“Every trans story is personal for me,” the film’s star Lysette says. “There are so many ‘Monicas’ out there.”
Monica tells the story of a transgender woman who returns home to care for her ailing mother, whom she hasn’t seen in years. This groundbreaking film humanizes transgender people and is having a profound impact on viewers all over the world.
“I feel like our journey with our families and just where we fall in the world, and how the world makes space for us or doesn’t make space for us is just a fight that we’re always going to have to fight,” Lysette continued. “This is for the trans women that have been waiting so long for their stories to be told.”
Patricia Clarkson, who plays Monica’s mother in the film, revealed that the film being centered on a transgender protagonist is what drew her to the role in the first place. “It’s not lost on me, Kelly, that it would give an extraordinary transgender actress the lead. I said ‘I’ll be your backup singer any day.’ I knew how important this film was.”
Cox, who is no stranger to creating change through groundbreaking roles says that, “What Monica does is deeply humanizes a trans woman.”
“We are human beings deserving of love, deserving of rights and respect,” Cox continues. “It’s a rehumanizing process that has to happen in relationship to trans people and great storytelling is a beautiful way to do that.”
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Later in the show, Kelly introduces a father-daughter duo advocating for the trans community, and her producer Caragh shares her story.
Watch GLAAD’s recent interview with the cast of Monica here:
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