Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
QC: Behind the Scenes
jwhouk:
As the OP, I have to agree with the concept behind this thread. This was imagined to be a takeoff on those old VH1 "Behind The Music" shows, with a good dollop of "Real Hollywood Stories" thrown in.
Heck, I was the one who suggested that Gina Riversmith was played by Danielle Corsetto, for cryin' out loud.
As for Claire - it wouldn't surprise me the least if the character (if this was a TV show - and it isn't, by the way) was played by a non-trans* woman. There's some good reasons for this, actually:
1. Jeph likely had a particular idea for the character, but wasn't sure about the gender at the time he came up with it;
2. It would be easier to hire an actress that fits the idea of the character first, and then have them grow into the role;
3. It would also be a lot easier to find a non-trans* actress to play the part - and that's just from a sheer numbers standpoint (I mean, really, how many red-headed trans* women with glasses and freckles who are also actresses are out there, anyways?).
4. My original concept for the two characters in the BTS was that Clinton and Claire are actually played by two separate, non-related persons, and that Claire was actually a "talent search" winner who happened to fit the role.
5. I'd contend it would be more mind blowing if the following happened:
CLAIRE: "The real secret on the set of QC, though, is that though I'm the one who plays the trans* character in the strip, I'm not the cast member who really is trans*. (looks into the camera) That's right, I just outed one of the cast members. I'll let them decide to come clean about it."
(Cut scenes to the various members of the cast)
DORA: "Sven can vouch that I'm not trans*."
EMILY: "Not me, either."
HANNELORE: "Are you KIDDING? I may play an asexual woman, but I'm very much all woman, thanks."
LEWIS BLACK (Voice of PINTSIZE): "Why are you asking ME about this?"
STEVE and COSETTE: (both look at each other, turn, look at the camera, and shake their heads)
SVEN: "Dora can vouch that I'm not trans*. (pause) What? She already said that?"
FAYE: (holding up her boobs) "All natural since the ninth grade. Sorry."
MARTEN: "Wait, that pretty much eliminates everyone, doesn't it?"
(pause for dramatic effect, then)
JIMBO: "I got hooked on testosterone pills when I was in high school. Transitioning was easy, since my boobs weren't very big to begin with. Besides, I loved the idea of playing the drunk redneck at a bar!"
DrBear:
--- Quote ---LEWIS BLACK (Voice of PINTSIZE): "Why are you asking ME about this?"
--- End quote ---
I had always pictured Lewis Black as the voice of Yelling Bird.
Latias:
--- Quote from: jwhouk on 11 May 2013, 18:31 ---5. I'd contend it would be more mind blowing if the following happened:
CLAIRE: "The real secret on the set of QC, though, is that though I'm the one who plays the trans* character in the strip, I'm not the cast member who really is trans*. (looks into the camera) That's right, I just outed one of the cast members. I'll let them decide to come clean about it."
--- End quote ---
What is mind-blowing about outing someone in front of many people without their permission, other than how mind-blowingly rude it is? "Come clean about it" is also a terrible choice of words, it's as if you're suggesting they're living a dirty lie.
Valdís:
I'm very sleep deprived and annoyed at the moment. So here comes rambling.
--- Quote from: WAYF on 11 May 2013, 17:22 ---The thing I was trying to get across was actually exactly like what k1dmor said: Were QC a TV show played by real actors, there'd be a whole media storm surrounding this issue and the actress playing Claire would get inundated with questions about "what's it like to play a character who's so ~trans~ and so ~different from us~ that we WANT TO KNOW" *media beat-up*
--- End quote ---
Those questions hardly seem like they'd be asked if she was actually trans. Which, y'know, you decided to not be the case. I also already noted that the comparison K1dmor made doesn't work.
--- Quote from: WAYF on 11 May 2013, 17:22 ---The point is of course that trans women shouldn't be seen as any different from cisgendered women. (that word still sounds wrong to me...) In my hypothetical Behind the Scenes I decided to make Claire's actress born a woman because Claire is a lot more than her body parts. She has a whole personality, you know, just like everyone else. And it'd be far more important to look for someone who could properly respect those personality traits than just look for someone who was trans themselves, because at the end of the day, whether you're trans or not probably doesn't have any impact whatsoever on your ability to act.
