Karla Mosley Almost Said ‘No’ to Transgender Story on Bold and Beautiful
Karla Mosley, who currently stars as former model turned manager Dani Dupree on Beyond the Gates, played one of daytime’s first transgender characters during her 2013-2019 run as Maya Avant on Bold and Beautiful. However, if she was presented with the opportunity again, she would respectfully decline.
“When my boss asked me if I would do this story, I first was going to say no because it felt inappropriate for me to play that role as a cis woman,” Mosley revealed to People while reflecting on the situation. “I do identify as queer, but I’m not transgender.”
Accepting the Story
Mosley recounted that Maya’s character being revealed as transgender in 2015 happened around the same time Caitlyn Jenner opened up about her transition. “It was crazy weird, literally at the same time,” pointed out Mosley, who initially had reservations about continuing in the role. Yet, discussing the situation with friends changed Mosley’s perspective, particularly when they noted, “If you don’t accept this story, this story won’t be told.”
Once Mosley opted to move forward with Maya’s journey, she was totally committed to her decision. She spent time conversing with viewers on social media after the character’s coming out episode aired. “It was such a powerful moment,” recalled Mosley. “I am so grateful for that character because people who loved Maya and then had issues with what she said had to ask themselves like, even with a family member, ‘Well, if I loved her yesterday, why don’t I love her today?’ I actually had to grapple with that question, and I had so much feedback around healing that was able to happen within families and communities because of that storyline.”
In 2017, the actress reflected on playing the transgender Maya and the character’s future to Soap Opera Digest in glowing terms. “It has been so creatively fulfilling, and the social impact of being able to play Maya every day for nearly five years is a total surprise,” stated Mosley. “What I love about all the different players in the story, like Rick and Julius, is that we are able to present different sides and do it in a way that’s respectful of all of those sides, and do that in a way that is not aggressive or preachy. I hope we can do more of that. It’s definitely needed in our world. I’m just in awe of Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Maya and Rick and the rest of the Avant clan.”
Yet, despite her devotion to Maya and her powerful story that she brought to life on Bold and Beautiful, Mosley told People that she would not be open to portraying a transgender character again. “At a certain point it really became truly inappropriate for me to play that role. That’s why I stepped away from it. So no, I will not be playing another trans role,” said Mosley, while adding that she “would love to play a role with the kind of gravitas and importance that Maya had for sure.”
Conversation
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