Will transgender stars of “Tangerine” get Oscar nods? Their director Sean Baker hopes so

Will Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor be the first transgender actresses in history to be nominated for Academy Awards for their acclaimed performances in Tangerine?

The film’s director, Sean Baker, thinks they deserve to be and hopes enough Academy voters have seen the low-budget independent film to make it happen.

‘The most important thing to me is the recognition of Mya and Kiki,’ Baker tells The Wrap. ‘I don’t care about my nomination or any of that stuff, I just want a budget for my next film. Mya and Kiki delivered and showed they have talent.’

In Tangerine, Rodriguez plays Sin-Dee who is just out of jail and searching for the pimp who broke her heart with a cisgender woman. Meanwhile, her is best friend Alexandra (Taylor) is getting ready for her stage show. These personal dramas are set against the backdrop of Christmas in Hollywood.

‘This is not a one-off for them,’ the director says. ‘They’re barely playing themselves, no matter what people think. Like every actor in every movie, you have characteristics of one’s own persona in the character, but they’re not playing themselves.’

Last month, both were nominated for Independent Spirit Awards for their portrayals. Previous to starring in the film, neither woman had major acting experience.

The nods improve their Oscar chances since they make voters more aware of the film. Variety reports that this marks the first time a movie distributor has ever backed an awards season push for transgender actresses in Hollywood history.

‘Kiki is a sweetheart and she’s barely taking part in this campaign,’ Baker says. ‘She’s a very shy and introverted person, and Mya is very different from her character too. My hope is that people recognize their great talent so they can parlay this into their dreams and their futures… Now that more trans roles are being written, it’s time to look at trans actors who can play these roles.’

The director does not think the Academy should create a new category to recognize transgender performers.

‘The best thespian should win the award,’ he says. ‘This is how I see it — Mya and Kiki are women and they should be recognized as women, so if those gender-based categories exist then they should be nominated under the Best Actress category.’