XEAN PEAKE.
Meet the breakout star of The Confirmation set for Academy Awards success.
This year, Xean Peake landed their first film role in The Confirmation, a short Danish film following the life of a transgender teen, Mathias. In the film, which is under Oscar consideration for Best Live Action Short Film, Mathias strules with his transition in a country that doesn’t allow people to legally change their gender, or have confirmation surgery until they are 18.
Mathias also has to deal with the social pressures, from intrusive questions about his genitalia from peers, and a mother (Ellen Hillingsø) trying her best to support him, but in her own haphazard way. The film has a powerful message about acceptance and Xean tells us he hopes the film’s impact will be a positive one “because we are all humans and we should all treat each other equally. Whether you are straight, gay, bisexual, transgender or whatever you identify as, you should be able to be whoever you want.”
And it’s not just the general public that Xean believes the film will have an impact on, he thinks it could have an impact on the Danish politicians who could make it easier for trans teens to legally transition. “I hope this film will help politicians see what it would mean to us [to get gender confirmation surgery], like how in Norway you wouldn’t have to wait till you turn 18 to officially change your gender,” Xean explains.
As The Confirmation is under Oscar consideration, we speak to Xean about what he believes will happen to his character after the film ends, and what more we’ll be seeing from the young actor as his career hopefully moves towards Academy acclaim.
What does the success of The Confirmation mean to you?
It means a lot to me and it is so exciting because I’ve always wanted to become an actor and still want to, and I am hoping that maybe it will help me continue. It also means a lot to me that more people understand, what it means to be a transgender teenager.
We’ve seen cisgender people win Oscars telling trans stories. Do you think it’s time for trans actors to receive the same recognition?
Yes, I do think that it is time that more LGBTQ people play the roles of LGBTQ people in films. There are a lot of movies where straight people play gay roles or even films where cis people play trans roles, and I think it would be amazing if we started to have more people from the community play the roles.
How do you think people will react to the message at the end of the film?
I hope that people will have a positive reaction, because it is a very important message. We need to get people to understand that it is okay to be who you are, and to show people that we need to start accepting each other, because we are all humans and we should all treat each other equally. Whether you are straight, gay, bisexual, transgender or however you identify as, you should be able to be whoever you want.
What do you think happens to Mathias after the film ends?
I think his mother will continue to annoy him, but in a loving motherly way. Regarding his transition, I think life goes on and that he will eventually start on the testosterone treatments, and maybe someday he’ll get the surgery. Until he turns 18, he will officially still be identified as a ‘girl’. I think as soon as he turns 18, he will change his gender. Otherwise, I think he’ll just try and live a normal life, as a boy.
What impact do you hope the film will have?
I hope that it can help people understand some of the things that a transgender person has to go through, just to be who they are. And I hope that it will help people accept everyone for who they are. I also hope that this film will help politicians see what it would mean to us [to get gender confirmation surgery], like how in Norway you wouldn’t have to wait till you turn 18 to officially change your gender.
Do you think films such as The Confirmation will help humanise the trans experience?
I don’t know... but I hope that it will.
And finally, what will we be seeing from you in the future?
I hope I get to play more roles in movies which include the LGBTQ community, but I would love one day to become an actor for Netflix or some of the superhero movies.
We’ve been busy giving our annual LGBTQ recognition ceremony and celebration a major revamp and couldn’t be more excited to share with you some huge announcements. Forget what you think you know about GAY TIMES HONOURS because this year’s event is going to be a celebration of queer excellence unlike any that’s come before. We’ll be back in London for our flagship event, which will take place on 21 November with some world-class names performing and attending on the night.
As part of our ongoing celebrations of becoming the first LGBTQ media title in Europe to reach a landmark 500th issue, we have named this year’s event GAY TIMES HONOURS 500. The performers, hosts and special guests on the night will reflect what our Issue 500 campaign set out to do; platform incredible queer talent making significant strides in our fight for true equality for all.
It’s why we couldn’t be happier to announce the first performer for the evening, which will be drag pop superstar Pabllo Vittar. After gracing our cover earlier this year – which went on to be one of our biest-selling of 2019 so far - the Brazilian queen will be flying in from Sao Paulo to give a very special performance. Expect high energy choreography, plenty of hair-flipping, and a big pop spectacle.
What’s more, we’re delighted to also announce one of Instagram’s funniest queers, Benny Drama, as the host of GAY TIMES HONOURS 500. We have marked the occasion with a cover shoot and story for this very issue, where you can find out more about the American comic and see why his journey and how he inspires a whole generation of queer youth makes him the perfect fit for the spirit of what GAY TIMES HONOURS 500 embodies.
The very core of what GAY TIMES HONOURS stands for still remains; celebrating people and organisations that have had a profound impact on the lives of LGBTQ people in the past 12 months. But we will be doing it on a scale unparalleled to what we’ve done previously. On the evening we’ll be honouring LGBTQ people from the world of music, television, fashion, and sport, as well as community trailblazers from across the globe. These are people that continue to be a beacon of queer light in the community, instigating monumental change, and inspiring a new generation of LGBTQ people.
This is an event created to honour and celebrate the community, so it’s only natural that we want all of you to come along and join in on the fun too. We’ll be offering free tickets to GAY TIMES HONOURS 500 so you can come and be a part of the biest night in the queer calendar. To find out more information on how you can get tickets, keep an eye on gaytimes.co.uk/honours. We have many more announcements yet to come, including the incredible venue, more performers, and special guests attending on the evening. We promise you that this is one queer celebration you are not going to want to miss.