Pixar is looking for a voice talent for its first transgender animated character
In another step to further embrace diversity and representation in its works, the award-winning animation studio is seeking a youth talent to voice its character named Jess, a 14-year-old transgender girl for an upcoming animated project.
It was the official Twitter account of the San Francisco Trans March that first put out the word on social media.
According to the organization’s tweet, it has received the casting call sheet from Pixar, who was also reaching out to other organizations for the search. Trans March said it’s confirmed to be legitimate after some of its followers questioned the authenticity of the search. (PhilSTAR Life was able to confirm with the Pixar Publicity Team that the casting search is, indeed, legit.)
In the announcement, Pixar said it is casting a “youth voice-over role for an upcoming animated project.”
It describes the character named Jess as a 14-year-old transgender girl who is compassionate, funny and “always has your back.”
The animation studio is looking for actresses 12 to 17 years old who are “enthusiastic, outgoing, funny, and energetic; who feel comfortable acting in front of a microphone; and can authentically portray a 14-year-old transgender girl.”
The legal guardians of any candidate that fits the description and is interested to audition for the role are encouraged to contact [email protected].
The casting call sheet did not specify further details about the animated project and the voice talent’s role.
Pixar has been recently igniting diversity and representation through its projects, including its first black lead character, Joe Gardner, in Soul, which won at the recently concluded 93rd Academy Awards.
It also introduced its first openly queer animated character in Onward, voiced by openly gay screenwriter and actor Lena Waithe. With its SparkShorts project Out, Pixar introduced a kiss between its two male characters, Greg and Jim.
Meanwhile, Pixar also opened up the conversation about autism in both of its SparkShorts Loop, and the groundbreaking Float, which featured Filipino lead characters.