CLEAN STATE Trailer (2025) Laverne Cox, Comedy

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CLEAN STATE Trailer (2025) Laverne Cox, George Wallace, Comedy
© 2025 - Prime Video

Prime Video revealed the trailer for the new comedy series Clean Slate, from legendary producer the late Norman Lear, and starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace. It's about time Laverne Cox returned to screens, and in the genre she's best at: comedy. We've also been deprived of comedy legend Wallace for far too long. Sparks fly when an old grouch is reunited with his adult kid after twenty-three years — and that kid is now a glamorous trans woman. It's a classic sitcom setup that we've come to expect from Norman Lear. Can the father and newly-gendered daughter rekindle their relationship on a… clean slate? Yeah, we had fun writing that. Telma Hopkins, D.K. Uzoukwu, Jay Wilkison, and Norah Murphy join Cox and Wallace in the cast.

clean slate
Henry (George Wallace), Desiree (Laverne Cox) in CLEAN SLATE Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC
Clean Slate follows Harry (Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul-searching to do when the child he once called "son" returns after 17 years as a proud trans woman named Desiree (Cox). Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers, and love interests as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around. The series explores universal themes of unconditional love, all through Norman Lear's signature boundary-pushing brand of comedy. The comedy is centered on Cox's sassiness and Wallace's trademark curmudgeon schtick, which is old school but never gets old. Sometimes, the old tunes are still the best tunes. Why fix what ain't broken?

Cox, via her production company Laverne Cox Productions, Wallace, and Dan Ewen (Dear Santa, Playing with Fire) are creators and executive producers of the series. Emmy winners Norman Lear (Act III Productions) and Brent Miller executive produce the series. Ewen co-showruns the series with Executive Producer Simran Baidwan. Paul Hilepo is a producer. Nisha Ganatra directed the series pilot. All eight episodes of Clean Slate, produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television, will debut on Prime Video on February 6th in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Laverne Cox returns to small-town life in Clean Slate, one of the late Norman Lear‘s last shows, at Prime Video.

The streamer released the trailer today for the eight-episode comedy series, which premieres February 6.

Cox and and George Wallace star in the comedy which follows Harry (Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he once called “son” returns after 17 years as a proud trans woman named Desiree (Cox). Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers, and love interests as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around.

Cast also includes Telma Hopkins, D.K. Uzoukwu, Jay Wilkison, and Norah Murphy.

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Clean Slate is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

Series is created by CX

Cox of Laverne Cox Productions, Wallace, and Dan Ewen (Dear Santa, Playing with Fire) are creators and executive producers of the series. Lear, who died in December 2023, executive produced via his Act III Productions, along with Brent Miller. Ewen co-showruns the series with executive producer Simran Baidwan. Paul Hilepo is a producer. Nisha Ganatra directed the series pilot.

Watch the trailer above.

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Laverne Cox is making her mark in Prime Video's new comedy, Clean Slate.

In PEOPLE's first look at the heartfelt series, Cox, 52, takes on the role of Desiree, a proud trans woman who returns to her small town in Alabama when her New York City art gallery goes under.

"The show follows Harry Slate (George Wallace), an old-school and outspoken Alabama car wash owner, who has a lot of soul searching to do when the estranged child he thought was a son returns home to Mobile as a proud, trans woman, Desiree," the synopsis reads. "Desiree works to repair the fraught relationship with her father, navigating their relationship while contending with vastly different points of view as roommates. They find themselves facing all of the hilarious coming-of-age milestones they missed out on the first time around."

Alongside Cox and Wallace, the series — which comes from late producer and television icon, Norman Lear, who died at age 101 in December 2023 — also stars D.K. Uzoukwu as Louis, Telma Hopkins as Ella, Jay Wilkison as Mack and Norah Murphy as Opal.

Desiree (Laverne Cox) and Henry (George Wallace)
(L) Laverne Cox and George Wallace in 'Clean Slate'. Courtesy of Prime
Norman Lear, Prolific TV Writer and Producer Who Created All in the Family, Dead at 101
In the trailer, it's clear from the start that Harry and Desiree have a lot of work to do.

