British actress Talisa Garcia is breaking down barriers at Disney as the first known openly trans performer to be cast in one of the studio’s LucasFilm productions.
The actress stars in the highly-anticipated Disney+ “Willow” series, a spin-off of the 1988 Ron Howard fantasy movie of the same name. Currently in post-production, the series will follow a princess who assembles a group to join her on a quest to rescue her twin brother. Original star Warwick Davis will reprise his role as the titular Willow Ufgood.
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According to Deadline, Garcia will play a queen and mother to Tony Revolori’s character who is a participant in the quest. Garcia’s role is not a major one and she may ultimately only appear in one episode. However, her casting marks the first time a trans actor has portrayed a cis character in a Disney+ film or series. Deadline also reports that Garcia’s casting was met with “pride and support” on set from her colleagues.
The Chilean-born actress is best known for her work on BBC’s “Baptiste” and in “The Girlfriend Experience”.
Disney has come under fire in recent weeks over their lack of response to the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida which bans teachers from giving lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity to children under the age of nine. Garcia’s casting pre-dates the bill which has brought about a new wave of concerns over on-screen representation in Disney-backed productions.
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Disney has made small inroads when it comes to casting trans actors. Last year, “Raya And The Last Dragon”‘s Patti Harrison became the first known trans actor to voice a character in an animated Disney film. More recently, non-binary trans performer iris menas played Anybodys in Disney-owned “West Side Story” for 20th Century. The studio is also reportedly looking to cast a trans actress in the upcoming Disney+ series “Ironheart”.
