Santa Barbara may be one of the most beautiful places in America, but that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of conflict. Jared Leto discovered this firsthand on Wednesday while attending the city’s annual film festival.
Partway through an onstage interview, the actor was heckled while discussing his Golden Globe-winning turn as a transgender AIDS patient in Dallas Buyers Club. “You will never be Rayon!” a woman angrily yelled from the audience, referencing the character’s name.
When Jared asked for clarification, the woman elaborated, saying, “Trans misogyny does not deserve an award. You don’t deserve an award for portraying a trans woman because you’re a man.”
Whether you agree with the heckler’s position or not, let’s give some props to Jared for his calm, respectful response (the full video is below):
“Because I’m a man, I don’t deserve to play that part? So you would hold a role against someone who happened to be gay or lesbian? They can’t play a straight part? Then you make sure that people that are gay, people that aren’t straight, people like the Rayons of the world would never have the opportunity to turn the tables and explore parts that aren’t central to who they are.”
