THEGAYUK

Tag: Jared Leto

All the latest breaking news on the actor Jared Leto. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Jared Leto.

  • 25 non trans actors who have played trans parts in films and TV

    Some of the most memorable trans characters have been played by cis-gender actors… here are 25 of the most famous roles.

    List of cisgendered actors who play trans characters

    Here are just some of the mainstream films and television shows where a trans character wasn’t played by a trans actor. The argument against non-trans actors taking these parts have made headlines once again after a clip of Matt Bomer in his forthcoming film, Anything was released.

    Warning this article may contain spoilers to various films.

    The 1950s – 70s

    Daniel Davis, Glen or Glenda, 1953

    Embed from Getty Images

    Glen or Glenda was released in 1953 starring Ed Wood – who was actually credited as Daniel Davis in this film. It’s a semi-autobiographical film, considered one of the worst films of all time. However, it is considered a plea for tolerance.

    Chris Sarandon, Dog Day Afternoon, 1975

    Embed from Getty Images

    Dog Day Afternoon is based on a real-life story, where a bank robber (Al Pacino) holds up a bank in New York’s Manhattan to pay for his girlfriend’s (Chris Sarandon) gender confirmation surgery. Chris Sarandon’s portrayal of a trans woman was applauded for its consideration of dysphoria.

    Tim Curry, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975

    Embed from Getty Images

    Probably one of the most famous films to feature a “sweet transsexual”. TRHPS has gone on to become a cult hit and recently had a remake filmed and it starred Laverne Cox in Tim Curry’s part of Dr Frank N. Furter.

     

    The 1980s – 90s

    Michael Caine in Dressed To Kill, 1980

    Embed from Getty Images

    In 1980 Michael Caine played a murderous trans woman in this erotic thriller. For his part in the film, Mr Caine was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.

    Jaye Davidson in The Crying Game, 1982

    Embed from Getty Images

    A drama which explores themes of race, gender, nationality and sexuality with the troubles of early 80s Northern Ireland as a backdrop. The trans character in this film is actually one of its great surprises, which is considered a “shocking twist”. Jaye Davidson was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor for the role.

    John Lithgow, The World According to Garp, 1982

    Embed from Getty Images

    The World According to Garp based on the book of the same name by John Irving which is the story of T.S. Garp. In the book his mother, who runs a home for abused women gives shelter to a former footballer, now a transgender woman, Roberta Muldoon.

    Ted Levine, The Silence Of The Lambs, 1991

    Embed from Getty Images

    Ted Levin played a trans serial killer who skins his female victims. In the story, Ted’s character, Jame Gumb, applied for a sex-reassignment operation but was unsuccessful in gaining in their cause.

    Terrence Stamp in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, 1994

    Embed from Getty Images

    One of the most successful LGBT films of all times was released in 1994 is in the top 40 grossing gay and lesbian films of all times. Terrence Stamp’s Bernadette Bassinger is a carefully studied character, played respectfully.

    Mary Sean Young, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, 1994

    Possibly one of the most offensive portrayals of a trans person in film – which uses the trans character as a comedy mimic.

    Julie Hesmondhalgh in Coronation Street, 1998

    Embed from Getty Images

    Coronation Street made history in 1998 when they introduced the first trans character to a British soap. It wasn’t until 2015 that EastEnders made further history by having a trans actor play a trans character. Julie Hesmondhalgh has been praised for her portrayal of a trans person and she is a huge advocate for the LGBT community. In 2017 she called on TV companies to employ trans people in trans roles.

    Hillary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry, 1999

    Embed from Getty Images

    One of the most tear-jerking LGBT films of all time. Hillary Swank was truly remarkable in the film which was based on the true story of murdered trans man Brandon Teena. The film was nominated for 57 awards and won 37 of them including, Best Actress (Oscars and BAFTAs) for Swank.

     

    The 00s to 10s

    John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 2001

    Embed from Getty Images

    One of the only musical films featuring a trans character in the central role. John Cameron Mitchell wrote and directed this film. It features in the top 100 LGBT films.

    Felicity Huffman in TransAmerica, 2005

    Embed from Getty Images

    Felicity Huffman was widely praised for her role in TransAmercia as a pre-operative male to female transgender person. This was an unusual casting decision as usually male to female trans parts are played by males rather than females.

    Daniela Sea in the L word, 2006

    Embed from Getty Images

    When Daniela joined The L word in 2006 she had the role of Moira Sweeney, an androgynous computer technician who moves from the Midwest with Jenny (Mia Kirshner). Over the course of the season, Moira comes out as a trans man, adopting the name Max Sweeney.

