GOSSAMER FOLDS - ALEXANDRA GREY INTERVIEW

Gossamer Folds tells a story of friendship across identities, stigma and barriers.

Gossamer Folds is a touching films that is set in the summer of 1986 . it stars trans actress Alexandra Grey, a talented veteran of projects including Transparent, Empire, and, recently, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, in which she played the intersex character Alice. She portrays Gossamer, who lives in a sleepy suburb of Kansas City and creates costumes for K.C. drag shows, but longs to escape to New York and become a fashion designer.

 She has new next-door neighbors, a family just relocated from the city (we eventually learn it’s in hopes that the father will end his extramarital affair): mom Frannie (Sprague Grayden), dad Billy (Shane West), and their 10-year-old son, Tate, played by the amazing Jackson Robert Scott, who first made his mark in the 2017 remake of Stephen King’s It. Tate is bright and curious (he carries a pocket dictionary wherever he goes so he can look up words) but lonely and bored in the suburban town.

He is initially wary of Gossamer — his father calls her “the deviant next door” and worse — but she eventually wins him over, and the story of their friendship is sweet without ever being treacly, and it evokes both laughter and tears. It does not shy away from showing the difficulties of being transgender in a time and place where acceptance is rare, but it’s not a film about victimization, and it portrays both Gossamer’s strengths and her vulnerabilities.

Alexandra Grey brings a striking presence and reality to her character Gossamer. Having lived through many of the same things Gossamer goes through in the film, Grey says she. was immediately attracted to the project and knew that she had to be involved.

The film is produced by Yeardley Smith who has given voice to Lisa Simpson for more than 30 years, but she’s also given voice to the type of characters whose stories aren’t often told on film. When she first saw the script for Gossamer Folds she knew she needed to get this story out.

GOSSAMER FOLDS IS PART OF THE TORONTO INSIDE OUT FESTIVAL CURRENTLY ON THIS MONTH. YOU CAN PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE.

I spoke with Alexandra Grey via ZOOM from her home about taking on the role, discrimination and the amazing people she has already had the opportunity to work with in her burgeoning career.