Raising transgender children could be a challenge for any parent. However, raising a transgender child in the Hollywood limelight could be even more difficult. Yet, Gabrielle Union has managed to do so with grace, humility, understanding, and nothing but unadulterated love and acceptance. Recently, the mom of two sat down to talk about how raising a trans child prepared her for a new film role.
“As an actress, I normally look for characters that have some chunk of me in them. I did not see that in Inez,” she said in a recent interview at the People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly photo and video studio at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. “I’m never going to reject my child. My child, none of my children, are disposable.”
In her new movie, The Inspection, Wade portrays the role of Inez French, a homophobic parent, who is also a prison guard. Wade’s character cannot come to terms with the fact that her son Ellis French, (portrayed by Jeremy Pope), is gay because of her strong religious background. She ultimately disowns him, setting him on a path to join the Marines.
It is truly understandable why, at first, Wade had difficulty connecting to the character as she shares fifteen-year-old Zaya with husband Dwayne Wade. Her daughter Zaya came out as transgender in 2020.
Yet despite their extreme differences, the talented actress was able to find one thing that connected she and Inez French…their darkness.
“My darkness defined the common space with Inez, which is a very vulnerable place, to know that I too am capable. It’s not going to manifest itself in the same way, but when you are centering an oppressor’s idea of who you need to be to be considered worthy of all of the things, everybody is on the chopping block.”
Want to know more about this upcoming project? Here’s a brief synopsis of what movie-goers can expect according to Deadline.
The Inspection follows Ellis French (Pope), a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, who decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside. But even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and forever change his life.
In addition to starring in the film, Wade is also an executive producer on the project. Take a look at the official trailer below. The Inception is slated to hit theaters November 18.
