A fresh start for actor and comedian Petey Gibson

Ahead of his wider release this week, Gibson has promoted as a trans man for a film in which he plays a lesbian.

I feel amazing now as a trans man, he said, speaking over Zoom. So personally, it’s complicated to tell everyone in my life afterwards. [to] Go see this movie where I played this woman named Emma. Especially since people know me now, but I’m incredibly proud of it.

Gibson prides himself on his acting, his role as a producer and, as a Cape Cod native, the fact that it was filmed in Boston with local cast, crew and musicians. As a child, Gibson didn’t see much lesbian representation in movies and darling movies like But I’m a cheerleader. It is therefore also proud to be part of the tradition of lesbian romantic comedies.

The idea that I could grow up to be part of this canon of independent lesbian filmmakers and have a film that I’m really proud of, to be part of that is exceptional. And the fact that I get to star in a lesbian rom-com in my hometown as the last big thing I’m doing before my medical transition is awesome.

A third of The Sympathy Card cast and crew were queer, and everyone was encouraged to speak up if they thought any details were wrong. As a straight white man, writer/director Brendan Boogie says it was the only way to tell a truthful story. Writing is seeing things from another point of view, he says. This is why intersectionality in a team is so important.

While Gibson’s perspective was vital, Boogie also praises the actors’ ability to take on a complicated character. The reason I originally cast her is that this role is tricky, in the sense that there are a lot of things Emma does that, in the wrong hands, could make the character really unlikable, says- he. But Petey is so friendly and so charismatic. Everything he does, you just feel the love behind it.

Navigating an acting career post-transition can be tricky, especially for a character comedian like Gibson. Boston audiences might remember Gibson hosting character shows for drag king group All the Kings Men from around 2004, or his feisty octogenarian Mary Dolan hosting comedy and burlesque shows. He moved to Los Angeles ten years ago and trained at legendary company Groundlings before making the transition. He played female or non-binary characters in small roles in Grace and Frankie and Broad City.

He says it’s a weird silver lining that a lot of his physical changes have happened during the pandemic, so he’s enjoyed a slight career break before moving forward. His managers had him make a one-minute video addressed to people in the industry, telling them what work he had done before and showing what he currently looks and sounds like. He says the feedback is positive. So now I get auditions for trans men as well as cis men, which is wild, he says. It’s a weird job. I’ve had about four different portraits in the last two years, because I keep changing. I had to throw away all my voiceover reels. It’s expensive.

The industry is improving in terms of trans representation, Gibson says, although in his acting experience in his late 30s, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. So many roles that come to my office are for teenagers, he says. It seems like Hollywood is like, okay, we recognize that trans people do exist, however, they all have to be Gen Z.

Who makes him laugh the most? I auditioned for Euphoria, he said. It’s crazy for me to audition for a high school role. It’s not where I am.

Because Hollywood is always a little behind, Gibson feels he has to create his own work. He’s penned a comedy pilot starring two trans-male best friends that focuses on laughs rather than trauma, and partners with Traveling studios on a new project. I’m going to keep pushing my own stories and things forward, he says. I have to create my own roles.

Even if he has to change course from what could be a breakthrough role in The Sympathy Card, Gibson believes that all of his previous experience, both as an actor and as a trans person, helped make him stronger, personally and professionally. I’m really lucky to be a trans person, he says. When you really step into your trans identity, you have to do a lot of inner work. It must be said that something is different from what I have been told all my life. Everyone spoke to me that way, I was socialized that way, I was separated into those groups. That’s how the whole world sees me, and there’s something in my mind that’s telling me, I don’t know if that’s entirely true.

After a few tumultuous years, which also included a divorce, Gibson is excited to see what the future may hold for him. He calls it a wild and rewarding experience, and hopes he never stops changing and growing. You know, I think it would be a mistake to feel like you’ve evolved into a final form, he says. But I feel incredibly capable in a way that I didn’t before.