Brian Michael Smith

“There were a lot experiences I had during my transition and post transition, and I feel that I learned a lot, and I wanted to share that through my work as an artist.”

“What's really important is people I care I about. My wife and my family and being together, and finding what works for us. There's so much in the world that's out of our control, so I want to focus on things that are in control.”

“Playing a Black trans character on a TV show is a story that needs to be told.”

“Not too long after 'OITB' debuted, I was at NewFest and I saw 'Black Is Blue,' a short film by Cheryl Dunye about a Black trans man trying to make it in Oakland. It was the first time I could recall seeing a Black trans man on screen and this was in 2015.”

“I wanted to play characters that were going to make me better and really challenge me to raise my skill level up or that were just interesting to me personally. I want to be the best actor I can be, and I want to be the most creative actor I can be. I want to take on roles that will move the chain to where I finally want to go.”

“When I got to high school and college, I was more involved in athletics then I was in acting. At that time, I was trying to figure out what my identity was and roles became more gendered, it was a little bit more challenging for me to stay with the acting.”

“As I reflect on my own journey, I knew it was important for me to be visible so other people wouldn't have to struggle as I did.”

“I've had a sense of self-determination and strength that have carried me through. Hopefully I can bring that into my work and guide other people to do the same.”

“I deeply appreciate the CSA and its initiatives to build equity in the industry by giving a platform to marginalized artists and listening to our concerns, and collaborating with us for impactful solutions.”

“People who are trans don't owe you their entire history right out the gate, just like you wouldn't walk up to someone and tell them your medical history. You build trust.”

“I love a good hat.”

“I'm trying to limit the screen time because there's so much crazy news and you can only binge-watch so many TV shows.”

“That's something I really like about 'Lone Star,' is that they allow my character to just be who he is, while also at other times exploring his trans experience and giving room for that as well.”

“People assume that trans people will only be accepted as trans characters, or that there aren't enough trans writers, or that there aren't any trans producers or directors, there's that attitude.”

“There's this belief sometimes from people who haven't lived the trans experience that's just like, 'You should tell everyone. You owe it to them.' But the truth is, you don't know how people are going to respond. And many people don't even have the language to talk about what their trans experience is, or what it could be.”

“The 'Transtastic' hat represents what I want to do with my life's work, combining my experience and visibility to improve the lives of other people and bring their often-overlooked stories to the media forefront.”

“I bought a lot of home fitness equipment for my trailer as I was working on '9-1-1: Lone Star.'”

“If people want to see more representation of trans people you just have to look around, because with the explosion of digital creation, lots of trans actors and film makers have been creating their own content and it's readily available.”

“Orange Is the New Black' was a game changer for me; Laverne Cox's Sophia Burset was the first trans series regular character I'd seen. She was Black and she was a multi-dimensional person.”

“I've been acting since I was a child doing church plays and stuff like that.”