Candis Cayne Stars in New LGBTQ Holiday Rom-Com

Trailblazing trans actress, activist, and style icon Candis Cayne hopes to bring audiences some joy this holiday season with her new LGBTQ rom-com, I Hate New Year’s.

From Tello Films and DASH Productions, I Hate New Year’s tells the story of rising music star Layne Price as she heads home to Nashville for New Year’s Eve to help break her writer’s block. While there, she discovers that inspiration and love can sometimes come from the help of mystical intervention.

Also starring Dia Frampton and Ashley Argota, this film focuses on the message of love, friendship, and music while featuring a soulful, high-energy, original soundtrack. It will be available on demand starting December 4.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Cayne, who is best known for her roles in Dirty Sexy Money, The Magicians, and Grey’s Anatomy. In addition to the film, she talked about some of her favorite holiday memories, being involved with Netflix’s hit documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, and how Hollywood is getting better with trans representation.Hi, Candis! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about your new holiday rom-com, I Hate New Year’s. Without giving too much away, can you tell us more about it?
It is a love story, a holiday romance where the two leads are women, and they fall in love. I was very excited about doing this part because you never see these kinds of holiday films where LGBTQ people are leads. It’s not a big drama; it’s a happy, fun story. These two women are kind of helped along by my character to push together and meet one another during this holiday season. It is a lot of fun, and the music is great.

And can you talk more about your character?
I kind of play a double character in the film. I play this psychic who tells one of the leads to go to Nashville so she can get out of her writer’s block because I am trying to push these two girls together. Then I play the driver of the other girl, her personal driver. I have decided that it is the same person, she is this magical being that goes around and brings together people who are supposed to be together.

Why did you want to be involved with this film?
I come from an era where our community’s films are either super drama or cheesy and written badly. When I read the script, I really enjoyed it and I liked the idea that them being gay was not really talked about. It was not the central issue, their love was. So, I wanted to be a part of that, and I really like the two girls, Dia and Ashley. I thought it would be a fun role for me.

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What do you hope audiences take away from I Hate New Year’s?
For so many years, the cis, straight community, let’s say Hallmark, has romantic comedies and films that you see all the time that star these Hollywood superstars. They are these feel-good love stories, and I want the audience to take away that the LGBTQ community has these moments too. We are finally talking about them. We are in a place in the world and in our industry in America where we can do a film that talks about the romance of it all without going into trauma. That is what I want them to take away. It is just a feel good, fun movie.

What have you personally taken away from this film?
The week that I was in Nashville was the week the country started to shut down. So, we all flew back to our respective homes, and we hunkered down for the pandemic. Then the whole pandemic and the election started to suck the life out of the room, so I kept going back to this time knowing that I was involved with this project and saying how exciting it was to work on this fun film. It was something good to look forward to.Millions of people do not like New Year’s. Are you a fan?
I love New Year’s. I spent all of my 20s and half of my 30s in New York City and the East Village, so New Year’s to me was always a work gig and dealing with people not finding a cab and that kind of thing. Since I moved to Los Angeles, and I don’t work so much at the club anymore, I really look forward to New Year’s.

Me and my best friend Dana Davis, a few years ago decided that we were going to try to travel to places on New Year’s. Two years ago, we went to Berlin for New Year’s. We were supposed to go to Buenos Aires this year, but it got canceled. I love New Year’s, and I like the idea of change and starting new and fresh, especially after this year. I think it is very important that we leave 2020 behind; let’s finish it out!

How do you typically spend the holidays?
In a normal year, I either go and visit my family, or they come here and visit me. Right now, I am a single woman, so I don’t need to stay at home. I usually travel and see my parents who are on the outskirts of Seattle. My brother is up there too with all my nieces and nephews. So, that is what I do, try to spend time with family and friends. This year, I am not doing anything. I am staying home.

Do you have a favorite holiday memory?
I remember when I first moved to New York, and I was pretty much destitute to couches. I saved money to fly home to surprise my mom and dad in Maui. That is where I grew up, and I think that is my favorite holiday memory. Flying home, seeing the look on their faces, and being around family. It was scary being alone in a big city.

In addition to being an actress, you are known as a trailblazer for the trans community. You were featured in Netflix’s Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, which came out over the summer. What was your experience like being involved with that film?
When I was asked to do it, I was like, of course. That sounds fun. I had no idea how impactful it would be. My part was filmed over a one- or two-day period. I went in, did the interview, and when I saw it after it came out, I was blown away. I realized while watching it that this was a film that everyone should see, and especially everyone in Hollywood. It is a great historic depiction of how the trans community has been involved, talked about, and portrayed in film and television. It was very important, and I feel proud that I was a part of it.

Disclosure may be up for some major awards. How exciting and significant would that be?
Our community has been fighting to get the respect and recognition that it deserves for many years, so that would be a culmination. I think it will. I think it is going to do very well, and I think it impacted a lot of people. I know it is going to do good for our community, especially people in the industry. The writers, directors, producers, and actors are going to be looked at differently.It has always been important to tell trans stories, but do you think there is a greater urgency nowadays?
I don’t think it is so much a greater urgency, I just think it is a more viable platform. Before, trans stories were not told by trans people. A lot of times, the story did not have the right narrative or writing. It is important that we are able to tell our own stories and be able to have a voice in the room when these stories are being written, produced, directed, or active.

The work that my fellow actors and I are doing is important for just visibility sake because the more that mainstream sees who we are and how we are, the more they are accepting. We have countless abuse and murders going on of trans women, mostly trans women of color, and it is a scourge that needs to be stopped, or at least addressed. Obviously, it needs to be stopped, but it also needs to be addressed by the general society. These stories are helping us become more visible.

Hollywood has been known to drag its feet when it comes to casting trans performers. Do you think this is still the case?
I think there is no way they can’t cast trans performers now, and I think we have seen that with a couple things that have come out. I think Disclosure was kind of the nail in the coffin. A lot of us actors have watched the past few years when they have given these trans roles to Hollywood men, and they have gotten nominated and won awards for it. We have not even been let in the room. I think we are now getting to a point which is another marker of change. The greater community is not accepting it anymore. I think that part is over.

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Should trans people only play trans roles?
No, but let’s look at it like this. There are so few trans parts in the world, so yes, you should have trans people playing those parts because there are some amazing, viable actors that can play these parts. However, you cannot limit these small amount of parts to just trans people and saying these are the only parts they can play.

They need to be able to branch out, and that is important. I finished doing The Magicians on Syfy, and the whole season was me playing a fairy queen who was not trans. So, I think it is important for any kind of minority to be able to be offered the full spectrum of roles.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
I am working on a couple of cool projects right now while we are hunkering down. I am very excited about them. Hopefully, they will be out soon. I am also opening up a production studio called Cayne Studios in Echo Park for film, television, and live events that cater to the general community, but also have a safe space for LGBTQ people to do their productions. I am excited to start that soon.

To stay up-to-date with Cayne, follow her Twitter and Instagram, or visit her official website. I Hate New Year’s will be available on demand everywhere starting December 4, as well as on the Tello Network. More information can be found at ihnymovie.com.

Photos Courtesy of Tello Network