On Wednesday, Mark Ruffalo addressed the controversy surrounding the casting of openly gay actor Matt Bomer as a transgender sex worker in his upcoming film Anything.
Ruffalo is executive producing the project written by Timothy McNeil which co-stars John Carroll Lynch and Maura Tierney.
Backlash at news of Bomer’s casting was quick to catch fire on social media on Tuesday. Though Bomer has been a vocal advocate of transgender rights, many transgender rights activists and allies argued that casting cisgender men to play transgender women propels a dangerous narrative.
When @MattBomer plays a trans sex worker, he is telling the world that underneath it all, trans women like me are still really just men.
— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016
Clearly swayed by the outrage being expressed online, Ruffalo took to Twitter to acknowledge the concerns of the transgender community. “To the Trans community. I hear you,” Ruffalo said. “It’s wrenching to you see you in this pain [sic]. I am glad we are having this conversation. It’s time.”
To the Trans community. I hear you. It's wrenching to you see you in this pain. I am glad we are having this conversation. It's time.
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) August 31, 2016
Ruffalo added that his decision to cast Bomer was led primarily by his experience working with Bomer on the HBO adaptation of Larry Kramer’s AIDS play, The Normal Heart, directed by Ryan Murphy. Ruffalo said, “In all honesty I suggested Matt for the role after the profound experience I had with him while making “The Normal Heart”.
In all honesty I suggested Matt for the role after the profound experience I had with him while making "The Normal Heart".
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) August 31, 2016
Jen Richards, creator of the Emmy-nominated web series HerStory, was among those who thanked Ruffalo for his response.
Thank you @MarkRuffalo, this means a lot. I would love to talk to you about it, and how to move forward positively. https://t.co/tYOHdlHn2W
— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 31, 2016
[Top photo via Instagram]
