Eric Schaeffer is the writer, director and producer of “Boy Meets Girl,” a movie starring transgender actress Michelle Hendley. It’s a love story with a twist.
On Monday, Vanity Fair went public with its July cover, and it was the exclusive unveiling of Caitlyn Jenner — former Olympian champion/reality-TV star Bruce Jenner. On the same day, Jenner’s new Twitter account blew up the Internet. @Caitlyn_Jenner broke a Twitter record (previously held by President Obama) when her account amassed 1 million followers in four hours. Now, two days later, she has 2.3 million followers.
Jenner will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award during the ESPN ESPY Awards, which will be broadcast on ABC July 15. On June 2, Jenner jokingly tweeted, “What the hell am I going to wear?”
This has been a beautiful time of change. In addition to the reveal of Caitlyn Jenner on Vanity Fair magazine’s July cover, we have seen Michelle Hendley in the movie, “Boy Meets Girl,” Laverne Cox on “Orange Is the New Black” and Jeffrey Tambor on “Transparent.” The changing face of television will include the June 8 premiere of the series “Becoming Us,” about a teenage boy dealing with his father’s transition. “I Am Jazz” is a TV series premiering July 15 on TLC which stars transgender teen girl, Jazz, who was diagnosed with gender identity disorder at age 6.
Out of the 50-plus films I’ve seen this year, Eric Schaeffer’s “Boy Meets Girl” stands out as one of the best. The protagonist in this romantic comedy slash drama is Ricky (Michelle Hendley), a transgender girl.
Dorri Olds: How do you feel about comics mocking Caitlyn Jenner?
Eric Schaeffer: The mocking of a transgender person of any kind by anyone, especially those with a public forum that reaches millions, is inhumane and therefore has no place in a loving and civilized culture — which is what I would hope we all want to move towards having. I like strong and edgy humor, but tact, common sense and an underlying compassion must be present for me to think edgy humor [is] appropriate.
What do you think of Jenner’s public transition?
Any person who can model living a life of loving authenticity and truth, especially in the face of challenge and/or societal push-back, is the most courageous and important kind of person we have. She is the bravest of the brave. Many things are done for publicity/media frenzy, but I don’t suspect coming out as transgender is one of them.
Are you a fan of the show “Transparent”
A huge fan. The writing and the cast is impeccable. Jeffrey is shatteringly sublime.
I saw you thanked Jennifer Finney Boylan on Facebook. How do you know each other?
I have been lucky enough to forge a new friendship with Jenny after meeting her when she saw my new film, “Boy Meets Girl.” She’s one of my favorite people and has been a great supporter of the film.
Read more