apparent that the research Tambor put into his portrayal paid off. Though he said he was “throw-up nervous” on that first day of film- ing, he gives a much nuanced performance that hinges on being extremely believable, as does the palpable chemistry between the character and his co-stars. “Well, that’s the genius of Jill Soloway,” he stated. “Casting is not
only the ‘best person to play the role,’ but the actor who will also induce the best from others. I remember when we were doing the barbecue scene, sitting around the round table; that was very strong and as I looked out to Gaby, Amy and Jay and beyond them I could see Jim Frohna, our director of photography and Jill Soloway and I said, ‘My god, there’s genius everywhere I look.’” He also had high praise for his friend of 40 years, Judith Light, who he cited as being “quicksilver” in terms of her acting. “You’d better be on your game when you act with Judith Light… She takes no prisoners. She is what they call an artistic killer!”
He also has nothing but accolades to the aforementioned creator
of the show, Jill Soloway, especially when it comes to her ability to walk the tightrope between comedy and drama. “All the great writers know that people are funny and people are
sad,” Tambor explained. “The genius of Jill is, that she zigs when you think she’s going to zag… and that’s very human. Also, this is a deeply Jewish family and there’s a very Jewish humor to it that is authentic. I come from a Jewish family and the family to me rings true. The real drama isn’t about Maura; it’s what Maura does to af- fect everybody and everybody else’s secret. There are scenes that I have never seen on television; it’s just uncanny.” It seems that transgender issues have been coming to the fore-
front of the LGBT acronym, as of late, especially with Orange is the New Black’s Laverne Cox making the historic cover of TIME Maga- zine. So, did Tambor feel any added pressure in this representation of a community through his acting work? “We had roughly 50 people from the trans community in front of the camera and in back of the camera,” Tambor detailed. “So, our set was very inclusive. There was nobody with crossed arms or raised eyebrows—everybody was supportive. If any pressure was on me, it was from me, because I knew I had a responsibility.” Tambor would love it if the responsibility and diligence he has taken in creating Maura onscreen, which he said was “one of the great honors of my life,” were to have a great takeaway for viewers of Transpar- ent. “I hope it goes its own way to create empathy and respect for families, for love, for connection,” he said. “For the transgender community, I hope that there is the furthering of the disappearance of any bias, hatred, prejudice and ignorance. I hope for a connectedness in the community, the courage to be their authentic selves and feel that they are not alone; to do everything they can to be free and have freedom.”
Catch all episodes of Transparent online at
amazon.com/prime. OCTOBER 2014 | RAGE monthly 27
“For the transgender community, I hope that there is the furthering of the disap- pearance of any bias, hatred, prejudice and ignorance.”
jay duplass as josh
judith light as mom
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