ABOVE: “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” newcomer Double Trouble. Screenshot via Twitter.
Gender nonconforming entertainer Jacob Tobia has joined Netflix’s “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” as the animated series’ first nonbinary character.
Netflix’s reboot, a modern take on the 1980s classic “She-Ra: Princess of Power,” was nominated for a GLAAD Award earlier this year for its LGBTQ inclusivity. Tobia will play Double Trouble, a shape-shifting mercenary who joins forces with the villainous Horde in the show’s fourth season.
According to Deadline, “they are able to magically transform themselves into any person they see and has a soul of a thespian, spending hours in ‘character study’ trying to perfectly mimic their target. They are always looking for feedback on their ‘performance’– but don’t ever give them a negative critique.”
Tobia shared the news via social media. “I play a character called Double Trouble who is a nonbinary, shape-shifting mercenary,” they mused, “so functionally, I’m playing myself.”
“Fantasy has always been so vital to me because as a nonbinary person, it’s a way of escaping the confines of the world we live in,” they continued. “It’s the way of building other realities and imagining the world as it could be, not as it is. Having non-binary representation in animated shows for young folks is just so vital because young people today are already understanding that gender is diverse and a broad spectrum from a super early age. It’s about time that the shows that we’re making for young people reflect the world as they understand it.”
Watch:
Ever since I was a child, I've dreamed of playing a nonbinary, shapeshifting goblin-elf-princess and now I can say I've done it! So much love for my @DreamWorksSheRa family <3 Thrilled to be bringing a lead nonbinary character to life with y'all! https://t.co/hPz7SUCm44
— Jacob Tobia (@JacobTobia) October 21, 2019
The fourth season of “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” streams Nov. 5. Watch the trailer below.
