Samy Nour Younes (center) with Rayanne Gonzales and Tiziano D’Affuso in a 2019 Ford’s Theatre
production of Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” in Washington.
➤ SAMY NOUR YOUNES, from p.26
it been like since you moved to New
York City?
YOUNES: Going from Baltimore
to New York City, and connecting
with a local community of queer
and trans-identifi ed artists, is
probably what I needed most for
my growth. I love Baltimore, always
will. And I wasn’t doing poorly
as a working actor there, but
it also wasn’t sustainable. I was
working six jobs to support myself,
and I was well known enough in
the area that I was fi nding regular
work. But I needed bigger work opportunities.
Living in New York City, I don’t
just audition for things locally, I
have the opportunity to audition
for projects across the country.
When I started acting post-transition,
it was 2012. I was the only
working trans actor most people
knew, so I got put on this pedestal
that I didn’t want to be on. It
was isolating, but also, I started to
internalize that. I really was like,
“I’m the only one.”
And not only is that so not true,
but there’s a richly talented community
of trans artists in New York
City and across the world. Of different
disciplines and backgrounds
and perspectives.
I’m just one small part of the
picture. So being part of this community
and fi guring out how I fi t in
it has helped me come down from
that old pedestal.
CAROL ROSEGG/ FORD’S THEATRE
MURRAY: I know you’ve been
involved in many efforts to push
for better representation of trans
lives in the entertainment industry
and also to see trans roles played
by trans actors who are right for
them. How are things going in that
area?
YOUNES: Trans representation
has shifted in just a short while.
In 2017, I wrote an op-ed about my
personal experiences as a trans
actor of color. The editor gave it a
very click-baity title about how
Hollywood only casts white trans
people, which even then was untrue.
And while the personal stuff in
that op-ed still holds up, I’m glad
that the industry stuff is quickly
becoming outdated.
We’re in an era where, slowly but
surely, people are acknowledging
that we’ve been getting trans stories
and representation wrong. Acknowledging
that we need to cast
trans people to play trans roles,
that trans people need to be consulted
on scripts with trans characters,
or, better yet, that trans
people be allowed in the writer’s
room — there’s still much to be
done but we’re moving in the right
direction.
SAMY NOUR YOUNES | “everyday.”
| The Tank, 312 W. 36th St.,
fi rst fl . | Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. | $15 at
thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/everyday
WHERE CULTURE
FT. KHALID,
WALE & MORE
TICKETS FROM
KINGSTHEATRE.COM
DECEMBER 15
DECEMBER 18
1027 FLATBUSH AVENUE
BROOKLYN, NY 11226
IS KING
FEBRUARY 9
GayCityNews.com | December 5 - December 18, 2019 27
/KINGSTHEATRE.COM
/GayCityNews.com
