The trans actress who will star in the upcoming Pixar series Win or Lose has spoken out about Disney’s decision to axe her character’s storyline.
On 17 December, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the unidentified character would still be featured in the series, but dialogue related to their gender identity would be removed from the final cut.
A source close to production also claimed that the decision was made several months ago.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” a spokesperson for Disney told the news outlet.
While Disney has refrained from sharing an additional statement, Chanel Stewart, the trans actress who voices the character, opened up about the decision to Deadline.
“I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honour because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender girl made me really happy. I wanted to make this for transgender kids like me,” she explained to the news outlet.
“I was very disheartened. From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
In the same interview, Chanel’s mother, Keisha Stewart, echoed similar sentiments.
“It was upsetting because my daughter is transgender, and this is her life. I felt like it was very important that we not hide that fact,” she explained.
“There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in, and everyone should be represented.
“Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community because it’s very hard on transgender teenagers… transgender people, period.”
Towards the end of her sit down, Chanel briefly opened up about her conversation with Disney – revealing that they assured her that her character was “still a part of the show heavily.”
“It’s just that my character would now be a cis girl, a straight cis girl. So yeah, that’s all they really told me and that I was still part of the show,” she added.
Win or Lose – Pixar’s first-ever long-form series – is set to premiere on Disney+ on 19 February.
Created by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, the show follows the Pickles, a co-ed middle school softball team, as they prepare for the big championship.
The eight episodes will follow a different character and their respective journey leading up to the highly anticipated game.
The official synopsis reads: “The series reveals what it actually feels like to be in the shoes of each character—the insecure kids, their helicopter parents, even a lovesick umpire—with incredibly funny, very emotional and uniquely animated perspectives.”
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