The Bold and the Beautiful just cast its first transgender actor for a role on the CBS daytime soap. Scott Turner Schofield will make his first television appearance on May 8 on the Emmy-winning soap. The New York Daily News exclusively confirmed the news early Tuesday.
Shofield’s experience is in regional theater and he’s adding TV to his resume. The actor will portray the role of “Nick,” a “transgender mentor” to Maya Avante (Karla Mosley). Maya is the groundbreaking character in which the transgender storyline revolves around. Schofield — unlike Mosley — was born the opposite sex. He was born female, but became a man. His character on the show is to reassure Maya of the decision she made to become a woman when she faces discrimination.
Schofield shares a little more about his new role on The Bold and the Beautiful .
“I’m Maya’s best friend and I come from her world when she first landed in Los Angeles before she became the huge success that she is. We met in the trans community together. I’m her friend that comes in and kind of help remind her that she is beautiful and whole and authentic exactly as she is.
And as things start to happen and discrimination mounts, she can stand strong in who she is and how she made the right choices for herself. So in that sense, it feels like playing myself in a certain way.”
Schofield is also a highly regarded diversity speaker, author, and performer. He was reportedly contacted by B&B producers from a “short list” of transgender talent. The goal is to have more depth to the controversial storyline. Transgender actress Candis Cayne also auditioned for the role, but Schofield got it.
The actor has already taped six episodes. He’s extremely nervous about seeing himself on TV for the first time. He’s also excited about being such a big part of such an important story on B&B . As someone coming from this world, Scott Turner Schofield says the scripts are going in the right direction.
“I am an expert on this stuff and I do study it. I’ve seen everything there is to see and I am telling you that it is unprecedented and it’s going in the right direction.
It’s going in the direction that transgender people can be happy about. And not only transgender people, but everyone who knows and loves a transgender person.”
As the Wrap writes , producer/writer Brad Bell has his own reasons for creating a transgender storyline on The Bold and the Beautiful .
“It’s about people respecting other people’s differences and their uniqueness.
I think it’s time that we become more colorblind, gender-blind, religious-blind.”
[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]
