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Gotham Knights' Tyler DiChiara Praises Series For Casual Trans Rep
The actor opened up about adapting the comic character of Cullen Row.
The recent debut of Gotham Knights comes at an odd time for The CW — the time of DC dominating the network seems to be at an end, with The Flash coming to an end and only Superman & Lois still remaining. But in another way, the new series is as timely as ever, featuring the inclusion of a young trans character among the main cast.
Tyler DiChiara recently spoke with Digital Spy about taking on the role of Cullen Row in the series. In the comics, Cullen was introduced in the New 52 Batman series alongside his sister, Harper, as a cis gay teen who is the target of bullies in and out of school.
Cullen’s being trans in Gotham Knights is something that comes across casually, rather than being the focus of his storyline — a decision DiChiara praised the show for making.
“I wanted to introduce Cullen organically and not really have his trans identity be the main focus,” he said. “It’s subtle hints, like, ‘Don’t use his dead name,’ and conversations around his chest surgery. Us trans men and women, we live among everyone, every day, and you wouldn’t know it. You wouldn’t bat an eye.”
Noting that the Gotham Knights writers made a point to check in with him about the dialogue and decisions made for Cullen, to ensure they came across as authentic, DiChiara added that he hoped seeing Cullen presented as a regular person (well, as regular as any person living in Gotham can be, anyway) rather than brought in for a more pointed storyline revolving around his trans identity would help viewers understand trans men and women a little better.
He also hopes it will help encourage other young trans people interested in acting to realize there is a place for them in Hollywood.
“We're only a handful, us actors who just so happen to be trans. But the list is growing, the table is growing. You can see us starting to come out everywhere,” he said. “And we deserve it. We deserve to take up the space. Everyone deserves a chance to just do what they love. This means the world to me in more ways than one, just being able to do what I love.”
Gotham Knights was developed by James Stoteraux, Chad Fiveash, and Natalie Abrams, and also stars Oscar Morgan, Navia Ziraili Robinson, Fallon Smythe, Anna Lore, Olivia Rose Keegan, and Misha Collins. You can catch it on The CW Tuesdays at 9/8c or on The CW app the next day.
Gotham Knights premiered on The CW on March 14, 2023.
As of now, Gotham Knights is available to stream on The CW app for free the day after new episodes air.
The two are based on the same property, but are not connected otherwise.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
