Watch Now! Transparent Star Jeffrey Tambor Will Leave You In Tears, Delivers Emotional Speech at Sundance

Actor recalls meeting parents of a young boy who identifies as a girl

By Marc Malkin Jan 28, 2015 3:31 AMTags
Watch: "Transparent" Star Hopes to Saves Lives

Jeffrey Tambor knows his new hit TV show Transparent is making a big difference in people's lives.

The Arrested Development actor stars in the Amazon series as Maura, a transgender woman in her sixties who begins to transition after coming out to her three children that she's always identified as a woman.

Tambor delivered an amazing emotional speech last night at the Sundance Film Festival, where he was presented with the IMDb STARmeter Award.

He recalled meeting a young married couple on the street during the festival.

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"A mom and dad came up to me," Tambor said. "They have a son. I guess his name is Jessie and he's about 8 [or] 9 years old and they said, 'Thank you for our show.' And they are bonding over our show."

Choking up, he continued, "And Jessie has gone to his parents and said, 'Mom, Dad, I'm not a boy-boy.' And that's who we're talking to."

Transparent, which debuted in February, picked up the Golden Globe Award earlier this month for Best Television Series: Music or Comedy while Tambor took home the prize for Best Actor in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy.

Tambor called on the industry guests packed in at The Mustang restaurant reception to continue to tell the stories of the "transgender community and indeed anybody who's being otherized in this world."

While Tambor then remembered the young boy's name may not have been Jessie, he held his award in the air and exclaimed, "For all the Jessies in the world. For all the transgender teenagers who are deprived of locker room or overnight trips or indeed, bathroom facilities."

Transparent also stars Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass and Gaby Hoffman as Maura's three children with her ex-wife, played by Judith Light.

The full season premiered in September. A second season is set to air this year.