    Rebecca Romijn in Ugly Betty, 2007-2008

    Embed from Getty Images

    Rebecca Romijn was another female who was cast in an M2F role in the comedy TV series, Ugly Betty. She appeared midway through the first season and left in season 3.

    The 10s to 20s

    Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy, 2010

    Derided by Glaad for the way in which Family Guy deals with transgender issues, Seth MacFarlane voices the character of Quagmire’s parent, Ida who goes through sex-reassignment surgery in the episode, “Quagmire’s Father”.

    Chloe Sevigny in Hit And Miss, 2012

    Embed from Getty Images

    Hit And Miss was a TV series which followed the life of a transgender contract killer. It ran for one series.

    Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, 2013

    Embed from Getty Images

    Jared was awarded an Oscar for his role in Dallas Buyers Club, however, his casting in this film and subsequent acceptance of the Oscar with a full beard was criticised by some in the trans community. Laverne Cox recently said, “as brilliant as Jared Leto is, and all these actors who play trans women, when people who don’t know anything about trans folks and trans women see the very sexy Jared Leto and his beard accepting an Oscar for playing a trans woman, the message that it sends is that trans women are really men”

    Jeff Tambor in Transparent, 2014

    Embed from Getty Images

    Amazon was praised for the production of Transparent starring Jeff Tambor who plays a trans person coming out as trans later in life. The show has won awards and much love from the critics for its sensitive portrayal of a family dealing with and accepting transition.

    Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl, 2015

    Embed from Getty Images

    Eddie Redmayne played the part of Lili Elbe, acknowledged as the first trans woman to go through sex reassignment surgery. Despite it being widely praised there was only one Oscar win out of four nominations. The film was banned in a number of countries including Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Malaysia.

    Jonny Beauchamp and Otoja Abit Stonewall, 2015

    Embed from Getty Images

    Embed from Getty Images

    Stonewall was much derided when it was released in 2015. It also stars two actors in trans roles who are not trans. Otoja Abit who played Marsha P Johnson and Jonny Beachamp who played the fictional character, Ray/Ramona.

    Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoolander 2, 2016

    The shiz really hit the fan when it appeared that Benedict Cumberbatch, considered by many as a true LGBT+ ally took on the role of “All” in Zoolander 2. Many in the non-binary community took offence to the portrayal of “All” and over 7000 people called for a boycott against the film.

    Elle Fanning, 3 Generations, 2017

    Embed from Getty Images

    Fanning plays a character who pursues his true identity as a male. Its release date was pulled in 2015 and pushed back until 2017.

    Matt Bomer in Anything 2017

    ©-Jean_Nelson

    The film has already received criticism, even before its release for having a cis male actor play the part of a transgender person.

    The film is about a transgender woman falling in love with a straight man. Mark Ruffalo is an executive producer on the film. Defending the decision to cast a cis-male in the role of Freda, Mark said that he had a “profound experience” working with Matt in The Normal Heart.

     

    Have we missed something? Is there an error? Please use the comments below to help expand this article.

  • Where should I get my style inspiration from?

    I recently received a question from a reader; “Hi, you always look so great day-to-day, where do you get your inspiration from?”

    I look to the stars for help. No, I don’t just stare at the sky and wait for inspiration I mean ‘stars’ as in ‘Celebrities’ of course. Guys lets admit it sometimes we all need a little help when it comes to choosing our outfits and picking out on trend styles that are going to turn heads for the right reasons and not because we’ve left the house looking like a crazy birthday cake.

    Celebs have stylists and fashion experts on hand to that are paid to do this job for them every day. It’s only fair that we also benefit from this, right?

    But be careful, not all celebrities get it right… Ok, ok you’ve twisted my arm, here my list of on-trend celebs that I take inspiration from when delving into my wardrobe. You’re very welcome.

    DAVID BECKHAM

    CREDIT: © s_bukley Depositphotos

    Fan favourite David Beckham has grown to be one the best dress and most looked up to men when it comes to fashion and style. People sometimes forget what it is he’s actually famous for. No, not marrying Victoria I mean that other thing… Oh, what was it? Oh yes, football. Blah. David’s classic, English gentleman style is relaxed and perfect for everyday wear in or out of the house.

    JARED LETO

    Embed from Getty Images
    Slowly becoming one of my favourite men in the spotlight is Jared Leto. This American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, director, producer, activist, philanthropist and businessman (the man gets around) has his own unique style. It’s a mix of punk rock, hipster and couldn’t give a crap I just pulled this t-shirt from a pile on my bedroom floor. It’s modern, sexy and perfect for days when you want to rough up your look.

