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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 15 September 2017
‘A Fantastic Woman’ could lead

to transgender history at Oscars

By JAKE COYLE rarely break into the act- Taylor and Kitana Kiki Ro-
AP Film Writer ing categories, and this driguez. Taylor last year
TORONTO (AP) — year, like most, the field won an Independent
A transgender Chilean of potential contenders Spirit Award for her per-
actress has turned in boasts plenty of heavy- formance.
one of the most buzzed- weight, bigger-name “There is very beauti-
about performances of performers like Meryl ful transgender talent,”
the year and some are Streep (“The Post”) and Taylor said, accepting
In this Sept. 9, 2017 photo, Chilean trans actress Daniela Vega, a hoping she could be the Jessica Chastain (“Mol- the supporting actress
cast member in the film “A Fantastic Woman,” poses for a por- first trans actor to land ly’s Game”). award.
trait at the The Adelaide Hotel during the Toronto International an Oscar nomination. But Vega has two things “You better get out there
Film Festival in Toronto. Daniela Vega, 28, stars in going for her: the depth and put it in your movie.”
Sebastian Lelio’s “A Fan- of her performance and Transgender people
tastic Woman.” She plays the possibility of a long- have been nominated
Marina, a transgender awaited Oscar land- in other Oscar catego-
woman whose partner mark. ries. The composer An-
(Francisco Reyes) dies, Such a result could have gela Morley received
after which Marina is great meaning for a two nods, for 1974’s “The
subjected to harsh treat- trans community that Little Prince” and 1976’s
ment by the family of President Donald Trump “The Slipper and the
her deceased lover and recently banned from Rose.”
by police investing the entering the military. Most recently, singer
death. “If we broaden our gaze, Anohni, formerly known
Chile has selected the it will be more interesting, as Antony of Antony and
film as its Academy more beautiful. the Johnsons, became
Awards submission this If we can make more di- the first transgendered
year. But the bigger spot- verse colors, people, sto- performer ever nomi-
light may be on whether ries, it will be interesting,” nated. She collaborat-
Vega’s breakout perfor- said Vega. ed with J. Ralph on the
mance — one of stirring “Uniforms are for the mili- nominated song “Manta
strength and compas- tary and the police, not Ray” for the documen-
sion — could make Os- for our thinking.” tary “Racing Extinction.”
car history. Hollywood has far from But when the category’s
Reviewing the movie shied away from telling other nominees — Lady
at its Berlin Film Festival transgender stories, but Gaga, Sam Smith, the
premiere, Variety called the industry has come Weeknd — were given
her performance “a under increasing criti- performing slots dur-
multi-layered, emotion- cism for not casting them ing the 2016 broadcast,
ally polymorphous feat in high-profile parts. Anohni was not, and she
of acting,” that deserves Hilary Swank (“Boys opted to boycott the
“so much more than po- Don’t Cry”) and Jared ceremony.
litical praise.” Leto (“Dallas Buyers In a fiery essay announc-
While several transgen- Club”) have taken home ing her refusal to attend,
der musicians have awards, and movies like Anohni declared: “They
been Oscar-nominated, 2015’s “The Danish Girl,” are going to try to con-
no trans performer has with Eddie Redmayne, vince us that they have
ever earned an acting and 2005’s “Transam- our best interests at heart
nod. erica,” with Felicity Huff- by waving flags for iden-
“It’s too early to talk man, have garnered tity politics and fake mor-
about that, to think nominations. al issues.”
about it. While those films and the Whether Vega —
I have lots of festivals to Amazon series “Transpar- and Oscar voters — can
attend, lots of dresses to ent” have been widely change history won’t
wear,” Vega said with a applauded, pressure has be decided for months.
grin in an interview. “The mounted urging produc- Sony Picture Classics,
Oscars are a little bit be- ers to cast trans actors which has guided per-
yond the timeline I’m for trans parts. formers to dozens of
thinking about right now. Progress has instead Academy Award nomi-
We’ll cross that bridge come in smaller, offbeat nations, will release the
when we come to it.” productions like Sean film on Nov. 17. For now,
Vega and “A Fantastic Baker’s “Tangerine,” the Vega is soaking up her
Woman” will not have much-lauded 2015 film moment.
an easy road to the Os- Baker shot with iPhones. “It’s like living a dream,”
cars. Performances in It starred a pair of trans- said Vega. “It’s like a film
foreign-language films gender performers, Mya in a film.”q