Felicity Huffman gets early release from federal prison sentence
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Actress Felicity Huffman recently claimed that she would never have been able to play the transgender role in "Transamerica" she was nominated for an Oscar for, if it was cast today.
Huffman, who played a biological male struggling to connect with his delinquent son as he completes his sex change operation in the 2005 film, told The Guardian this week that transgenders should play those roles. She "wouldn’t be able to do it now," she said.
"I think we should reflect the audience, and that’s got to include everybody," Huffman told the outlet, noting that it’s a matter of inclusivity and what’s fair for minority groups in the industry, like the transgender community.
Actress Felicity Huffman recently told The Guardian she "wouldn't have been able" to play the trans role she played in 2005's "Transamerica" if it was cast today. (Getty Images)
The actress added, "There has been such inequity for so long, and now the pendulum must swing the other way. But I hope it leads to a situation where anyone can play anything."
Huffman’s comments are the latest addition to the debate over representation in Hollywood movies. Some argue that an actor portraying roles that they do not resemble in real life is the whole point of the craft, while others say that having someone play a minority onscreen removes minority actors’ opportunities and can be offensive towards their lived experience.
The Guardian asked Huffman about an alleged controversy involving trans actress Alexandra Billings' claims that Huffman stole the role from right under her after she was being considered for the role.
However, the 61-year-old actress denied there was ever a trans actor in talks for the role she played. "There was no trans actor originally," Huffman told the outlet, which followed up by mentioning how Billings saw her at an event in 2017 and asked, "Did you know that you stole the role in Transamerica from me?"
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Huffman claimed that trans actors should be the ones playing trans roles in Hollywood. (AP)
Huffman denied this happened, telling the U.K. outlet, "I have no memory of that." The actress then joked, "As an excuse, I also have no estrogen left in my body."
During a 2014 interview with HuffPost, Huffman expressed her support for trans actors playing trans roles. At the time, she said, "I certainly understand the sentiment that a trans actor should play a trans role. And I support it. What can I say –- I think transgendered [sic] people have been marginalized for a long time and I think you see that in people who are not trans playing them."
Huffman is set to star in the upcoming U.K. stage production "Hir," playing the mother of a trans child. In recent years, she has been at the epicenter of the college admissions scandal, whereby she and dozens of other parents committed fraud to boost their children’s college admissions test scores.
Huffman pleaded guilty to the charges in 2019, and spent 11 days in federal prison.
Representatives for Huffman did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.