    ZAC EFRON

    CREDIT: ©-Jean_Nelson-Depositphotos

    Who doesn’t love a bit of this man? He’s come a long way since wildcats but let’s face it, we loved him back then as well. His laid back style is effortlessly sexy and masculine. He pairs simple pieces with a natural pallet and classic lines to make this fashion style a comforting choice for any man to wear at any time.

    TOM FORD

    Actor Matt Bomer and his publicist husband have three children together. They’ve been together for 13 years.
    ©-S-Buckley-Depositphotos

    The god of male designers Tom Ford knows what style is and how to werk it! Before launching the iconic Tom Ford brand he lent his powers as creative director of both Gucci and YSL doing great things with them. His style is glamorous, chic, classic and timeless. Perfect for a gent looking to impress.

    A FINAL NOTE
    Fashion is unique to each individual. Use this guide as a template and play around with trends, patterns and colours to find your own unique look. Most importantly of all have fun with it!

    If you have any questions regarding fashion and trends that let me know and I will do my best to answer

    Follow Stephen on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/StephenCroweFit

  • ANALYSIS: The Oscars 2014

    In case you miss the SKY MOVIES TELECAST of the OSCAR CEREMONY here are some of the really gay highlights, many of which you can already catch on YOUTUBE.

    ELLEN DEGENERES was back to host again after a 7-year break and kicked in to top gear from the word go with her hilarious monologue by referring to LIZA MINELLI as being represented by a female impersonator. Flash to Miss Minnelli sitting with her half sister LORNA LUFT and you can see that they do unmistakably look like a couple of Drag Queens!

    The sisters were there as part of the celebration for their mother’s classic movie THE WIZARD OF OZ that was introduced by WHOOPI GOLDBERG complete with striped stockings and red Dorothy shoes. And then came PINK, looking shockingly feminine in her sparkly red dress, who simply blew the audience away with her spine-tingling version of SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW, which bought the whole House to its feet.

    There had been an earlier standing ovation for DARLENE LOVE who had been on stage to help accept the well-deserved BEST DOCUMENTARY OSCAR for ‘TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM’, the compelling story of all the Back Up singers who stayed out of the spotlight. Instead of a speech, Ms Love simply sang her thanks in her own inimitable style

    Kudos to JARED LETO for his stirring tribute to his mother when he won his BEST SUPPORTING OSCAR for playing a transgender character in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, and for the very moving dedication of his Award to all the people that had died from AIDS. A similar and equally touching gesture was made by ADRUITHA LEE & ROBIN MATHEWS who won OSCARS for HAIR & MAKE UP for the same movie.

    Most excited winner was young Kenyan actress LUPITA NYONG’O who picked up BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS OSCAR for her part in 12 YEARS A STAGE proving that well-deserved unknown actors can still break through. Her exuberance was matched by her British Director STEVE MCQUEEN when the movie beat the favourite (GRAVITY) to pick up the BEST PICTURE OSCAR and as the closing credits of the Telecast roll he is literally jumping up and down on the stage with sheer joy like a kid.

    Most heartfelt and genuine speech was from CATE BLANCHETT when she picked up her BEST ACTRESS OSCAR, and for my money, her elegant beaded GIORGIO ARMANI DRESS was the best of the bunch too.

    A no-thrills BETTE MIDLER making her very first singing appearance at the OSCARS followed the IN MEMORIUM TRIBUTE to all the Hollywood greats who have gone to the movie theatre in the sky this year, with her anthem WIND BENEATH MY WINGS that ensured there were not many dry eyes in the audience.

    In was an fun albeit overly long evening with none of the usual big production numbers and had ELLEN mixing in with the star –studied audience a great deal … the popularity of hilarious ‘selfie’ she shot on her phone with MERYL STREEP and other front row stars actually managed ti bring TWITTER to a grinding halt. The whole night was just like the running gag had about JONAH HILL literally exposing himself in a scene in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET that Ellen declared was something she had not seen in a very long time.

  • Jared Leto wins Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club

    Jared Leto has won an Oscar for best Supporting Actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club.

    Jared Leto, who played trans character Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club has won an actor for the role. The movie which THEGAYUK gave five stars, follows the actions of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) after he learns that he has AIDS.

    He befriends Rayon, played by Jared Leto in order to grow his client base for his Buyers Club.

    Leto’s Oscar win means that he is added to hall of fame for actors who have bagged an Oscar or a nomination for portraying an LGBT character.

  • FILM REVIEW | Dallas Buyers Club

    ★★★★★ | DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

    The very scary fact thing about watching Dallas Buyers Club is always knowing that this is sadly a very true story.

