EXCLUSIVE: In 2020, Chanel Stewart was scrolling through X when she happened upon a post about how Pixar was looking for an authentic, 14-year-old transgender girl to voice a transgender teenager in a new animated series.
Stewart, who at 14 had already logged a few commercials, knew instantly that it was her role of a lifetime.
“I was exactly what they wanted to a T, and that’s why it felt so right. It felt just so right,” says Stewart, who is a transgender girl from Los Angeles. “I immediately asked my mom if I could do it, because I just felt like if I don’t do this, it wouldn’t make sense. You know what I mean?”
Stewart eventually scored the voiceover job in Win or Lose, which revolves around a co-ed softball team at a middle school named the Pickles in the week leading up to their big championship game. Stewart couldn’t wait to share the news with her friends.
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“Oh my God, it was crazy,” the now 18-year-old recalls. “I wore it as a badge. I wore it with pride. I wore it with honor because it meant so much to me. The thought of authentically portraying a transgender teenage girl made me really happy. I wanted to make this for transgender kids like me.”
So when Disney called Monday night to tell her mom, Keisha, that Win or Lose would no longer include a transgender storyline, both she and Chanel were heartsick. (Disney released a statement that said “when it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”)
“It was upsetting because my daughter is transgender and this is her life. I felt like it was very important that we not hide that fact,” Stewart’s mom Keisha tells Deadline. “There may be some parents out there who are not ready to have that conversation, but this is the world that we live in and everyone should be represented. Everyone deserves to be recognized. And it felt like it was just another setback for the LGBTQ community, because it’s very hard on transgender teenagers … transgender people, period. Especially when you’re young and you’re trying to figure out how to navigate this world that you live in and be able to grow into your own person.”
“I was very disheartened,” adds Stewart. “From the moment I got the script, I was excited to share my journey to help empower other trans youth. I knew this would be a very important conversation. Trans stories matter, and they deserve to be heard.”
By cutting the transgender storyline, Disney eliminated “a few lines of dialogue” from an episode that references a character’s gender identity. Stewart was not at liberty to share details with Deadline about her character, but was told by Disney that she’s “still a part of the show heavily.”
“It’s just that my character would now be a cis girl, a straight cis girl,” says Chanel Stewart, who is repped by KEY Talent Management and Innovative Artists. “So yeah, that’s all they really told me and that I was still a part of the show.”
But there’s one thing that Disney can’t take away from Stewart. “I’m definitely one of the first [transgender girls] to do this!” says Stewart of her voiceover gig. “It’s a true honor to be a part of queer history.”
Win or Lose, which features Will Forte as the voice of softball Coach Dan, will begin to roll out on Disney+ beginning February 19, 2025.