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Michelle Hendley
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MICHELLE HENDLEY
A conversation with actor & internet personality, Michelle Hendley
From documenting her transition on YouTube to the big screen, Michelle Hendley is making moves. We chat with Michelle on hustling and being your authentic self.
“As a kid, I was never afraid to be openly creative or feminine.” Living and hustling out of Brooklyn, Michelle Hendley knows who she is and what she wants. Working as an actor and internet personality, Michelle loves three things: superheroes, thunderstorms, and bitchy sharp comebacks. “I played with dolls and often pretended to be a warrior princess or a mermaid. It wasn't until I started school that I saw the binary between boys and girls, and what was considered socially normal, acceptable, and expected of me as a male bodied child.“
Michelle’s career started on YouTube, and was where she documented her transition. “YouTube was where I first learned about the process of gender transition, and where I first met people like myself.” She shares that she wanted to give back to the community of vloggers who helped her, by documenting her own story and sharing her experiences.
Let me play a superhero or a scorned assassin out for revenge.
Those around Michelle were accepting of her desire to transition. “I was very fortunate in that regard during my transition. Many trans people end up having to sever ties with toxic family members or friends, or are disowned altogether.”
While enrolled in cosmetology school, director Eric Schaeffer came across Michelle’s YouTube page. “He liked my presence on camera,” she says, and this is when she was asked to be a part of Boy Meets Girl. The experience, Michelle says was life-changing. “I had never acted before [Boy Meets Girl], and at the time I was in desperate need of a new creative outlet in my life. Finding out I had ability and passion as an actor was surreal. I remember going home after we wrapped and crying to my mom about how I wanted to go back!”
Her time on set inspired Michelle to move to New York and continue to pursue acting. “Right now I am auditioning for everything that comes my way, but I would love to play more roles that are not specifically transgender.” She continues, “Let me play a superhero or a scorned assassin out for revenge.” Strong, powerful female roles are Michelle’s ultimate goal, adding that she sees stunt school in her future.
As a trans woman in the film industry, Michelle faces some hurdles. “Typecast is real, but it is a double edged sword in a way. If a casting director is seeking a trans actor, I have a better chance at getting the role than the average cis actor. However, trans actors are often relegated to trans specific roles only, which come few and far between. There is obviously still a lot of work to be done for trans representation in the industry.”
We are each responsible for the content we choose to consume and share. Let the personal impact we leave be a positive force in the world.
Michelle’s advice for up-and-comers is to be as authentic with yourself as you can be. “Staying conscious of goals and the person I want to be keeps me motivated in my day to day. It allows me to focus on the bigger picture of what I want to achieve, and attract the types of people and energy I need in my life.”
Lastly, on the subject of presence: “I think it is important to be aware of the people who gain our attention. Who are the individuals impacting our lives, and is their influence a positive one? It is easy to become fixated on celebrity or absorbed in social media culture, but we are each responsible for the content we choose to consume and share. Let the personal impact we leave be a positive force in the world.”
