Batgirl Casts Transgender Actor Ivory Aquino To Play Alysia Yeoh, DC Films First Transgender Character
A best friend of Barbara Gordon’s in modern comics is making the leap to the DCEU in the HBO Max production Batgirl, and it’s going to mark a first for this film universe.
Alysia Yeoh, a creation of Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf, was leaked as a character in the film via set photos and video shared by the Twitter account @BatgirlFilm, also known as Batgirl Film News.
https://twitter.com/BatgirlFilm/status/1483114709851254788?s=20
The video shows star Leslie Grace who plays Barbara Gordon walking around with transgender actor Ivory Aquino in the role of Yeoh.
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Barbra Gordon and Alysia Yeoh straight out of the comics! 🦇 #Batgirl pic.twitter.com/7V56MMTyl2
— Batgirl Film News (@BatgirlFilm) January 17, 2022
First appearing in issue #1 of Batgirl’s 2011 relaunch written by Simone, Yeoh is a transgender character and once upon a time was Barbara’s roommate.
More photos from the set of #Batgirl showing Leslie Grace, Jacob Scipio, & Ivory Aquino 🦇
[📸@PimPamCreative] pic.twitter.com/8QbaN6rmU9
— Batgirl Film News (@BatgirlFilm) January 18, 2022
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At the time the clip and images were leaked, Aquino’s casting was not official but it was soon verified by The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.
Speculation that Aquino was going to be in the film originally started swirling earlier in the month when Grace shared a photo of the two together on Instagram. Now it is clear both were in the UK on the set of Batgirl.
Known best for the role of real-life transgender activist Cecilia Chung on the ABC documentary miniseries When We Rise, Aquino is also a transgender activist on top of now playing the first openly transgender character to appear in a DC feature.
Aquino won’t be the first transgender performer playing a transgender character in a DC production, however. This already occurred a few short years ago on DC TV when transgender actor Nicole Maines became the recurring hero Dream on three seasons of Supergirl.
Also starring Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, and JK Simmons as the returning Bruce Wayne, Firefly, and Jim Gordon, respectively, Batgirl doesn’t have a release date on HBO Max but rumored decorations on the set indicate they are aiming for this Christmas.
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