Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon have nothing but praise for co-star Elle Fanning in this new featurette from “3 Generations.”
The film, which hits theaters Friday, follows Ray (Fanning), a transgender teen who is trying to convince his estranged parents (Watts and Tate Donovan) to legally support his right to transition. Sarandon rounds out the supporting cast as Dolly, Ray’s wise-cracking, lesbian grandmother.
“All of us contribute to the comedy of it, but Elle’s the one to pull it in... and she does an amazing job of that.” Sarandon says in the clip above. Watts echoed those sentiments, praising Fanning for “hitting it out of the park.”
Initially, “3 Generations” was given an R rating, but The Weinstein Company, which is distributing the film, fought successfully to ensure a PG-13 rating in an effort to widen its audience among teens. Praising the movie as “a story about family, understanding, and acceptance,”GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis supported the move.
“It’s no secret that Hollywood has a diversity problem, whether it be in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity — there is a dearth of stories that represent everyone,” Ellis wrote in Variety. “We need more representations of transgender youth in films that are accessible, not less.”
In the clip, Fanning said she and her “3 Generations” co-stars wanted to make the film “so that people will wake up and realize [identifying as trans] is nothing to be scared about or afraid of.”
“It’s just another person,” she said, “so why judge another person like that?”
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