It's definitely an interesting topic. I, for one, always request to not be cross-cast, which sort of came out of this insecurity I used to have about being perceived as tomboyish, or at least as decided un-feminine. Irrational, but it was a feeling that came about after a few theater casting decisions that made me say, "ok, I'd like to unambiguously be a girl for a while, thanks."
I had been in this show called "The Secret Lives of the Sexists," which has two extras that are male characters and are meant to be played by female actors. I thought I brought this off well. The next show I was cast in was the Vagina Monologues. And in a show all about ladies, I got cast in a transgender monologue. While the monologue is still about women... it's about women who had male parts and were at some point expected to act like men.
In other shows, I've been cast as men, or in unfeminine, tomboyish roles, and at home, I get ragged on for being "less feminine" than my sister because I don't have great fashion sense, and I have little interest in make-up, hair, or beauty products in general. Oh, and I like comics and video games, which my mother labels as "childish," though I'm sure they'd be tolerated if I were male.
After all this, I decided that maybe in my pretend-lives, I would like to be a woman and not have that questioned even a little bit, no matter how silly the insecurity is in real-life.
Of course, I decided all this years ago, and have since grown up a bit. Now that I think about it, I believe it a testament to my skills and not my nature that I can portray a man on stage convincingly, and I may lighten up on the cross-casting ban.
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I had been in this show called "The Secret Lives of the Sexists," which has two extras that are male characters and are meant to be played by female actors. I thought I brought this off well. The next show I was cast in was the Vagina Monologues. And in a show all about ladies, I got cast in a transgender monologue. While the monologue is still about women... it's about women who had male parts and were at some point expected to act like men.
In other shows, I've been cast as men, or in unfeminine, tomboyish roles, and at home, I get ragged on for being "less feminine" than my sister because I don't have great fashion sense, and I have little interest in make-up, hair, or beauty products in general. Oh, and I like comics and video games, which my mother labels as "childish," though I'm sure they'd be tolerated if I were male.
After all this, I decided that maybe in my pretend-lives, I would like to be a woman and not have that questioned even a little bit, no matter how silly the insecurity is in real-life.
Of course, I decided all this years ago, and have since grown up a bit. Now that I think about it, I believe it a testament to my skills and not my nature that I can portray a man on stage convincingly, and I may lighten up on the cross-casting ban.