Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, and Nikki Reed in Transsexual Roles

Hillary Swank was one of the first actresses to garner attention for playing a transsexual character in the movie 'Boys Don't Cry', where she played a female trying to live as a man. However, a new Hollywood trend when it comes to playing transsexual characters is emerging. Actresses like Felicity Huffman, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, and Nikki Reed are playing a different type of transsexual role as men that identify more with being women. Having a woman playing a man that wants to become a woman may seem odd, but Felicity Huffman garnered a lot of critical acclaim for her role, and while she didn't get the Oscar win for it, perhaps Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, or Nikki Reed could pull off this feat.

So could playing transsexual characters be the new road to Oscar gold? There have been certain roles in the past that actresses have taken on that almost guaranteed them a shot at an Oscar win. Many actresses have played prostitutes, for example, which led to some award season wins. These include Elizabeth Shue, Charlize Theron, Jane Fonda, and Mira Sorvino. Sometimes undergoing great phyisical transformations can also help with an Oscar win, as in the case of Nicole Kidman in 'The Hours', Charlize Theron in 'Monster', Marion Cotillard in 'La Vie en Rose', and, of course, Hillary Swank in 'Boys Don't Cry'. Perhaps the prostitute roles have always done well because they make actresses step so far out of who they are and into the well-worn shoes of women with very difficult lives, and of course any great physical transformation makes a character more believable.

So you could almost say that playing these transsexual characters is a combination of the above two award-winning types of roles; Nicole Kidman, Nikki Reed, and Kristen Stewart will have to undergo great physical transformations to portray their characters as men, and they'll also have to put a lot of work into portraying such complex characters who don't always have the easiest lives.

Of course, the portrayal of transgender and transsexual characters is nothing new; there have been many moves that portray cross-dressing transsexual or transgender characters, including 'To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar', 'The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' and the cult classic 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Drag queen Divine has played some of the most disgusting female characters you'll ever see in John Waters movies like 'Pink Flamingos' and 'Female Trouble'. However, you'll probably never see a more powerful transsexual performance than that of actor Jaye Davidson in 'The Crying Game'.

The new trend in transsexual roles seems to be taking a turn for the more serious a la 'The Crying Game' in movies like 'K-11' and 'The Danish Girl'. In 'K-11', best buds Kristen Stewart and Nikki Reed will be portraying men that identify more with women and the many difficulties they face, including finding themselves in the K-11 section of the Los Angeles County jail, a special section used to house gay, transsexual, and bisexual inmates. Nicole Kidman's movie 'The Danish Girl' is much different. It's a true story based on the life of the first post-operative transsexual woman, Einar Wegener. Wegener would later become known as Lili Elbe, a much-admired model who posed for her girlfriend's popular paintings of femme fatales. It will be interesting to see if Nicole Kidman portrays Wegener as a male (Elbe did identify herself as a male for many years before her surgery), but it'll be even more interesting to see her relationship unfold with her onscreen girlfriend played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Not only does this film have amazing actresses and a unique storyline going for it; it's also set during the early 1900's - 1930's, making it another Oscar favorite: a period piece.

Only time will tell if Kristen Stewart, Nicole Kidman, or Nikki Reed's transsexual roles will lead them to Oscar gold, but if they do, we can probably expect to see a few more movies featuring actresses playing men that become women.

SOURCES:
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00023029.html
http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/archive/2009/11/09/gwyneth_paltrow_nicole_kidman_star_in_transsexual_love_story.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einar_Wegener