Casting Bree with genetic woman vs transwoman - Transamerica (2006) Discussion

[–] takiko-1 15 years ago

> I'm guessing there are many transwomen actresses out there who have trouble getting cast because they don't fit our culture's idea of beauty. <

You really think there's "many"? There are probably more cross-dressing ones that do plays and such (or steady work at a club?), but I don't think there's necessarily "many". If the only role that they would play is being a drag queen, that would only allow for one area to act. Isn't it hard enough to get work acting when it's not just "cross dressing woman" being the only role?

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[–] Greycatclimber 15 years ago

they should have cast a transwoman. its a total cop out. it's likes casting a white person as a black charecter. you can be as good an actress as you can be but how can you bring empathy to a charecter if you will never know what thats like.

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[–] takiko-1 15 years ago

Have you read the other threads on here? Anyhow, I have read some, and there are people that can live without a transwoman being in the role even if their friends couldn't.

Anyhow, if you want to drag out the matter, I guess you can always make your own movie and see if you can outdo this one with a real transwoman starring (and having found one to fill the role, whether the person's a great actress or not).

And is the director a transgender? Is the writer a transgender? Aren't these roles critical to what we see portrayed onscreen? Are white people not allowed to write about blacks, and they shouldn't because it's futile (like "How could white man understand a black man?")?

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[–] JoseBBl 15 years ago

I think they pretty much ARE critical to all this for the sake of authenticity! The closer to reality the better, especially when it comes to this serious subject matter. I really would like to know the main reasons for not finding ts woman as an actress. Why not. I'm sure there's many, but the only explanation i can find is the fact that they don't want to be exposed to public like that. I guess there's hardly any ts that would like to be looked at for her/his past condition rather than for the person they are. That's the only possible reason.

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[–] LannaDrewzetich 14 years ago

Call this corny, but I think it was important to have a person with a female soul to play Bree, regardless of her "equipment".

If that 'Love God And Are 100% Proud Signature' makes you sick, make THIS your signature!

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[–] Juliet_Alpert 14 years ago

I agree and I think they were brilliant for casting Felicity.

I mean if your not going to cast a real "transwoman" to play Bree who better to cast than Felicity flipping Huffman, someone who would take the role and fulfill it as absolute best as she could.

The woman is an absolute gem in Hollywood right now, IMO of course. If you watched any of the interviews that came out around the time the film did, she did so much research and so much training to transform to Bree and I think thats what made her so amazing. She really took the part to heart and it definitely showed.

"Sometimes you think you don't have hope, but you keep on anyway...and then you know you have it"

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[–] patton98 14 years ago

Call this corny, but I think it was important to have a person with a female soul to play Bree, regardless of her "equipment".

lol. Are you on drugs?! So you say the actress playing Bree is FTM = has a male soul but woman body, and you want a real transsexual woman to play Bree so the actress would have a female soul. IS that what you're saying??? If not, then it's easily the most ridiculous and corny statement i have ever read in my life. Don't you realize that real transwomen are BORN with female soul trapped in male equipment?! That's why it's called transsexuality, changing sex to match their soul.

Get some education, because such ignorance makes me sick. And one would hope people would learn at least something little from this film about this subject matter.

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[–] sparrow-29 14 years ago

I think you missed the point. The first poster was supporting the actress saying she was a good choice (someone with a female soul playing a character with a female soul), and I agree. She did a great job.

Please double check posts before you talk negatively.

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[–] LannaDrewzetich 14 years ago

First of all, I'm not ignorant, and probably know more about transsexuality than you. Second, YOU didn't read my post very carefully, and I don't have the time to fight with someone like you, and third, get a life, or at least be a little less hostile toward people.

If that 'Love God And Are 100% Proud Signature' makes you sick, make THIS your signature!

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[–] chacowalla 8 years ago

What you're saying is the exact opposite of what the person said!

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[–] Pimperator 11 years ago

Name actress=more people see and talk about the movie.

Duh.

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[–] jennywocky 11 years ago

Bottom line: If people are unable to empathize with others without having gone through the exact same experiences, then we are honestly wasting our time making movies.

If you feel one iota of connection to a character in a movie where you have not shared that actual experience in real life, then you have just disproven your point.

Actors are actors. If you get the best actor for the role, then they can do the job. It doesn't matter who they are IRL.

I thought Bree was great, and I know many many transpeople of all ages, genders, economic levels, and walks of life. It was refreshing to see a "non-glamorized" transperson starring in a movie, vs someone who could pass for a prom queen or people like Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes parading about and supposedly blending in. Bree seems more much "normal" a figure.

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[–] IsoldeJaneHolland 11 years ago

I love how relaxed and free Bree is in the last couple of scenes; although always sympathetic and relatable she was kind of tense and prim through the first 80 minutes.

