Matt Bomer sparks backlash over upcoming trans role
By Josh Lee
Matt Bomer’s next film role has caused controversy after it emerged that he will be playing a trans woman. Bomer will be playing Freda Von Rhenberg, a transgender sex worker, in an adaptation of the Tim McNeil play, Anything. The casting choice was criticised on social media, with many asking why a trans actor wasn’t cast for the role. The backlash echoed criticism that Eddie Redmayne received for playing trans woman Lile Elbe in the 2015 film The Danish Girl. One person simply tweeted “let trans people tell trans stories”, while another said that casting men as trans women “harms trans women”.
LET TRANS PEOPLE TELL TRANS STORIES https://t.co/8ZKdlupQrR
— Sam Herbst (@mrsamherbst) August 30, 2016
trans actors for trans roles. if u cant cast them right, u dont deserve to be telling their stories or ur cistrash version of their stories.
— 3 days (@waluigianna) August 30, 2016
RT[prot]:”Every time Hollywood casts a cis man as a transgender woman, the latest being Matt Bomer in Anything, it harms trans women.” Word.
— SJV Katrina Reichert (@KatrinaR47) August 29, 2016
Cis actor Matt Bomer will play trans sex worker in a new film bc cis people need awards https://t.co/APUz16d1C2 pic.twitter.com/VK2yq1jQlT
— Mathew Rodriguez (@mathewrodriguez) August 30, 2016
Lol Hollywood is literally casting actors who played male strippers as a transgender person before an actual transgender person
— ephedrine (@Shower_Capy) August 30, 2016
stop casting “pretty” white cis boys for roles that belong to trans women. it’s not groundbreaking. https://t.co/v4UgluooM1
— ㅤㅤㅤ (@TlMKON) August 30, 2016
Dear Matt Bomer, You’re great, but you’re neither strong nor brave playing a trans character. You’re just taking a role from a trans actor.
— Cecil Baldwin (@CecilBaldwinIII) August 30, 2016
Trans actor Jamie Clayton tweeted Bomer directly to vent her frustration, saying that she hopes Bomer does “some actual good for the trans community”.
I really hope you both choose to do some actual good for the trans community one day. @MRodOfficial @MattBomer https://t.co/9WHwNu7HFm
— Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 30, 2016
It’s sad that this happens instead of wanting to have a conversation about how to help. #transisbeautiful @MattBomer pic.twitter.com/k4Qpap5dLW
— Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 30, 2016
Tweeps! @MattBomer unblocked me. That’s rad & Twitter is rad for creating a space for our thoughts. I loved reading yours. #transisbeautiful
— Jamie Clayton (@MsJamieClayton) August 30, 2016