Rumors have been circulating that nonbinary actor Lachlan Watson would be starring as Glen/Glenda in season two of the Chucky TV series ever since star Jennifer Tilly posted photos of the cast grabbing a meal together in June, on her social media. Amongst the group was Watson sporting a very familiar hairstyle, that raised eyebrows for long-time fans of the Child’s Play franchise. Today PRIDE can exclusively confirm that the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star will be portraying the beloved gender-nonconforming character in the upcoming season.
“Glen” and “Glenda” first made their appearance in the franchise’s fifth film Seed of Chucky. Like their parents, Chucky and Tiffany, Glen/Glenda was a doll with homicidal tendencies. Well, actually it’s a bit more complicated than that. Glen was born alongside a twin sister Glenda, who lives inside their body. There are some voodoo curses and body-swapping involved as well, natch.
the first season of Chucky centered around the sweet queer love story between Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) and Devon Evans (Bjorgvin Arnarson). It was equally important to series creator, Don Mancini that the second season continued to expand the LGBTQ+ storylines that reflect his personal experiences as a gay man, as well as to spotlight the queer community. The return of Glen/Glenda in season two offered him the perfect opportunity to do just that, by adding a gender-nonconforming character, played by a nonbinary actor.
It’s an ethos that the SYFY network which airs the show (along with the USA network) shares. The news of Watson’s casting is a part of the network’s Pride initiatives for June, including their Chucky season 1 marathon which airs today, running from 4 pm EST until midnight EST.
USA/SYFY partnered with the online content platform TONGAL to showcase some truly amazing fan-made Chucky-inspired art that amplifies the queer community.
It’s this spirit of inclusion and dedication to the LGBTQ+ community, which filters down from the very top, that makes Chucky such an authentic celebration of queerness on screen. It’s also why we can’t wait to see what Watson brings to the franchise when they step into the role of Glen/Glenda.
The series is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and executive produced by Don Mancini, Nick Antosca, Alex Hedlund, David Kirschner and Jeff Renfroe.
Chucky season 2 will premiere on SYFY this Fall.
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