Transamerica

Transamerica
(2005)
USA

CAST & CREW

Director:
Duncan Tucker (feature debut)

Screenwriter(s):
Duncan Tucker (feature debut)

Cinematographer:
Stephen Kazmierski (You Can Count on Me)
Tom Camarda

Actors:
Felicity Huffman
Kevin Zegers
Fionnula Flanagan
Elizabeth Peña
Graham Greene
Burt Young

SYNOPSIS

Plot:
Bree, a highly educated transsexual woman who passes as a G.G. (a genetic girl), lives in a poor section of Los Angeles, working two jobs to save money for her final sexual reassignment surgery. When she receives a phone call from Toby, a jailed teenage runaway looking for his father, she’s shocked to discover that a fumbling heterosexual encounter during her life as a man resulted in a son. Bree's instinct is to turn her back on the past but her therapist insists she must confront it, withholding legal permission for Bree’s final operation until she has met the boy.

Bree grudgingly dips into her precious operation fund and flies to New York to bail Toby out of jail. Released to her without explanation, Toby assumes from Bree’s conservative appearance that she’s a Christian missionary who rescues street people by converting them to Jesus. Bree lets this misconception stand. When she learns that the grubby, disheveled Toby intends to skip bail and hitchhike to L.A. to break into X-rated videos and search for his real father, Bree panics. She doesn't want him to interfere with her plans for a safe, quiet new life. She offers him a ride across country, secretly plotting to abandon him with the stepfather he ran away from. Toby accepts her offer, accustomed to adults offering him favors in exchange for sex.

As each lies to and manipulates the other, Bree and Toby find themselves traveling across the heartland of a continent on an unexpected journey-TRANSAMERICA


Felicity Huffman

Born December 9, Felicity Huffman, the youngest of eight children, studied drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and at NYU's Circle in the Square. Felicity Huffman stars as Dana Whitaker, the strong and quick-witted producer of "Sports Night," who is trying to elevate the upstart Continental Sports Channel's program to victory over that other cable sports network, in Imagine Television and Touchstone Television's new half-hour comedy series, "Sports Night," for ABC. Felicity Huffman describes her character as "a woman who lives for the show. She's really dedicated and single-minded -- sort of a cross between Goldie Hawn and a Doberman pinscher," Huffman joked.

Working with Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme has been a great experience for Felicity Huffman. "It is such an honor to be acting with a writer of the caliber of Aaron," she enthused. "And then there's Tommy -- I'd take a bullet for those guys". "Sports Night" is Huffman's first leading role in a comedy series. Felicity Huffman has guest-starred on "Law & Order," "Chicago Hope," and "The X-Files," among others. Her feature film credits include "Hackers," "Reversal of Fortune," and "Things Change," as well as the recently released "The Spanish Prisoner."

Felicity Huffman is also a long-time member of New York's Atlantic Theater Company, which is where she met her husband, actor and cofounding member William H. Macy ("Fargo," "ER"). Felicity Huffman has appeared on Broadway in "Speed the Plow" and off-Broadway in "Cryptogram," for which she won the 1997 Obie Award -- she credits David Mamet (co-founder of the Atlantic Theater Company) for giving her such a wonderful character to play. Felicity Huffman's other off-Broadway credits include "Dangerous Corner," "Oh, Hell!" and "Boy's Life." Most recently, Macy directed her in "The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite" at the Atlantic Theater. In her spare time, Felicity Huffman is an avid reader and enjoys being outdoors and playing a variety of sports, but confesses she doesn't follow any professional sports. Felicity Huffman and Macy reside with their dog, Walter Wallingford, in Los Angeles and have an apartment in New York.

Kevin Zegers

Kevin Zegers, actually Kevin Joseph Zegers, was born on September 19, 1984 (that makes him a Virgo) in Ontario Canada. Kevin Zegers has two sisters Katie and Krista, and his parents Jim and Mary Ellen. Kevin Zegers's very first movie is "Life with Mikey" and his most recent is Dawn of the Dead (april 2004), a remake of the film about zombies.

Kevin Zegers hopes to "maybe direct someday. I also want to get into Sports Medicine and maybe travel with a professional team as a trainer." Kevin's advice to young actors: "Three years after I started acting, I went a whole year of auditioning like crazy and didn't get booked on any of them. Just when I wanted to quit, I landed a lead in a film and haven't stopped working since."

Kevin Zegers wants to have a degree to become either teacher or doctor after his acting career. "I need something to fall back on. I see me doing this for a while, but I want to have a family and kids someday, and I don't think this industry has a very good family atmosphere," he says. "When all is said and done I'm going to be living in Canada with a wife and kids, hopefully." Kevin Zegers would never work in a factory. And he wants to have three kids!