Lana Wachowski on coming out as trans

Xtra reporter spurs public statement

Lana Wachowski, who is in town attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), has spoken for the first time about why she decided to go public in a recent New Yorker article about her journey as a trans person.

“I did feel some responsibility to the GLBT people and a lot of people had been asking me to be more public, but we love anonymity, we love our privacy,” she says. “We don’t really think celebrity does much to improve your life.

“We actually think it worsens you life. So, it was a big decision.”

Wachowski made the comments at a TIFF press conference for the premiere of her latest film, Cloud Atlas.

The film is co-directed by Wachowski’s brother Andy and Tom Tykwer and stars Halle Barry, Tom Hanks and Hugh Grant. The Wachowski siblings are behind such films as The Matrix and Bound.

Below is a video clip of the news conference.

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