She is an actual natural born woman (apart from the breasts, that is) and a very beautiful one at that-not buying her as a trans sexual (again apart from the breasts)-and I'm old enough to remember the actual Carlotta from the 70s-did not look or sound all that convincing compared to JM.
'What is an Oprah?'-Teal'c.
Carlotta herself said Jessica Marais was the her choice to play her Even Carlotta, now known as Carol Byron, has praised the 29-year-old star. Carol recently told the Sydney Morning Herald that Jessica had "done an amazing job" and "really did remind me of me and she was my only choice for the role".
Marais is about 18inches too short.
NiL credibility.
I logged on specifically to comment on the casting of Jessica Marais in this otherwise rather good telemovie. When Marais first appeared on screen as Richard, and we saw her turn, and from the back she clearly had wide hips and a feminine bottom (not even mentioning the breasts we could see hidden beneath the shirt), the credibility factor went out the window for me. The real star of this movie was Eamon Farren as Ava. I think he's a star in the making, no matter which sex he plays.
The fact that Carlotta herself chose Marais is possibly (and note, I say possibly) because Carlotta herself may look back and see her late teenage self as being more feminine in appearance than she/he was at the time.
And yes, as the poster above mentioned, Carlotta is statuesque, while Marais is a short arse.
Edit: And while I'm on a roll, I remember seeing the young Carlotta (post-op) on The Mike Walsh Show on TV in the 70's. She was ballsy and up front, with a powerful on-screen persona. Marais just didn't project anything like that.
This issue could have been so easily resolved by having JM wear a body suit that was more 'masculine' when she first appears. They could then have her gradually change her shape when she started taking the hormones and eventually had the operation. This way she started off with a woman's body and that just made it too unbelievable!
shareJessica Marais is too feminine and beautiful to play a transexual, even though she tried her best, even when she lowered her voice she still sounded like a woman. The first scenes when she plays Richard she clearly looks like a girl wearing boys clothes. But it was still enjoyable to watch and I am glad she's taking riskier more challenging roles.
shareI too am glad to see Jessica taking on challenging and riskier roles as I think she's a great actress and to strive for more diverse roles.
shareKinda sad to see so many people stopping at details regarding a story about what's inside, not what's on the outside. It's not a documentary. Every movie requires a measure of suspension of disbelief. Special effects have spoiled us, I guess, but the choice of the actress was about making the character convincing in what matters: the inner struggles, the conflicts, the tough choices. Cosmetics really shouldn't matter.
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco