Izzard as female reimagining of Dr Jekyll, anyone ?

Well, I last saw Eddie in a series on Netflix where he played a raddled old junkie, could have been a female dressed as a man, I suppose, but everyone was treating them as a man!

I don't think he minds if you refer to him as he or she. So let's change to she.

Hahahahaha

No, let's not because he is a male person and hasn't even asked you to use she.

trisher

Eddie Izzard is a hilarious comedian and a great actor. There have been quite a few productions where a male character has been played by a female- Maxine Peak, Fiona Shaw etc. I can't think of any male actor who has played a female lead, so perhaps it is time. Although as she identifies as gender fluid I'm not sure it can be completely described as such. Still I'm sure she will see the funny side of it all

To refer to my previous point - a reimagined male role played by a woman, as in Maxine Peake and Fiona Shaw is not the same thing. They are women playing the female role. To reimagine a traditional role from male to female and then cast a male to play the part is completely different.

Mind I feel the same about James o Briens approach to the Remain/Leave debate and lots of people seem to like him.

If women can't say they are women, but we have to say that transwomen are women on pain of being 'cancelled' (or worse), we really have fallen down the rabbit hole.

Frankly it's terrifying.

Well I've just watched this. He makes mincemeat of Farage www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECDrYfNvj_o

Sorry just to make it clear I was on Eddie Izzards side rather than with Farage

He was on with Farage who was being his usual obnoxious self, which would obviously make anyone a bit cross, but he completely lost control, I was on 'his side' so to speak but it was an example of how not to win hearts and minds. It was a week before the referendum.

What was that Galaxy?

He was funny and then just started talking in stereotypes so the whole thing became really boring. And the Question Time appearance still haunts me.

I thought he was funny back in the day. His ‘death by tray’ sketch sticks in my mind as making me laugh, and he had a phenomenal memory with his meandering sets that linked various themes as he went.

I admire his fundraising too, and whereas I think he now seems very attention-seeking, I suppose that goes with the territory for famous people.

As Iam says, though, this role pushes women out of the way, as so often happens when transwomen push into what used to be our roles (in both senses of the word). If there is a point being made by reimagining Jeckyl and Hyde as female it might be interesting, but I can’t think what is being achieved by casting a man in the role, particularly one who is now more famous for his ‘gender fluidity’ than his acting.

It seems to be making a point, and rubbing the noses of feminists in it. In the history of theatre it’s only relatively recently that women were able to act at all. Going back to men playing us on stage is like a metaphor for the whole TWAW movement. Slowly but surely we are being erased.

BlueBelle

Glad someone finds him hilarious Trisha he does not gain that title from me he doesn’t even make me titter I think he’s just a me me me look at me, character

Perhaps you never saw any of his comedy routines BlueBelle they were absolutely hilarious. (and he was he then) He was very glamorous then and has always stretched the norms of what was seen as male and female. I don't think he minds if you refer to him as he or she. So let's change to she. Did groundbreaking work in the 90s when transvestite was not something mainstream TV accepted and comntinues to stretch the boundaries, if she wants to play the part as a woman I'm sure she will be good.

FarNorth Maxine Peak did Hamlet
Fiona Shaw did Richard II
There are actually quite a few productions of Shakespeare with people playing the opposite gender and even all female or all male productions. It's interesting to Google it.So actually this is just another step in a long line of non traditional productions.

NanKate - yes EI was excellent in that drama

You did make me laugh Fanny with your description of EI. I recently saw him on Netflix playing the part of a solicitor in a Harlem Corben series and he was really rather good, to my surprise.

That’s the point of course -blackface is totally discredited. I think I remember Eddie Redmayne regretting his successful role wasn’t given to a trans actor. Yet women are as ever, expected to tolerate being side lined for the men

Mollygo

I don’t like him or rate him anyway so I won’t be watching. I don’t think men’s gender fluid is a topic I want to read about.

I used to love him.
I was a very early adopter of him in the early 90s.
Saw him several times and he was absolutely phenomenal.
I even spoke to him a couple of times.

Now I think that he is a complete and utter nob.

Oh yes, it’s not just frowned upon but most people are appalled at ‘blackface’, and expect black peoples I be given the roles of black characters. I wonder whether people will look at the notion that men can do ‘womanface’ with the same revulsion.

Doodledog

*Why bother to reimagine the story as a female lead if you then cast a biological male in the part? Is the casting director saying there isn't a single female who could act the part as well as Eddie Izzard?*

How far is this from Laurence Olivier blacking up to play Othello?

I thought that was frowned upon these days as we've become more aware. I don't like blackface, but then again I don't like 'drag' for exactly the same reasons, although so many don't see drag as 'appropriation' which is a mystery to me.

Why bother to reimagine the story as a female lead if you then cast a biological male in the part? Is the casting director saying there isn't a single female who could act the part as well as Eddie Izzard?

How far is this from Laurence Olivier blacking up to play Othello?

trisher I'm not familiar with the female actors you mention. Did they play roles as male people, or did they play roles that were previously male, as female people?

This thread is about a role that was previously male, now 'reimagined as female' to be played by a male person.
I suppose his imagination that he has a girl mode is what is meant.

Riverwalk

I have no problem with imaginative casting as long as he doesn't take too many female roles from women actors.

How many is too many?
How many transwomen actors do you think is acceptable, taking how many female roles each?

Glad someone finds him hilarious Trisha he does not gain that title from me he doesn’t even make me titter I think he’s just a me me me look at me, character

I can't think of any male actor who has played a female lead, so perhaps it is time. Although as she identifies as gender fluid I'm not sure it can be completely described as such
Maybe, if it was a male playing an originally female part, but to have a male like Eddie Izzard playing a 'reimagined' female role just reverts it to a male part played by a male, even if that actor identifies in 'girl mode'.

Pamie1 spot on. Why bother to reimagine the story as a female lead if you then cast a biological male in the part? Is the casting director saying there isn't a single female who could act the part as well as Eddie Izzard?

SueDonim well that would be a total waste of signage

SueDonim

To broaden the debate a little, the SNP is to consider introducing women-only train carriages in Scotland. How’s that going to work when the SNP also says that anyone who claims to be a woman is a woman?

Yes, that's the sort of thing that women are being asked to give up. It's so anti-feminist it's frightening.