September 18, 2016; Los Angeles; Alexandra Billings arrives on the red carpet during 68th Emmy Awards Photo: Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY
Transparent actress Alexandra Billings has suggested that transgender performers shouldn’t feel obligated to take on trans roles in films and TV shows.
“I don’t care if you have to pay rent, or you don’t,” she told PinkNews recently. “Don’t spend a second doing anything that doesn’t bring you joy. Ever.”
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According to the U.K. LGBTQ+ outlet, Billings was responding to Euphoria star Hunter Schafer’s comments earlier this year about turning down trans roles.
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In an April GQ cover story, the 25-year-old Schafer explained that she has “worked so hard to get to where I am, past these really hard points in my transition, and now I just want to be a girl and finally move on.” On the heels of her success playing trans teen Jules in HBO’s Euphoria, Schafer said she’s been offered “tons of trans roles.”
“And I just don’t want to do it,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know for a fact that I’m one of the most famous trans people in media right now, and I do feel a sense of responsibility, and maybe a little bit of guilt, for not being more of a spokesperson,” the Cuckoo star explained. “But ultimately, I really do believe that not making it the centerpiece to what I’m doing will allow me to get further.”
“I think getting further and doing awesome s**t, in the interest of ‘the movement,’ will be way more helpful than talking about it all the time,” she added.
According to PinkNews, Billings, who most recently starred in the Canadian indie drama Queen Tut, was recently asked whether trans representation in media had advanced to the point where out trans actors should turn down trans roles.
“I don’t know about should but if there’s something in you, in your personal journey and artistic journey, that says, ‘I don’t think this is a great idea,’ don’t do it,” Billings said.
“If it’s not filling you up — and I’m talking about service work, helping somebody across the street, buying a stranger lunch anonymously, having a McRib (the McRib is coming back in November) — whatever this thing is, feel your spirit filling up with joy,” she explained, “If that’s not happening, stop.”
