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Monicais any actors dream.
Still, Lysette couldnt quite level up.
The opportunities just werent there untilMonicacame along, three years afterTransparentended.
Her performance is serene and graceful.
Monicas familial estrangement has hardened her, but its also made her self-sustaining.
The fact that Lysette hasnt had more opportunities likeMonicacan be chalked up to typical Hollywood inequity.
But shes confident it will be a turning point.
I just dont know how to keep the train rolling.
Six years later, you finally have a lead role in a movie.
What has it been like for you to work to keep the train rolling?Its been a struggle.
And its sad to say that.
Im sorry, I wish I had something more hopeful to say about it.
So I want to first say that, but I do think theres an added layer for trans people.
Its two or three times harder than it is for, say, a cis actress.
Its been eight months, and I havent had a single offer.
So that is sobering.
Im trying not to let it steal my joy, especially with all the love were getting right now.
But all I want to do is feel safe.
I really hope this doesnt sound sad.
I want her in my movie.
Thats why I ask.
You dont sound self-pitying.
Do you audition a lot?Ive had three auditions this entire year.
I would not say thats a lot compared to my cis actor friends.
Even my cis actor minority friends audition more than I do.
What is the character, and who can play that?
Probably a number of identities can play this essence.
It doesnt always necessarily need to be in the script.
Its just getting people to use their imagination.
A great example of that for you isHustlers.
That character could have been played by anyone.Exactly.
Its a much more interior performance.It was a gift and a challenge.
There was no phoning it in.
The specificity of Andrea Pallaoro is its own beautiful challenge as well.
Ive worked with a lot of directors, but he has been the most specific.
I definitely felt like I grew as an actor.
Your own mother was not initially supportive when you told your family that you were trans.
I didnt lose 20 years like Monica did.
I know who that woman is.
I know how strong she is.
I know what shes had to endure.
And I know where she finds her joy.
Im going to see this last month that my biological mother has on this earth.
Im gonna see what this has in store.
Its obvious what happened between the two of them.
you could kind of get the synopsis in that dialogue.
Then it feels fresh, and it feels like this magical thing happens.
I love working like that.
Its a little ambiguous as to whether Eugenia eventually realizes who Monica is.
She opens her eyes a little.
Maybe the time is just too precious to have a knock-down, drag-out, who-did-what conversation about it.
I think thats really beautiful.
Ive even had some people say to me, Well, why wasnt there more?
People want the A-B-C of it.
The before-and-after of it is sometimes drastic, and Monica left when she was 16 years old.
She was probably a flaming boy-queen with some androgyny.
Was it hard to come down from some of the heavier scenes toward the end of the film?
Im thinking of Patricia in bed wailing in pain and you cradling her.
Is it a lot to take on?It is.
I had to put Monica down as soon as we wrapped.
They got me a gold necklace that said Monica on it on the last day.
One of the producers said to me, Oh, you should wear it to the wrap party tonight.
And I thought,No, I have to put Monica down now and just be Trace.
I was tinting my hair red every week and living in the heaviness of Monica.
And prior to that, I had just spread my grandmothers ashes before filming.
So it was a beautiful but heavy summer.
I would put her down at the end of every shoot day as well.
I needed that reprieve from her.
I will also say, superficially, you look incredible as a redhead.Thank you!
Here you have a young trans person in New York City.
At that time, I didnt have a lot of access to the industry.
I didnt really know how things worked.
I didnt have a lawyer.
I didnt have a team of people to protect me.
My acting teacher at the time asked me to meet with one of the producers, so I did.
It was a lesson learned.
Eddie Redmayne has called the role amistake, and the tide has turned on that movie.
I had that happen so many times in my youth with different projects.
Ive had artists take pictures of me and there wont be any compensation.
One time, a topless photo of me ended up in the MoMA for six months.
And you were paid nothing for that photograph?I was paid nothing.
I was promised a copy of the picture if I wanted it.
Oh, lucky you.Yeah.
You cant do that to a Vanderbilts daughter or a Hilton or Fonda or a Barrymore.
You cant do that to Lily-Rose Depp.
And I hate that.
Im really hopeful that, with the attentionMonicais getting, this is going to be another gateway for you.
I knowTransparenthas a lot ofbaggageto it, but it seemed like it opened doors.
I think its okay to be confident.
