Laverne Cox: Clean Slate needed for 'rehumanization' of trans people

Laverne Cox believes the timing of her new Prime Video series Clean Slate is "divine."

In this lighthearted yet poignant show, the Emmy winner portrays Desiree, a trans woman who returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to reconnect with her estranged father, Harry, after 23 years of no contact. In addition to her starring role, Cox is credited as the series creator alongside George Wallace and Dan Ewen.

The series, executive produced by the late legendary television producer Norman Lear, faced numerous challenges before making it to the airwaves. Reflecting on her journey, Cox expressed her gratitude for the opportunity.

"I'm so humbled because we got no's from every place. We pitched this everywhere. We sent the script out everywhere, and it was a 'no' from everywhere. And it was really Brent Miller and Norman Lear, and their tenacity and pushing, that got us asked to Amazon Prime."

The development process for Clean Slate spanned seven years, during which Cox and her team encountered considerable resistance from Hollywood.

"I think getting a show on the air period is insanely difficult. There was a time when I was pitching this alongside two other projects with really established, Oscar-winning people, wonderful stories with trans characters, and none of them went through. They weren't buying trans stories.”

Cox believes that the significance of this show is heightened in today's political climate.

"And I think this show happening at this particular political moment feels, not like an accident. It feels divine because we are in a space culturally where trans people have been dehumanized to such an extent that taking away our rights and denying our legitimacy is something that people take for granted. And it's happening on a federal level."

She hopes that the series will encourage viewers to empathize with trans individuals.

"And so that is my hope that people will have empathy for the trans character that I play and hopefully be inspired to have empathy for trans people in real life and hopefully get to know us," Cox says.

"We're not a theory. We're not an ideology. We're human beings walking around, living with these experiences. We're human, and the rehumanization process is what needs to happen. If we're interested in love and justice for trans people, as well as for immigrants and for those who think differently from us, we need to counter a culture that dehumanizes. We need to engage in a process of humanizing each other across the board."

The first season of Clean Slate will feature eight episodes and is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.