Rebecca Root on the success of Boy Meets Girl: Britain was ready for a transgender sitcom
"It was our time," says the star of the BBC2 sitcom in which she plays a trans woman going out with a younger man
Transgender men and women are more visible on screen and in Western media than ever before – and Boy Meets Girl actor Rebecca Root says that Britain was definitely ready for a series about a trans character.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com at the Radio Times Covers Party, Root said she was delighted by the fact that there'll be a second series of the BBC2 show, in which she stars as trans woman Judy dating a younger man, Leo (Harry Hepple).
"I've been saying for the last couple of years that Britain was ready for a show that dealt with these issues in the way that it did. We've got trans people on soaps, obviously in films but it's a different genre and because of that I think the audience was really ready for it, I think it was really our time."
The actor, who also has a part in Oscar-nominated The Danish Girl, said that while she understands why Eddie Redmayne was cast as 1920s transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, we might one day look back and be surprised that the part wasn't played by a trans actor.
"I think that the Danish Girl has its wonderful place in our cinema history, and I'm so proud to be a part of it... but I think that now we're moving on and it's time to take the next steps forward."
And talking of next steps, she can confirm she's still on her mission to become the first transgender Doctor Who...