    Not that we have anything except unfettered admiration for Ron Woodroof and his wild unorthodox schemes, but it is the reminder of the sheer number of countless deaths that could have been avoided if it hadn’t been for the complicity of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Agency with the greed of the Pharmaceutical Companies that still rankles even now.

    Woodroof was a working-class Texan hedonist living in a Trailer, hanging out at Rodeos and partying very hard indeed. He was also a serial homophobe. When he collapses one day and is rushed to the ER the Doctors discover he is HIV + and with such a minute T cell count, they tell him that he has no more than 30 days to live. The year is 1985 and there is very little hope for anyone that gets full blown AIDS.

    At first he is in total denial and continues his life of drugs, drink and unprotected sex with hookers until his body starts to give up. When he finally accepts the truth, he also sharpens his resolve to beat this rap. He drags himself to the library and consumes all the information that is in the public domain at the time, which is very little. It is however enough to know that there is about to be a trial of AZT a new anti-retroviral drug …. the first if its kind … and because of the rapid explosion of AIDS, the FDA have agreed to fast-track it without its usual safeguards and checks.

    Woodroof pleads with the Doctors at his local hospital to be allowed some of this new wonder drug, but he is rejected on the grounds that he doesn’t qualify, so he seeks out an Orderly and bribes him to steal a supply. When this dries up, the Orderly recommends that he tries a Doctor in Mexico who may be able to help.

    He checks into Dr. Vass’s rundown Clinic over the Border and it is there that he first learns the enormous potential harm that unchecked toxic drugs such as AZT cause. At the supposition that they may stop the virus expanding, they also do such harm to the body that they expose them to countless opportunistic diseases. Vass’s solution is proteins and vitamins that will actively improve the general health of a person with AIDS making them in better position to be able to deal with the virus.

    When Woodroof learns that none of these are available in the USA, he starts an import business to supply them to other patients back in Dallas. He partners with Rayon a Trans person with HIV who he met in Clinic once as she can introduce him to all the people who would want to get their hands on these new drugs.

    At every step of the way, he is aggressively pursued by the FDA as even though none of the drugs/proteins he sells are illegal, they have not been officially approved and the FDA, egged on by the Drug Companies who fund them, want to keep total control of every aspect. One of the ways to get around the Law is not to actually sell the drugs themselves, but sell memberships to his Club (for $400 a month) and this entitles each member to have whatever drugs they want.

    As supplies get tougher to obtain, and new drugs come on the market, Woodroof widens his search worldwide to anyone and everyone who would sell to him. And the FDA would use every legal loophole and obscure law on the Statute Books to seize all his supplies and issue countless fines. Meanwhile at the local hospital it is getting very obvious that patients on the AZT trial are doing much worse than other AIDS patients, but the Authorities anxious to keep receiving the much need Payments from the Drug Companies are happy to suppress all the official reports that confirm this, and the one Doctor that dares to question her Bosses’s ethics is fired.

    Woodroof unquestionably started this venture purely to keep himself alive and to make money. He succeed with his first aim and lived 6 years after his initial diagnosis of just 30 days, and as he gradually got less paranoid of the gay community, he started allowing some people to have the drugs even though they couldn’t afford the Fee. It wast as much that he was any less of a homophobe, but as his own friends totally rejected him out of sheer fear, he started to be able to relate to being an ‘outcast’ like his fellow AIDS sufferers.

    This film has been a long time coming. Scriptwrters Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack based it on the hundreds of interviews they had with Woodroof, and then waited 20 years for the movie to finally get made. Several directors and stars were attached to it until it ended up in the hands of Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallee who’s claim to fame (so far) is C.R.A Z.Y. a very neat gay coming of age so far. His two principal stars lost a ton of weight for the parts Jared Leto as Rayon dropped 30 lbs and Matthew McConaughey a scary 50 lbs. They both gave powerful dazzling performances which will has got them several acting awards including Oscar Nominations for them both. It was definitely a stunning change in direction for McConaughey in particular who has established his career so far mainly in rom-coms, but for my two cents (!) it was Leto’s heart-breaking turn as the drug-addicted Rayon that totally bowled me over. It makes one appreciate that Leto has been off our screens far too long (5 years whilst he was touring with his Band)

    These Clubs like Woodroof’s (there were others in other cities) played an important role alongside the wonderful ACT-UP movement to continually put the FDA on notice, and without their unceasing pressure, demands and activism so many of the drugs that would eventually help with people with AIDS would never have been made available in time.

    It’s a compelling story told with such passion and authority that both disturbs and delights. Unmissable.

    Available to buy / view on: Amazon | Amazon Prime | iTunes