Glennisha Morgan
Laverne Cox, Transgender Actress And Producer, Talks Reality TV, Race And Visibility
Posted: 02/12/2013 3:12 pm EST | Updated: 02/12/2013 6:20 pm EST
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/laverne-cox-transgender-actress_n_2629916.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/laverne-cox-transgender-actress_n_2629916.html)
We caught up with a very hopeful and grateful Laverne to chat about her upcoming films, reality television, visibility, intersectionality and more.
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Do you feel that being transgender has garnered you more roles?
The funny thing is that Jodie Foster said to me that I have quite a niche. I've been told by casting directors that there really aren't any roles for me. I've heard that for a very long time. About six years ago, I stopped thinking about being trans as a deficit and I started thinking about it as something that is a benefit for me. I love who I am and the second that I changed that thought process, my career changed.
Do I work more because I'm trans? No, I can't say that because there are a lot of actresses who work more than I do and make a lot more money than I do. The problem is that people aren't writing a lot of trans roles. So there are still not a lot of trans people on TV. There are not a lot of movies with trans characters. I do what I can. I've been trying to get a non-scripted show on TV for several years. It's really hard. A lot of networks are terrified of having trans people on TV.