Quotes

[on her character Terry from General Hospital] This is my first recurring role, so it's a really big and exciting step in my career. And I can't help but think about the trans community and the impact that these kinds of roles have on the narrative that's being told about our community. I was just really excited that a trans woman was going to be portrayed on such a long-running show.

[on the challenges of a transgender woman portraying Terry on General Hospital] There's absolutely a lot of adversity that the trans community faces. It's something that I dealt with coming into it and something that I deal with day-to-day. I have fired people from my team who didn't understand and didn't value my trans identity. I learned the hard way. But I choose to focus on the positives and celebrate the wins. And I think Terry is a win.

[on how she wanted to get through with her medical gender transition before pursuing a career in acting] I took a break from my creative life. I'm thankful that I did. It was always my intention to do film and TV, and it just became inevitable that a move back to California was in the cards for me. But if I had moved to L.A. prior to my transition or during those first years of my transition, I really think I wouldn't have been ready. I think I really had to get my ducks in a row before coming back to California.

[on describing the audition to portray Terry on General Hospital] All the girls in the trans community that are working, we're in every single (audition) room together. We've had to become good friends and we help each other out. Frank Valentini (the executive producer) was in the room, and I guess the people at GH liked me and they were ready (to make a decision), because I got the call from my agent when I was in my car heading home. It was pretty special.

[on how she and the General Hospital writers made sure that Terry is depicted as an authentic trans woman] I think that's inevitable, I'm hyper-defensive of my community and read through all of the scripts very, very critically. I was so pleasantly surprised that the writers are approaching Terry with a lot of thoughtfulness and a lot of care.

[on how her character Terry's transgender identity may or may not have a main focal point on General Hospital] What I've come to understand is that there was a decision made that Terry might not talk a lot about her transition. It was obviously important for the audience and for Elizabeth to meet her as her authentic self, but moving forward, her transition seems incidental, which is its own kind of revolutionary act, I think. A lot of times in Hollywood, when it comes to casting, the only time (transgender actors) are really being considered for roles is when the narrative is trans and when the character is struggling with and facing adversity specifically related to their transition. Trans people deal with everything that cisgender people struggle with: holding a job, falling in love, family drama. Our experiences are so diverse. So it was really exciting when I began to see Terry unfold. The writing is really about her work at the hospital and her relationship with Liz and now with Kim. She did allude to the fact that her family doesn't accept her and we will find out together if that will ever be addressed or if it's something she quietly carries. As of right now, she's thrilled to be at General Hospital - and so am I!

[on Terry being accepted for who she is on General Hospital] Was a really exciting moment for me. This is a bit of a coming out for me in the industry. To be welcomed by the fans, for them to be excited by Terry ... there's kind of this lovely ease around my own trans identity and also Terry's. There's been very little negative feedback. I think people are really seeing her as a woman and they're picking up on the story lines that she's a part of. They're really just seeing her as Terry, the new doctor in town.

[on listing the TV shows and streaming shows that helped include a positive representation on the trans community] Pose on FX really jump-started the conversation in an entirely new way. It talked about our transitions and our identities (as transgender people) in ways that have never been discussed before, that were nuanced and thoughtful and heartfelt. A few years ago, Transparent was a big moment, obviously, and before that was Orange is the New Black, and having (transgender actress) Laverne Cox on that. I believe that Terry is one of those moments, as well. There are trans doctors in the world, and it's so important to show young trans people that there are so many things that you can become. To have Terry be accepted by the audience is really exciting to me. There are wonderful, amazing things happening for our community and we just keep fighting.