(Photo from Miss Benny’s Instagram)
“Glamorous” star Miss Benny has revealed that they are trans through an essay in TIME.
Saying, “The gap is quickly closing between now and June 22: the day that my television series “Glamorous” will come out on Netflix. And along with it, I too will come out as the transgender woman I’ve been privately living as for the last few years.”
Miss Benny made her way to Los Angeles at the age of 14 after leaving her religious household in Texas. For five years she wandered through L.A. looking for work, couch surfing and entering negative relationships.
While assisting on a Madison Beer photo shoot, Miss Benny received a phone call about the development of “Glamorous.” Initially unsure if the role was right for her, Miss Benny still auditioned any ways.
“At my first audition, I arrived as a diet version of myself so as not to subject myself to the usual rejection I’d faced. But this time, I was met with the encouragement to be myself and let my full femininity shine. They told me in the room that the role of Marco was mine, and I fell to my knees with tears in my eyes. This was the first time in my life somebody looked at me and said, ‘Yes, it’s time for you.'”
But the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 had other ideas, leaving Miss Benny inside and halting production on “Glamorous.”
It was during this time that Miss Benny was made aware of the series “Veneno,” which streams on Max.
“There’s a scene in the series where the main character, a young queer person, meets their icon, an elder transgender woman who goes by the stage name La Veneno. The young queer person gets to ask her, ‘When did you start transitioning?’ And Veneno answers and turns to her admirer to ask, ‘And when will you start?'”
At that moment Miss Benny knew she had to start her journey.
“And so as time went by, I privately transitioned in my day-to-day life. It felt as if I had lived with a stuffy nose my whole life and then suddenly my breathing airways opened, and I discovered everybody else has been breathing freely the whole time. And now, I too can breathe and enjoy my life the same way everyone else does.”
The only issue on Miss Benny’s mind was the role she was hired to play for “Glamorous” was for Marco, a boy. Eventually revealing her transition to show creator, Jordon Nardino, the pair came up with a plan to bring that story into “Glamorous.” After getting executive producer Kameron Tarlow on board, the trio took their new plan to Netflix.
“Netflix came onboard. In fact, the only concern was ever about my own personal comfort and, funnily, whether or not the pitch of my voice would change over the course of filming (lol!). And so, from that moment on, I worked closely with Jordon to ensure the authenticity of Marco’s identity in the show.”
Now living in her truth, she is looking forward to bring out that story in Marco’s journey in “Glamorous.” She emphasizes that this will not be a “twist” surprise and will not become the plot of the show.
She also took to social media to share the news.
