Laverne Cox’s Character in ‘Promising Young Woman’ Dubbed Over by Male Voice

Fans of Laverne Cox criticized the use of a male voice for dubbing the international version of the actress’s Promising Young Woman character. A clip from Emerald Fennell’s Italian-language version of the film, Una Donna Promettente, was posted by Universal Pictures on May 6 where Italian actor Roberto Pedicini voices the role of Cox’s character, Gail. Universal Pictures International has since apologized for the matter but this has left many to wonder; why did Cox’s character get misgendered in the first place?

They’re literally calling this a mistake as if cis people simply have no idea what they’re doing when they dub a trans woman with a man’s voice https://t.co/ln6mkJlYjm

— Zinnia “ROGD” Jones 🧙‍♀️🌚 (@ZJemptv) May 12, 2021

The award-winning movie was set to release in Italy on May 13, but has been pushed back over the “masculine voice” dubbing controversy. Universal Pictures International is actively re-recording Cox’s character with international female actors. Spain and Germany faced similar criticism for their dubbing of Promising Young Woman, and are following suit.

“We are deeply grateful to Laverne and the transgender community for opening our eyes to a bias that neither we nor many in our industry had recognized.” A spokesperson for Universal Pictures International stated for The Guardian. “While there was no malicious intent behind this mistake, we are working diligently to fix it.”

Shocking that apparently, Italy wasn’t the only case where this happened, when they say that they began re-recording several dubs.

— Mika En (@MikaEn2305) May 13, 2021

tw // transphobia@GLAAD It has come to our attention that in many translations of Emerald Fennel’s film Promising Young Woman, Laverne Cox’s character has been dubbed by a man. Is there something you can do about this? This is pure transphobia and we cannot let this happen.

— d’artagnan (@ayellowlamp) May 6, 2021

While Cox has yet to comment on the matter herself, members of the LGBTIQ community spoke out against the often-seen misgendering of actors in their roles. Italian actor and voice-actor Vittoria Schisano spoke to The Guardian about navigating Hollywood and International entertainment as a trans woman.

“I think this dubbing choice was a straight-up act of violence. It’s insulting. I’d feel bullied if I were [Cox],” Schisano stated for the publication.

Universal Can’t Seem to Stop Hiring Male Actors to Dub Laverne Cox’s Voice https://t.co/AuVE9gVVOI pic.twitter.com/PZpevJ1v92

— Jezebel (@Jezebel) May 13, 2021

This isn’t the first time that Universal dubbed over Cox’s international characters with male voices. Cox’s Orange is the New Black character, Sophia Burset, was voiced by Italian male actor Andrea Lavagnino. Lavagnino was brought on to voice the actress’s roles in The Mindy Project and Doubt.

“Changing one’s mind can be a smart approach. We can all make mistakes, but those who are smart apologize, take a step back and try to fix it,” Schisano stated in The Guardian.

As Universal Pictures International work to change their ways of voice dubbing, the significance of gender representation onscreen and overseas is more apparent than ever.

“E!’s selection of @Lavernecox to lead such a high profile part of their brand in pop culture is a major step forward in transgender visibility and overall diversity and inclusion in Hollywood.” – @AnthonyRamosAH, GLAAD’s Head of Talent https://t.co/LyNlD2flOI

— GLAAD (@glaad) May 10, 2021

This is an issue that has been brought up time and time again. Actor Elliot Page recently opened up about his transition and the importance of listening to the needs of the trans community. You can find his recent interview with Oprah and more on their conversation here.