First look at Matt Bomer as a transgender sex worker in controversial film
The first clip has been released from an upcoming film that stars Matt Bomer as a transgender sex worker.
It was announced last year that the gay Magic Mike star would star in Tim McNeil’s drama ‘Anything’ as a transgender woman.
The news did not go down well with some members of the transgender community, who are angry to see Bomer following in a line of cis male actors to play transgender women.
Eddie Redmayne, Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto and Andrew Garfield have all been criticised for taking transgender roles in the past, while trans actors and actresses struggle to break through.
But the criticism apparently did not deter the filmmakers.
The first clip from Anything was released this week and features Bomer’s character Freda meeting her neighbour, widower Early Landry, played by John Carroll Lynch.
Freda quips: “You’re from the deep south? I like things deep, if you know what I mean.”
Avengers star Mark Ruffalo, who is an exec producer on the project, previously defended it from criticism.
He said: “To the Trans community. I hear you. It’s wrenching to you see you in this pain. I am glad we are having this conversation. It’s time.
“In all honesty, I suggested Matt for the role after the profound experience I had with him while making ‘The Normal Heart’.”
Jamie Clayton, a trans actress who appears in Netflix series Sense8, was among those to criticise the film
Clayton tweeted: “I really hope you choose to do some actual good for the trans community one day.”
Sense8, which was the first TV show to feature a transgender character played by a transgender actress and written by a transgender writer, was abruptly cancelled this month.
Michelle Rodriguez recently defended a critically-panned film that saw her play a contract killer who seeks revenge after being forced to undergo reassignment surgery.
Rodriguez rejected criticism of the film from trans people because she is bisexual.
She said: “What is transgender? Is it a psychological thing or is it an operation, and does the LGBTQ community own the operation? Do they have a branding right over a sex change?
“Are they mad that somebody decided to take their branded transgender operation and use it on heterosexual people?
“It’s a B-movie noir genre comic book take on something.
“I’m bisexual. I do guys. I do girls. You can’t really argue with me because I’m you.
“So if I do a movie, I’d never do a movie with the intention of offending anybody in the LGBT community because I’m a part of it.”
