'Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen': Laverne Cox, Angelica Ross and others talk about Hollywood representation
Sam Feder's thought-provoking documentary venture 'Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen' sees some of the biggest names from Hollywood's transgender community talk about their representation on screen - both in the past and present.
According to its official synopsis, 'Disclosure' is "An in-depth look at Hollywood's depiction of transgender people and the impact of their stories on transgender lives and American culture." The documentary's official website also elaborates: "Trans filmmakers, including Laverne Cox and Sam Feder, examine the last 100 years of trans representation in TV and film, showing how Hollywood has not only affected how the world sees trans people but also how trans people see themselves. Historically, the ways in which trans."
Executive produced by Feder himself, along with Cox, who can also be seen in the docu-film, 'Disclosure' rose to wide critical acclaim during its original premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in January, and is expected to soar to greater heights once it lands on Netflix this pride month. Here are some of the familiar faces to watch out for.
Laverne Cox
Executive producing and starring in Feder's film, Cox shot to fame with her breakout role of Sophia Burset in the critically acclaimed Netflix original 'Orange Is the New Black'. The three-time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy winning documentary film producer, and a prominent equal rights advocate is also the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime acting Emmy. She also happens to be the first openly transgender person to appear on the covers of TIME Magazine, Cosmopolitan magazine, and Essence magazines among others. One of Glamour magazine's 2014 Women of the Year, Cox also holds two SAG awards with her OITNB castmates.
Angelica Ross
The actress and producer, known for 'American Horror Story' (2011), 'Pose' (2018), and 'Claws' (2017). The avid transgender rights advocate is also a self-taught computer coder, which helped her become the founder and CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, a firm that helps employ transgender people in the tech industry.
Lilly Wachowski
Unforgettable names in the industry, Lilly and Lana Wachowski were born as Andrew and Larry, respectively. They teamed up and went on to make their directorial debut with the self-written 'Bound' in 1996. Their biggest hit however followed three years later and is popular to this day as the iconic Keanu Reeves starring 'The Matrix' trilogy. Lilly's other works include scripting and producing the cult classic 'V for Vendetta' (2005), a live-action version of a Japanese anime series called 'Speed Racer' (2008), 2012's 'Cloud Atlas', and in 2015, 'Jupiter Ascending'.
Candis Cayne
Born as Brendan McDaniel in Hawaii, Cayne's transition saw her becoming one of the most sought after performers in America. The classically trained dancer thrilled and wooed audiences into raves with her scintillating performances. and soon became a global sensation with her skills. In the ABC series 'Dirty Sexy Money', Cayne plays Billy Baldwin's (Patrick) transgender love interest Carmelita. She is also the first transgender actress with a recurring role on a prime-time series.
Ser Anzoategui
The non-binary Latinx/Chicanx actor/playwright/artivist with the gender pronoun they/them/theirs is extremely popular for playing Eddy in the ongoing Starz drama 'Vida'. They also have a massive Broadway nod from 2012, which led to them being cast in a recurring guest role on Hulu's Emmy-nominated 'East Los High', where they play the openly queer character, Daysi Cantu. Ser has also gone on to star is popular shows like 'Crazy Ex Girlfriend', 'The Fosters', 'Shameless', and more.
The documentary also stars Nick Adams, Tre'vell Anderson, Alexandra Billings, Chaz Bono, Sandra Caldwell, Jamie Clayton, Michael D Cohen, Jessica Crockett, D'Lo, Ellie Desautels, Zackary Drucker, Elliot Fletcher, Yance Ford, Alexandra Grey, Jazzmun, Bianca Leigh, Trace Lysette, Mickey R Mahoney, Tiq Milan Jen Richards, Mj Rodriguez, Hailie Sahar, Leo Sheng, Brian Michael Smith, Zeke Smith, Chase Strangio, Susan Stryker, Rain Valdez and Marquise Vilson.
'Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen' premieres on Netflix this Friday, June 19.