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Chanel Stewart, who is giving her voice in the upcoming Disney+ series Win or Lose, recently addressed her disappointment with Disney's decision to remove the transgender references from her character. The references were featured in the dialogues spoken by her, as per The Guardian.
Chanel Stewart became a popular face when she was selected for the show back in 2020. According to AV Club, the actress was 14 years old at the time. In her latest interview with Deadline on December 17, 2024, Chanel opened up on how she felt after learning about Disney's decision and stated:
"I was very disheartened. From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard."
Win or Lose is premiering on February 19 next year and it is being produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The music has been composed by Ramin Djawadi and it features the voices of Will Forte, Izaac Wang, Ian Chen, and Jo Firestone.
Chanel Stewart's interview comes on the same day when The Hollywood Reporter stated that the transgender storyline of a character has been removed. The news was additionally confirmed by a Disney spokesperson and the outlet additionally mentioned that the character would remain in the show except that a few changes will be made.
Chanel Stewart expressed her happiness of being a part of Win or Lose
As mentioned, the 18-year-old was cast in Win or Lose around four years ago. The Express Tribune reported that she received a casting call from Pixar, who was searching for someone who could portray a transgender teenager. During her latest conversation with Deadline, Chanel Stewart opened up on how she felt about her casting. She said that she took it as a "badge" and continued:
"I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender teenage girl made me really happy. I wanted to make this for transgender kids like me."
According to Deadline, Chanel Stewart's mother Keisha was surprised to hear that the character's transgender references were removed. On the other hand, Disney said that while creating animated projects for the "younger audience", they prefer to bring concepts that the parents would discuss "with their children on their own terms and timeline."
Keisha also addressed the controversy from her side, saying that it was important not to hide anything considering that her daughter is transgender. She further stated:
"There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community, because it's very hard on transgender teenagers – transgender people, period."
Keisha mentioned that such things are wrong since it impacts transgenders at an age where they attempt to live among everyone else around the world and "grow into your own person."
Chanel Stewart is active on Instagram with around 272 followers. The bio of the page stated that she is represented by talent management company Key. She has shared only four posts so far on the page and other details related to her early life and career remain unknown.
