Animated productions aimed at adult viewers have been very popular for years. All you have to do is track the ratings of series such as “South Park”, “The Simpsons” and “BoJack Horseman”. In 2019, HBO Max created a dark humor production of “Harley Quinn” set in the DC universe.
A breakthrough in Polish dubbing. Transgender actress in ‘Harley Quinn’ cast
The series is based on comics created by industry-famous figures such as Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. In subsequent seasons, viewers can follow the adventures of Harley, who tries to find herself after parting with Batman’s most popular enemy – the Joker. The heroine wants to create her own team, with which she will shake the underworld of Gotham City. Harley’s comic companions such as Poison Ivy and Clayface appear in the series.
In the fifth episode of the fourth season of the series, we see another character known from colorful notebooks on the screen. Joker’s ex-girlfriend is accompanied by a certain Alysia Yeoh, a transgender character who, as in the comics, plays the role of Batgirl’s (Barbara Gordon) roommate and friend. In the original language version of the series, the character was voiced by Rain Valdez, also a transgender actress.
“In the dubbing 99.99% never such a person appeared”
It turned out that the Polish creators also wanted to take into account the gender identity of the characters in the selection of the cast. Dariusz Kosmowski, director of the PDK Studio responsible for Polish dubbing in the series “Harley Quinn”, issued a statement about the latest episode of the series.
“This episode is special for some reason. Alysia appears in it – the first transgender character of DC in the Harley Quinn series known from the comics. Very early on, at the stage of creating the cast, I realized that in Poland we don’t really have actors who have experience of transition behind him, and 99.99% of dubbing never featured such a person” – writes Kosmowski, who decided to change this tendency and find a transgender person to cast a unique role.
“It wasn’t easy, several people applied, but guided by the similarity of the voice to the original after several casting attempts, I finally managed to choose the only one. We worked for a long time to get the best effect and finally here it is: the first dubbing in which she appeared transgender person!” – Studio PDK joyfully announces.
The creator emphasized that he really wanted the Polish dubbing to represent various minorities existing in the acting community. “I believe that Polish dubbing should be alive, represent different voices, dialects, accents, and there is a place for talented actors from all corners of the country – whether cis, trans, women, men or non-binary people” – the director concludes the post.
There were a few dissatisfied voices in the comments, but positive opinions and words of support prevailed, and even thanks and declarations of working on new projects.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
