February 18, 2021
'All of It Was so Accurate,' says Trans Actor Emmet Preciado on 'Good Doctor' Role
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
This past Monday's hour of the ABC medical drama "The Good Doctor" was a very special episode in that it featured a trans actor playing a trans character in a compelling storyline: A pregnant man who must choose between his own health, or the child he is carrying.
Emmet Preciado played the part of Rio Gutierrez, the pregnant patient of the show's main character, Dr. Shaun Murphy, a gifted surgeon who also happens to be autistic. In an interview with Forbes, Preciado praised the teleplay, by Liz Friedman and Sam Chanse, for nailing the story and the character.
"I felt like they were honestly writing about me," Preciado said. "And I was like, how do they know all of this stuff?
The actor admitted he had suspected he might need to request script changes prior to filming the episode, the Forbes article reported, but that turned out not to be necessary. "All of it was so accurate," Preciado said.
In particular, Forbes noted "a scene in which Dr. Murphy bluntly asked the couple questions about their sex life and orientation" in which the "questions were immediately called out as 'inappropriate.' "
That was a highlight for Preciado; the actor related how, "I've dealt with the hateful comments for years of people telling me, 'You're not really a man, you're still a girl,' " and went on to add that this episode gave him a chance "to share a little bit more of my experience.
"My body doesn't define who I am inside, and I feel like most people, even cisgender people, can identify with that."
Preciado went on to tell Forbes, "I understand that I was born in a female body, but my brain and my soul is masculine," underscoring that "I do not identify with the body that I was born with.
"What is it to be feminine or masculine? Why does it have to be so that it's all defined, you know?"
Preciado let it be known that he'd be open to a followup episode on the drama, but also gave a hint about his next role: That of "a young, book-smart lawyer" on "The Fosters" spinoff "Good Trouble."
Check out these Instagrams from Preciardo:
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