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[–] jennywocky 11 years ago

I appreciated seeing that character shift as well. She seemed very human to me, and it was changes and touches like that that helped. It was obvious that moving ahead with her life and surgery really was cathartic for her and enabled her to fully embrace herself vs being in that kind of tense, overly controlled middle ground.

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[–] IsoldeJaneHolland 11 years ago

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[–] FoldingStars 10 years ago

how can you bring empathy to a charecter if you will never know what thats like.

Single most stupid thing I have ever read on the internet.
By this logic;
-Real life drug users are the only people who can play drug dealers/addicts
-Only actors/actresses who have children in real life can play a parent
-You have to have experienced domestic abuse to play a victim of domestic violence

Sounds plausible to you?

R.I.P Quinneh and Toni. True Northern Heroes

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[–] seanspotatobusiness 14 years ago

I think that most people's objections are ridiculous. I'm gay and don't kick up a fuss that some of the Queer As Folk cast were straight. I didn't even consider what the gender or gender-identity of the actor/actress was until I came to IMDB - I took everything as it was presented and feel that the actress did an excellent job.

Maybe some transwomen auditioned for the part. Maybe none did. You're guessing that there are many transwomen actresses out there and that they have trouble finding parts but maybe they don't have trouble at all and maybe none applied to audition for this role. Lost of actresses (regardless of the number of X chromosomes) don't fit our cultures' ideas of beauty but still find various parts in various movies.

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[–] scarylibrary 14 years ago

I don't see anything wrong with Felicity playing the part. If a real transgendered person had played the role, it could have been looked at like the film was that individual person's biography. Actors are actors for a reason. There's no need to put "real" people in the parts of some films just because they might fit the role.

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[–] diadoraz110 14 years ago

The biggest issue is the tranny's aren't people, so they wouldn't legally be able to participate as an actor, let alone society. Sorry!

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[–] Pumpkin_Man 14 years ago

Not cool. Transsexuals ARE people, too.

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[–] myks91 14 years ago

I think the biggest issue here is "people" with very narrow minds. As long as TS/CDs/TG are not hurting anyone else. I have no issues at all with them.

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[–] MrBigglesworth999 12 years ago

OK, jbjunk and others. Using your logic I suppose that you would want a one-armed man to play say Lord Nelson or the murderer in "The Fugitive"? or an actual paraplegic to play Ïronside" instead of Raymond Burr?

How about just considering the actor's ability to portray the character required?...... and of course their pulling-power to get viewers watching.

Huffman's acting talent and popularity in Desperate Housewives wins with both of the above criteria.

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[–] rgcustomer 11 years ago

I agree that they made the right choice with this casting.

She's an excellent actor, with name recognition.

And, they needed to show pre-op and post-op genitals. Unlike real life, it's probably easier to make a movie penis where a vagina is, than a movie vagina where a penis is. And how many dramatic filmmakers are going to schedule a shoot around surgery? (But I'm sure someone will...)

Also, while certainly transgender people deserve to see themselves portrayed on screen by transgender actors, I think the experience with gay and lesbian actors shows that actors themselves do not want to be typecast and pigeonholed. Most roles are going to be cis and straight, because most people are. For lead roles, acting is about being someone else.

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[–] Trimac20 11 years ago

I agree Felicity portrayed the role well. Having said that I'm not sure ANY actress would have been so convincing as a transexual. I think one might also be overestimating the number of actual transexual actresses that auditioned for the role. And how many of them would have the requisite acting talent? It's one thing to be the thing but if you have no acting talent it means squat.

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[–] Tommen_Forever 7 years ago

The biggest issue is that judgmental & ignorant twats like yourself don't keep their hillbilly bullsh!t to themselves.

-------------
Live Deliciously! http://bit.ly/2gD7xFP

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[–] dollvalley 9 years ago

Gender aside, this movie needed a star otherwise fewer people would have watched it. It is still a movie, not a documentary.

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[–] gallae 9 years ago

I thought that Huffman was well cast for the role. I don't know really, if trans actors automatically WANT to play a trans role, and then perhaps get "typecast" for that. Whenever I see this sort of discussion what seems to be missing is comment and input from trans actors themselves.

Laura Ess

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[–] gold_nava17 9 years ago

I thought the main character Bree was really a trans in real life. Too bad she's not and it's a real woman. I think it would of been a great thing to have a trans in a movie to make the movie seem more real and inspire other trans to become actresses. Other than that the character Bree was done very well.

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[–] SecretAgent1111 8 years ago

I really can't think of an acclaimed transgender actor that can carry a complicated role like this. As far as acting, I think you need to leave it to the professionals like Felicity Huffman.

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