Tommy Dorfman Could Only See Herself as Cate Blanchett When She Imagined Her Life as an Older Person
In July 2021, Tommy Dorfman presented herself authentic self to the world when she came out as a trans woman. During this coming out process, Dorfman sat down with InStyle for an in-depth interview. Dorfman revealed that when she thought of the future, she always saw herself as a woman with a likeness to actress Cate Blanchett. Read on to discover more about Tommy Dorfman’s journey to embracing her authentic self and what she envisions for her future now.
Tommy Dorfman has always visualized herself as a mother and grandmother
Assigned male at birth, Tommy Dorfman always knew she felt things a little differently than most. Long before her transition, Dorfman already knew she had a feminine spirit. In her sit-down interview with InStyle, Dorfman revealed that other people could feel this about her as well. Some trans women Dorfman knew before her transition even came right out and told her that they thought she would eventually transition.
In her sit-down interview, Dorfman revealed to Lauren Brown that deep down, she knew the sentiments she received from other trans women were true as she only envisioned her future self as a woman. However, Dorfman also said she didn’t know when she would be in a secure enough place in her life to actually transition and even though it may not happen until she was in her 40s. When asked why she saw herself transitioning at that point in her life, Dorfman said:
“Whenever I close my eyes or dream, I see myself as a woman. That was always the case. A trans elder asked me what I see myself as when I’m older, when I’m 60, 70, 90. It was so clear, I just saw Cate Blanchett. [laughs] But I really couldn’t imagine not being a mother or a grandmother.”
Dorfman | InStyle
Tommy Dorfman has many women to look up to
Along with Cate Blanchett, Tommy Dorfman has a long list of women that she looks up to in the industry. Dorfman told InStyle that she especially looks up to Laverne Cox as well as incredible trans people she has discovered through the internet like Mj Rodriguez from Pose, Brooklyn-based writer Charlene Incarnate, Jamie Clayton of Sense8 fame, producer Our Lady J, and Hari Nef of Transparent fame.
Along with these fabulous trans women, Dorfman told InStyle that she has so many women she strives to learn from and emulate. Some of Dorfman’s biggest role models in Hollywood are Patricia Clarkson, Judith Light, Julia Roberts, Viola Davis, Tilda Swinton. Overall, all of these women serve as great sources of inspiration for Dorfman in both her personal and professional life.
Tommy Dorfman’s first on-screen role portraying a woman
Prior to coming out as a trans woman, Tommy Dorfman had landed some great gigs in Hollywood. Along with portraying Ryan Shaver for three seasons in the Netflix original 13 Reasons Why, Dorfman also landed roles in Jane the Virgin, Insatiable, American Princess, and Love in the Time of Corona. While Dorfman was grateful to obtain these roles, she now acknowledges that portraying male characters made her extremely dysphoric.
Dorfman also wished she could portray a leading lady, going back to when she was in theater school. Luckily, Dorfman won’t have to wait long now as her dreams of portraying a woman on-screen is about to be realized. According to IMDb, Dorfman has landed the role of Tali in Lena Dunham’s 2022 film Sharp Stick. This will be the first performance for Dorfman, where she is portraying a woman on-screen. The release of Sharp Stick next year will definitely be special for Tommy Dorfman.
