50 times trans actors were cast in trans roles & rocked it

Want to tell trans stories? Cast the actors who know them best.

Visibility for trans people is on the rise in media, but all representation isn’t created equal. While giving screen time to complex, accurate, and interesting trans stories is crucial, so is casting trans actors in trans roles (because there’s little that’s more crucial than the ability to stay employed). The debate over whether or not cisgender actors should play trans characters continues, but in the meantime, we can enjoy or look forward to these performances from 40 awesome trans actors.

Nava Mau in 'Baby Reindeer'

Transgender actress Nava Mau stole every scene as lead character Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd) in her breakthrough performance as Teri in Baby Reindeer.

​Yasmin Finney in 'Heartstopper'

Yasmin Finney’s portrayal of Ellie Argent in Heartstopper made our hearts beat faster. Not only was her story refreshing by not focusing on a coming out journey, but it also allowed her to find a sweet romance with Tao (William Gao).

Misia Butler in 'Kaos'

One of the best things about the already brilliant and short-lived series Kaos was Misia Butler’s performance as Caeneus—a former Amazon warrior, trans man, and a character fated to change the world.

Ceci Balagot in 'Monster High: The Movie'

Transgender actor Ceci Balagot brought trans masc representation to the incredibly popular Monster High franchise as a nonbinary Frankie Stein in the live-action film.

Murray Hill in 'Somebody, Somewhere'

Murray Hill is a delight no matter what he does, but perhaps he’s at his most delightful as Fred Rococo in the achingly beautiful and hilarious Somebody, Somewhere. Fred is a trans man, living out and proud in Kansas — as inspiring as he is charming.

Mason Alexander Park in 'Sandman'

Mason Alexander Park is excellent in everything they do, but they really knocked it out of the underworld with their performance as Desire, the androgynous and occasionally nefarious member of the Endless family in Sandman.

Zach Barack in 'Dead End: Paranormal Park'

Trans representation in animation matters too! That’s why trans masc actor Zach Barack voicing the lead character Barney Guttman in Dead End: Paranormal Park is so incredible.

Mae Martin in 'Wayward'

Nonbinary actor and comedian Mae Martin created the series Wayward and was the perfect fit for the character of Alex Dempsey, a trans police officer who, along with his wife, moves to what seems to be the perfect town. He’s complicated, messy, sexy—and we love him.

Miya Ocego in 'Wrecked'

Far too often in horror films and TV shows, LGBTQ+ characters get short shrift. They’re often used as comic relief, fodder for the killer, or are just poorly written. Rosie Preston, played by trans actress Miya Ocego, bucks all those trends in the British slasher series Wrecked.

Dua Saleh in 'Sex Education'

Sex Education was such an incredible show for several reasons — it was queer, funny, and sex-positive. It was also refreshingly inclusive, with creators who were incredibly intentional in how they portrayed and cast its queer and trans characters. Nonbinary actor Dua Saleh joined the cast in season three as enby student Cal and immediately stole our hearts.

Grace Hyland in 'So Vam'

Grace Hyland stars as the chicest trans vampire in So Vam written and directed by trans fillmmaker Alice Maio Mackay.

Eva Reign in 'Anything's Possible'

Based partially on a true story, Anything's Possible stars as Kelsa a young teen girl embarking on her first-ever love story. Its sweet and hilarious, and directed by none other than Billy Porter.

Ts Madison in 'Bros'

The indomitable Ts Madison stars Angela in the gay rom-com Bros. Even with a cast that is made up of out queer people, she's the true scene stealer here,.

Morgan Davies in 'Evil Dead: Rise'

Morgan Davies kicks off all the bloody action in Evil Dead: Rise by doing the one thing you never want to do: Summon a Kandarian demon. At the time "trans moron" began trending but in the best way possible. When the vast majority of representation skews to tragic figures or paragons of virtue, the flawed-in-the-most-mundane-way teenager feels like a cinematic treat to behold.

Indya Moore in 'Pose'

Indya Moore stole our hearts as Angel in Ryan Murphy's most bittersweet series Pose.

MJ Rodriguez in 'Pose'

We'll never get over MJ Rodriguez heart aching turn as Blanca the mother of House Evangelista in Pose.

Dominique Jackson in 'Pose'

Dominique Jackson was everything as the wickedly villainous Elektra, mother of the House of Abundance in Pose.

Hailie Sahar and Angelica Ross in 'Pose'

Honestly we could just keep talking about Pose forever thanks to its incredibly inclusive (and dare we say perfect?) casting. Hailie Sahar and Angelica Ross who played Lulu and Candy, respectively, were two more reasons why this show is so iconic.

Hari Nef in 'Assassination Nation'

Its girls vs the world when a data hack exposes all their secrets. At the center is Hari Nef's Bex, who becomes a target of the mob when her past hookup is exposed. Thankfully her squad is violently protective.

Elliot Page in 'The Umbrella Academy'

Art imitated life in the best way when Elliot Page's lead when his character Vanya came out as trans and became Viktor, just like the actor who plays him.

Brian Michael Smith in '9-1-1: Lone Star'

Brian Michael Smith stars as the super hunky firefighter Paul Strickland on the hit series 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Isaiah Stannard in 'Good Girls'

Trans child actor Isaiah Stannard, stars as Annie's (Mae Whitman) child in the series Good Girls. The third season saw Annie's child come out as trans and change thier name to Ben.