--- End quote ---
Which is what Jeph is already doing, yet somehow you require someone assigned female at birth to be sure that she'll be acceptably passable as a "regular woman" to make that point. How is that not insulting? It also does matter more than you know. Try going back a few generations and telling a black person that blackface is really in their best interest, because they're a minority so it'd be bothersome for them to find a decent black actor for a role. Besides, the personality is all that matters, right? Now, I don't particularly have a problem with the few good portrayals of trans experiences in that fashion, but more often than not.. it ends up mattering.
And QC-Claire was always a woman too. Her parts have nothing to do with it.
I also don't see why you felt the need to point out how "wrong" the literal opposite of trans- sounds to you. Do you also object to "Heterosexual"? See, there's that important distinction again: Gender dysphoria is something you feel, but when they're aligned it feels non-existent to you, unlike ever-present attractions. You clearly demonstrate that it is not an experience you relate to, so why would I think actors in general have experiences to draw upon in that regard?
--- Quote from: WAYF on 11 May 2013, 17:22 ---Being a lesbian fundamentally changed the way Alyson Hannigan played the character of Willow.
--- End quote ---
Which is infinitely more likely to happen when you cast a cisgender person to play a transgender character. You have a far more ready source of the reality than getting away with things similar to such bisexuality-erasure. Not to mention how often writers/actors will just presume they know what they're doing (presumably because they read a paragraph on it once) without asking anyone trans.
--- Quote from: jwhouk on 11 May 2013, 18:31 ---As for Claire - it wouldn't surprise me the least if the character (if this was a TV show - and it isn't, by the way) was played by a non-trans* woman. There's some good reasons for this, actually:
--- End quote ---
Obviously. I already said as much. In fact, it was specifically my point that most trans characters aren't actually. But it's hardly the perfect person to get the points across if she needs to be reminded to still be a woman.
Also having your own voice is important, no matter how convenient it is to overlook it. There comes a point where external narratives drown out real ones in the media.
--- Quote from: jwhouk on 11 May 2013, 18:31 ---I mean, really, how many red-headed trans* women with glasses and freckles who are also actresses are out there, anyways?).
--- End quote ---
Several of those things are easily changed as a matter of being an actor. Fundamental identity and experience isn't. Both of these persons, trans or cis, are fictitious. It's just deciding to take that aspect of her person away. No pragmatic factors involved. The answer could be "Only one transwoman in the world is an actor.. and she got the part" for all you know.
--- Quote from: Latias on 11 May 2013, 20:29 ---What is mind-blowing about outing someone in front of many people without their permission, other than how mind-blowingly rude it is? "Come clean about it" is also a terrible choice of words, it's as if you're suggesting they're living a dirty lie.
--- End quote ---
+1 to all of this.
--- Quote from: jwhouk on 11 May 2013, 18:31 ---HANNELORE: "Are you KIDDING? I may play an asexual woman, but I'm very much all woman, thanks."
--- End quote ---
What the actual fuck, jwhouk..
--- Quote from: jwhouk on 11 May 2013, 18:31 ---JIMBO: "I got hooked on testosterone pills when I was in high school. Transitioning was easy, since my boobs weren't very big to begin with. Besides, I loved the idea of playing the drunk redneck at a bar!"
--- End quote ---
So many problematic things, so little time.. "Getting hooked on"..? "Transitioning was easy"..? Because of "Boob size"..? Sigh.
(click to show/hide)
Latias:
I only briefly skimmed through this thread, and... I certainly missed some stuff. Not good stuff. There's no need for me to go through everything Valdis responded to and repeat what was said, but one thing in particular really stood out.
--- Quote from: jwhouk on 11 May 2013, 18:31 ---HANNELORE: "Are you KIDDING? I may play an asexual woman, but I'm very much all woman, thanks."
--- End quote ---
There's ignorance, and then there's... whatever this is. This is on of the same level as casually suggesting that the Aryan race is the master race and that anyone who isn't Aryan is less than human. To suggest that a transgender woman is somehow less of a woman than someone who was born with a typical female body... that's absolutely disgusting. I want to say more, but... there aren't really words for this. I just want you to know that this is completely fucked up and that what you say has a real impact on other people's lives, in this case an extremely negative impact.
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