Trace Lysette as “Monica” in Andrea Pallaoro’s Monica.
Known for acclaimed performances in Prime Video’s Transparent and Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, Trace Lysette wowed audiences at the Venice Film Festival last September for her titular performance in Monica. She also made history as the first trans woman ever to star in a film selected by the legendary festival.
Directed by Andrea Pallaoro who co-wrote the screenplay with Orlando Tirado, Lystette’s Monica returns home for the first time in 20 years to take care of her dying mother. The intimate film has been applauded for scoping in on complicated family dynamics in an authentic manner and for showcasing the post-transition life of a trans woman.
On June 8, Lysette will host Angeleno’s Power of Pride party in West Hollywood. Ahead of the event, she spoke with us about Pride, keeping her sights on awards season and how drag laid the foundation for her skills as an actor.
You are the host of our Power of Pride party. Why is it important to dedicate time and space to celebrate Pride?
When I think about Pride, I think about survival. I think about how the first Pride was a riot. And especially in this day and age, what we're going through right now with all this legislation that's attempting to be formed against us, it's important now more than ever to be out and loud and take up space and celebrate and rejoice because queer joy is also an act of protest. I think that when we gather, it has always been a protest. Even back in the day when clubs and nightlife, the underground LGBTQ scene, was just illegal, that was our gathering place. That was our community. The formal celebration of Pride today is just an extension of that to me.
Let’s dive into Monica. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September, hit theaters last month and arrived on video on demand about a week ago. How do those moments compare for you: the 11-minute standing ovation at one of the industry’s most prestigious festivals versus knowing Monica has reached so many more people recently?
I think when you get into a festival like Venice, which typically only takes 20-some films a year, that's such a seal of approval. And then to go there, get good reviews and get an 11-and-a-half-minute standing ovation, again, it's this [prestigious moment]. And then you're left wondering, “OK, well, how does this translate to success? How does this translate into getting into the hearts and the minds of the people and the masses?” Because there's still such a long road that happens after that and we weren't sure if we were gonna get distribution. And so once we got IFC involved and we did get distribution, then we got our theatrical release. And, again, it's a fight to see how many theaters you're gonna get, and then you're constantly trying to get the word out. And what I learned on this journey is that indie film is just such a fight when you're a smaller-budget film. Even the larger indie films have more money and more resources than we did. So once we got a certain amount of theaters, and then it did well and it expanded to 50-some cities, it felt like another small win. And then I knew it was going to be on video on demand. But I think now we're still trying to figure out if it will hit a major streamer and be available to all of their subscribers because the work is just not done in terms of getting it out to the world. So, unfortunately, that is just a battle of indie film. We have to get people to see this, we have to make it available to people so that we have a fair shot when it comes to award season. It's already gotten awards buzz, which is crazy to me, but also really beautiful. And we're not in the typical window for an awards season. But neither was Everything Everywhere All At Once. They premiered in May and they took it all the way to the Oscars, so I don't know. People really believe in this film. They care about it. It's timely as hell. And I'm just doing what I can to show up for myself and show up for the film and put one foot in front of the other and see what happens.
In addition to the critical acclaim and awards buzz, have you gotten any responses or feedback about the film that make you feel like all the effort for this movie has been worth it?
I've gotten so much support from people in the industry, like Sarah Paulson and my friend, Retta. Laverne Cox has shared our trailer multiple times. And all of these people really believe in me and believe in the film and the importance of it, and that lets me know we're doing something special. But even more than those celebrity co-signs are the lengthy paragraphs I get from trans people from all over the world who have either seen it at a festival overseas or have been able to see it in the U.S. and who have taken the time to write me and tell me how this has affected their lives or how they've been able to see themselves for the first time in a film. And some of my favorite write-ups from journalists have been from the trans journalists that are emerging. One in particular, Veronica Esposito, she wrote something really beautiful. Mey Rude has written some really wonderful things about the film. It is new to me to see trans people pour their hearts out about a piece of art in this way; it’s just priceless.
Trace Lysette as “Monica”, Patricia Clarkson as “Eugenia”, Emily Browning as “Laura”, Joshua Close as “Paul”, Graham Caldwell as “Brody”, and Ruby James Fraser as “Britney” in Andrea Pallaoro’s Monica.
You and Patricia Clarkson, who plays your mother in the film, are both emotionally driven actors. Have you always been a super present actor or is that something you leaned into more with Monica?
I think innately I'm just a very sensitive person and that lends itself to my actor instrument. I didn't have the traditional access like the actor that gets to perform in high school plays and then gets an audition for Juilliard or Yale and gets to go that whole route. I was fighting my way in high school, physically fighting in the ‘90s being femme and I guess what we would consider nonbinary, but that wasn't a term back then. And so I wasn't in anybody's drama club. That wasn't a path that I got to have. So when high school was over, the last thing I wanted more of was school and bullying.
So I think my strength is that I do innately feel things very strongly and through going around to different actor's studios in New York City all those years ago when I got my training, I was able to harness all of that sensitivity coupled with this really rich trans life experience: the pain, the joy, all of it. And to me, that is like a secret weapon in my actor toolkit. I haven't had a conventional road of the prestigious Yale or Tisch or Juilliard channels, and I reject that one road is better than the other. I just know that my experience is my experience and that I work in a very primal way. That doesn't mean that I don't prepare; I certainly do. But I was happy that when I showed up on set for Monica, Patricia Clarkson also worked in a similar way.
You started in entertainment as a drag queen when you were a teenager. Were there any lessons or skills you gained from drag performance that you still carry with you in your actor’s toolbox?
Absolutely. Drag is basically an extension of theater. It’s so hyper-femme and strong at the same time, which is an interesting combination. And so I think I learned how to move a crowd. I learned how to go and be in control at the same time and emote in a way that is infectious, and all of that stays with you. Maybe being a teenage drag queen in the clubs of Dayton, Ohio and Columbus was my drama club. That was my high school musical.
See also: The Power List: These 50 Local Luminaries are Championing the LGBTQ+ Community
Following Monica, would you prefer to stay in the space of drama films or do you have an interest in exploring other types of roles and projects?
Drama is definitely something that I have done and I think that I do well, but I don't think that I've gotten to flex my comedy bone as much as I would have liked to. So I'm open to all of it. I have fantasies of a rom-com. I have big dreams of doing action one day because I love to be athletic, not just for my physical health, but for my mental health. But I think more than anything right now, I crave a dramedy kind of series that would allow me to [do both at the same] time and also allow me to feel safe financially. I think that piece has been missing for me. I've done a lot of critically acclaimed work, but I haven't had a series that really anchors me in a way I can lay a foundation for myself financially to really save.
If you are an actor who works gig to gig like I do, it can just be challenging to pay to play. And celebrity and fame, unfortunately, plays a big role in a new cast in larger projects, which I don't love that about our industry. I miss the old days where talent was, I think, a bit more important. And so, I'm not sure if I have the solution to that. I just know that talking about it makes me feel a little bit less crazy.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Monica is available on VOD. You can rent it on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime and more.
Photography by: Trace Lysette as “Monica” in Andrea Pallaoro’s MONICA.