Leo Sheng in 'The L Word: Generation Q'

Dreamy trans man Leo Sheng starred as Micah in the sequel series The L Word: Generation Q. To say he was an upgrade to how the original series handled its trans characters is the understatement of the year.

Lachlan Watson in 'The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'

Nonbinary actor Lachlan Watson's character Theo quickly became a fan favorite and when they came out as trans we all cheered.

Ian Alexander in 'Star Trek: Discovery'

Star Trek has always been a franchise ahead of its time, so it's no surprise that they got the "trans characters should be played by trans actors" memo. Ian Alexander became the first trans actor to do that as the Trill, Grey Tal.

Theo Germaine in 'The Politician'

If you watched The Politician, then you already know that Theo Germaine as campaign manager James Sullivan is the best part of the show — which is saying something!

Hunter Schafer in 'Euphoria'

Hunter Schafer's turn as Jules is the epitome of a breakout role. Next up is a leading role in the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Truly the sky is the limit for this young actress.

Zión Moreno in 'Gossip Girl'

Luna de la Cruz is that girl on the rebooted Gossip Girl. Both lovable and cut-throat you never knew what she was going to do next, thanks to a stellar performance by Zión Moreno

Asia Kate Dillion in 'Billions'

Nicole Maines in 'Supergirl'

Nicole Maine's turn as Dreamer made television history as TV's first-ever trans superhero when she was introduced in Supergirl.

Zoe Terakes in 'Talk to Me'

While Zoe Terakes' role as Hayley in A24s Talk to Me may not technically be one of the leads you'd never guess by how they stole the show. While the role wasn't initially to be trans, as soon as Zoe entered the casting room directors Danny and Michael Philippou were ready to do whatever it took to get them in the role, they told PRIDE in a previous interview.

Bilal Baig in 'Sort Of'

Creator and star of Sort Of, Bilal Baig created a master class in empathy-building as Sabi, in the beloved HBO series.

Elliot Fletcher in 'Faking It'

MTV’s Faking It cast newcomer Elliot Fletcher as Noah, a transgender character who appeared in season three.

Trace Lysette in 'Transparent'

Trace Lysette also appeared in Transparent, as a yoga teacher and friend of Maura Pfefferman.

Tom Phelan in 'The Fosters'

Tom Phelan plays the role of Cole, a transgender teen, on ABC Family’s show, The Fosters, about a lesbian couple and their biological, adopted, and foster children.

Mya Taylor in 'Tangerine'

Mya Taylor starred as Alexandra in the 2015 indie breakout film, Tangerine, which was shot entirely on an iPhone. Taylor is also set to star as Marsha P. Johnson in the forthcoming film, Happy Birthday, Marsha!.

Ian Harvie in 'Transparent'

Comedian Ian Harvie appeared as Dale in season one of Transparent. He’s also opened for Margaret Cho, and has his own live standup comedy film, titled Ian Harvie Superhero.

Alexandra Billings in 'Transparent'

Alexandra Billings was the first openly trans woman to play a transgender character on TV in the made-for-TV movie, Romy and Michele: In the Beginning. Billings also plays Davina, friend of Maura, on Amazon’s Transparent.

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez in 'Tangerine'

Rodriguez is best known for her leading role as Sin-Dee Rella opposite Mya Taylor in the 2015 film, Tangerine.

Riley Carter Millington in 'EastEnders'

Riley Carter Millington is best known as the first trans man to play a regular transgender character on a British soap opera. He plays Kyle Slater on BBC’s EastEnders.

Laverne Cox in 'Orange is the New Black'

Laverne Cox’s role as Sophia Burset in Orange is the New Black provided positive representation of trans women on the hit show, and may have given other networks motivation to produce shows with trans stories. Cox also recently appeared in the 2015 comedy-drama film Grandma, starring Lily Tomlin.

Rebecca Root in 'Boy Meets Girl'

​Actress and stand-up comedian Rebecca Root plays the leading role of Judy in the BBC2 sitcom Boy Meets Girl. Root also auditioned for the role of Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl, which went to cisgender actor Eddie Redmayne. Root plays Lili’s nurse in the film.

Jamie Clayton in 'Sense8'

Jamie Clayton is best known for her role as Nomi Marks in the Netflix series Sense8. Clayton also appeared as Kyla in the third season of HBO’s Hung and as the Hell Priest in Hellraiser.

Michelle Hendley in 'Boy Meets Girl'

Michelle Hendley was cast in the leading role of Ricky for the 2014 indie romantic drama, Boy Meets Girl.

Harmony Santana in 'Gun Hill Road'

​Harmony Santana was scouted from an LGBT youth group home to play Vanessa in the 2011 drama Gun Hill Road. She earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role.

Candis Cayne in 'Dirty Sexy Money'

Candis Cayne became the first trans actress to play a recurring transgender character in primetime as mistress Carmelita on ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money. Cayne has also appeared in Nip/Tuck, Drop Dead Diva, and Elementary.

Eve Lindley in 'Happy Birthday, Marsha!'

Eve Lindley is set to play transgender activist and co-founder of STAR, Sylvia Rivera, in the forthcoming film Happy Birthday, Marsha!.

Stéphanie Michelini in 'Wild Side'

French actress Stéphanie Michelini stars in the 2004 drama, Wild Side, which won the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Elizabeth Coffey in 'Pink Flamingos'

In 1972, Elizabeth Coffey appeared in the John Waters film Pink Flamingos as a transgender woman who turns the tables on a flasher by exposing herself to him (though her role is billed as “Chick with a Dick”). She later appeared as Earnestine in Female Trouble.