Talon

You know with all the transgendered gurls out here, there has to be one that could do that role much better. :Angry3:

[Ashley1]

I really don't understand why the Directors/Producers of such TV shows seem to be so reluctant to hire a real MTF CD to play such roles. There are professional entertainers who are CDs that could do a much more accurate portrayal of a cross dresser. When they use a woman in the role it never seems to come off right. I don't recall ever seeing a movie or a TV portrayal of a CD being done well.

[susie evans]

i think ashley is right my wife loves that show but has made the same coment :hugs:

susie

[JoAnnDallas]

In a couple of old "Wil and Grace" episodes, they go to a Drag show. The DQ was a real Drag Queen. You could tell by her voice and mannerizms. I thought at first that it was a women doing the part, but in the credits they said who it really was. It is the only time I have seen a real DQ or CD on a TV program like that. It was well done, and the DQ/CD performence was outstanding.

[Talon DeRojo]

Ashley1 - A couple of movies with good CD/TS portrayals come to mind - "Just Like A Woman" (about a CD) and "Different For Girls" (about a TS). In both movies, I believe that a straight man played the CD/TS character.
Talon:happy:

[DeeInGeorgia]

The way I read it, if the portrayal of a CD/TS is poor, it has more to do with the writer and director than the actor. What we need are more CD/TS directors. The movie/video is the director's vision and the director pushes until he/she gets what they want. My opinion.

Dee

[marie354]

What about Transamerica? I thought her representation of a TS was outstanding.
:hugs:

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

I really don't understand why the Directors/Producers of such TV shows seem to be so reluctant to hire a real MTF CD to play such roles. There are professional entertainers who are CDs that could do a much more accurate portrayal of a cross dresser.

Umm... do you know any out CD professional entertainers besides Eddie Izzard? I don't. (Obviously there are a number of professional DQs, but I don't think that's what you're looking for.)

It's not like there's a huge talent pool to draw from, for just about anyone on the trans spectrum. There are a couple out TS actresses, but that's about it. Whether they've got the chops to pull-off the sort of performance that Fecility Huffman did in "Transamerica" is another matter. (Incidently, "Transamerica"'s director has said he intentionally cast a women in the part because he wanted to honor where Huffman's character was headed, not where she'd been.) Haven't seen "Ugly Betty," so I can't comment on Romijn's performances.


The way I read it, if the portrayal of a CD/TS is poor, it has more to do with the writer and director than the actor.

Bad actors can definitely kill good writing. But it's hard for even great actors to salvage bad writing. So it definitely starts with good writing. Likewise, the director (or producer for TV shows) makes a big difference, since ultimately they're responsible for the show's vision.

[Joanie B]

I really don't understand why the Directors/Producers of such TV shows seem to be so reluctant to hire a real MTF CD to play such roles. There are professional entertainers who are CDs that could do a much more accurate portrayal of a cross dresser. When they use a woman in the role it never seems to come off right. I don't recall ever seeing a movie or a TV portrayal of a CD being done well.

Recently, CBS did use a real TS (Candice Kaine) to play a TG show girl who was transtioning on CSI NY. Altho I am not sure that the other characters got their pronouns right (by the writers, of course.)

Also, Greys Anatomy did a show about a TS going to SRS surgery then finding out she has cancer, but would she rather be a boy without cancer or take her chances as a girl and risk cancer getting worse? They did a good job, but i don't rememver if the actress was TG or not...

Joanie B.

[jessikasummerfox]

About the whole idea why a real CD'er or TG doesn't play CD/TG roles in film or television, I have some thoughts. I think you're right, Marlena. There may not be a lot of TG actors or actresses out there to draw from. But I also think that having a genetic woman play a transgendered woman also has to do with the general comfort level of society right now. It might feel safer to the general viewing public.

For visual media, it seems to me that the idea of being transgendered is one thing: theoretical, and in a way strangely, progressive. But actually being transgendered is something else altogether. So, having a genetic woman play a transgendered woman creates a barrier of safety that allows the transgender "idea" to be present in a comforting abstract without actually being there in a physical or dangerous reality. The idea of TG is there, but the actual TG person isn't.

It has been said that the "Will and Grace" show allowed gay characters an acceptance or visibility, which I think is true. However, the same gay characters were not allowed a real close, loving, or physical relationship in the same way that the heterosexuals had. So, seen one way, there was an invisible barrier for Will or Jack and the others. (To be fully honest, I haven't seen very many episodes of that show.)

If you apply the same idea to transgendered portrayals on television or movies, I think you might have another possible explanation why genetic women are usually selected for these roles. Short answer: to the larger public, it feels safer. Perhaps if society becomes more comfortable with TG men and women overall, this might change.

[kerrianna]

All valid points.

I was disapointed to see a GG actress portraying this character because she really doesn't do a convincing job.
However my first thought was yup that's Hollywood. It's certainly "Ugly Betty" where they try to surround the lead character with overly dressed, overly made-up people <ie 'beautiful'> (male and female).

It's a cartoony show so they used the whole 'wrapped in bandages for most of the run' as an excuse to unveil a tall beautiful blonde who supposedly has fully transitioned. The unrealistic aspect of it carries through the whole show.

I'm sure seeing more TG characters and stories on TV lately. Makes me wonder....