Characters and Lived Experiences

I was looking through a Facebook page that has collected the various social media posts of Wentworth Miller. I am appreciative since many of Wentworth's posts have been on Instagram or otherwise are in formats that are not easily accessible.

As I was looking through old posts, a post from last November, caught my eye. It is a fascinating view from the "room where it happens" of the need to defend the experiences of characters. It is always interesting to learn what happens behind the scenes in writer rooms.

Wentworth is coming from an actor's point of view in this particular story but I think it can be expanded to be a lesson for everyone who loves characters: Actors, Writers, Fans, Fanfiction Writers, Fan Studies Professionals etc. Plus it is a story that reminds us why we need to stand up for ourselves and our own lived experiences. 

There will always be rooms where there are individuals who do not know how to best represent characters from the identities or circles of community we call home. We need to be able to stand up for the characters we care about and in doing so stand up for the multitude of lived experiences that surround us. 

(And when we are celebrating characters with a different lived experience we need to make sure we are willing to listen to those who have had that lived experience)

One example that stood out to me from Wentworth's post is about halfway when he holds up the fact that marriage is not something everyone is looking for. Personally I don't see the need for people to get married and have no plans to ever get married myself but I am not sure if I would have though to bring it up if I was in Wentworth's shoes. 

(This was originally posted on the 22nd November 2020 by Wentworth on Instagram and later shared by the Went Archive on Facebook. Note: I added links to clips of some the examples that Wentworth gives, the links were not in the original post but I thought might be helpful)

"[We] need more communication among lgbtq fans and those who create these shows [to pave] the way for more inclusion..."

Someone wrote that under my previous post. 100%. If I ran a show leading with diversity/inclusion, I'd set up a dedicated online forum where the writers and I can connect with fans, hear concerns, get feedback. (Who knows? Maybe such things exist.)

Meanwhile, it's another argument for more queer actors in queer parts. At this moment in time/the culture, for me, it's not just about playing these characters. It's about advocating on their behalf.

Small example (bec god is in the details): Leo. The powers-that-be willed him into existence and I was grateful. He didn't have to be gay but the writers wrote that shit. So we got 2 gay actors playing 2 gay superheroes kissing onscreen... Felt like a moment.

And it needed tweaking. In the sc where Leo tells Mick and Sara he's marrying Ray, his original line was like, "I just want something normal..." Gays. Just like us. Except me? I'm not getting married. I didn't want Leo framing marriage as "normal" for folks (kids) watching. It's not. It's homonormative. A ton of queer folks are living full/content lives outside the marriage construct. That line became, "I'm looking for a new kind of adventure" (or some such).

2 actors of the same gender kissing onscreen is the beginning of the conversation. Not the end.

Hollywood is never not sending messages.

Would a straight actor playing Leo push for that change? Have that conversation with the (straight) writers and (straight) director? Maybe. I did bec I had to. It reflects my lived experience. I'm having those conversations 24-7. Not just on set.

I should note I had the weight - and will - to push for rewrites. Not every actor does. #privilege

Last tweak: The sc where Leo and Ray argue while Ray changes. The first draft called for me to "blush and turn away" at the sight of a shirtless Ray. Hello. They're lovers. Pretty sure it was the person who wrote that sc who wanted to blush and turn away.

Dear Writer(s): Don't.

Stay. Look. See. Hear. - W.M.  

I am glad Wentworth fought for all these rewrites because I think all too often those of us who are "marching to the beat of a different kettle of fish"* can forget we have the power to raise our voice and say wait a min this needs tweaking/this does not express all experiences/what else can we try?

For example in an later season there was a situation with different characters that I believe should have been tweaked.  In the episode (no real spoilers beyond the title of the episode) a characters virginity is the key to removing the "monster of the week." When I saw the title of the episode my creative imagination jumped to the idea that the character might be Ace especially considering all the other great representation on Legends of Tomorrow.

Even though this idea came from my own brain and was not suggested by the show itself I was still disappointed when towards the end, one of the characters says "Now, about this whole virgin situation..." instead of ending the conversation at "Yeah, yeah, that's right, mate. Come on, let's grab a beer. All right?" 

The "Now, about this whole virgin situation..." line bugs me because 

a) It was not needed/did not add anything to the conversation

b) It did not make story telling sense (If being a virgin helped stop one "monster of the week" it seems like being a virgin could be helpful for future "monsters of the week") 

c) Instead of creating space for us Aces to at least imagine our identity into the story it inadvertently implied that not having had sex is a "situation" that needs to responded to. 

Like the power of Wentworth standing up against normalizing only one experience when it comes to marriage, it would have been powerful if the show chose to stand up against the normalization that everyone wants sex and that not having sex is a strange experience not just one of a multitude of experiences people have with sexual and romantic attraction.

Single lines in media matter and it is important that those who are in positions of privilege speak up because by standing up for the lived experiences of characters we are also standing up for our own lived experiences.

(* I first was introduced to this wonderful mixed metaphor on a button at a convention I went to when I was a child, so I don't know who gets credit for the idea other than some unknow convention button maker)