"Hi, Miss Fancy Lady!" Harry says as he answers the door. "This really isn't a good time right now. My son's coming any minute."

"Dad, I'm your daughter, Desiree. I've always been Desiree," she replies as her father looks on with a bewildered look on his face.

Though it's been "23 years" since they've seen each other, the two attempt to rekindle their bond as Harry shows her around her childhood home where everything looks "exactly the same."

Desiree (Laverne Cox) in CLEAN SLATE
Laverne Cox in 'Clean Slate'. Courtesy of Prime
As Desiree settles back into her hometown in Alabama, she catches up with old friends. When her closeted best friend and choir director, Louis (D.K. Uzoukwu), asks why she's returned, she sighs, "I arranged for a gallery space and then my funding fell through."

Laverne Cox Leaves E!’s Red Carpet Coverage After 3 Years: ‘I’m So Excited to Keep Growing’
"You're bus broke," he then quips, to which Desiree claps back with a laugh: "And you live with your mama, broke!"

Though Harry and Desiree's long-awaited reunion isn't without its kinks, no one can deny that her return and her choice to open up is a "major step" in their relationship. When she spends her first night back in her childhood bedroom, she admits, "I'm totally gonna have to redecorate."

Eventually, they butt heads over generational differences. As Desiree tries to relax with a face mask, she states, "Don't gaslight me, dad," to which Harry replies, "I wouldn't do that because I don't know what that is."

Henry (George Wallace) in CLEAN SLATE
George Wallace in 'Clean Slate'. Courtesy of Prime
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Elsewhere in the trailer, Desiree declares it's time to "declutter" their home. When she suggests an "eye sore" painting of the Last Supper be removed, Harry yells, "This is my prized possession, and it ain't going nowhere, son! Daughter, damn it!"

Desiree also works to hold her father accountable, presenting him with a "pronoun jar" after he misgenders her. "Jar," Desiree nonchalantly says before Harry reluctantly adds a dollar to it.

"I'm going to retire off this," she quips in a final moment of the trailer.

In the end, "Desiree thought her homecoming would be temporary, but her return results in her planting fresh roots, and realizing that there may be space for her in Mobile after all," according to a synopsis.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Clean Slate premieres Feb. 6 on Prime Video.
CULVER CITY, California - January 16, 2025 - Today, Prime Video revealed the trailer for the new comedy series Clean Slate, from legendary producer Norman Lear and starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace. All eight episodes of Clean Slate will debut February 6 on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide. Clean Slate is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

This heartfelt comedy follows Harry (Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he once called "son" returns after 17 years as a proud trans woman named Desiree (Cox). Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers, and love interests as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around. The series explores universal themes of unconditional love, all through Norman Lear's signature boundary-pushing brand of comedy.

Cox of Laverne Cox Productions, Wallace, and Dan Ewen (Dear Santa, Playing with Fire) are creators and executive producers of the series. Emmy(R) winners Norman Lear (Act III Productions) and Brent Miller executive produce the series. Ewen co-showruns the series with Executive Producer Simran Baidwan. Paul Hilepo is a producer. Nisha Ganatra directed the series pilot. Telma Hopkins, D.K. Uzoukwu, Jay Wilkison, and Norah Murphy join Cox and Wallace in the cast.
Laverne Cox is returning to television with her brand new series Clean Slate!

The 52-year-old actress stars in and executive produces the upcoming Prime Video comedy, which also marks the late Norman Lear as an executive producer.

Also starring and executive producing alongside Laverne is comedian and actor George Wallace, who she co-created the series with, alongside Dan Ewen.

Here’s a synopsis: Harry (Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama, has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he once called “son” returns after 17 years as a proud trans woman named Desiree (Cox). Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers, and love interests as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around. The series explores universal themes of unconditional love, all through Norman Lear’s signature boundary-pushing brand of comedy.

Also starring in the series are Telma Hopkins, D.K. Uzoukwu, Jay Wilkison and Norah Murphy.

Clean Slate is set to premiere all eight episodes on February 6th on Prime Video.
Laverne Cox is starting over with a Clean Slate.

Prime Video released a trailer for the upcoming comedy Thursday; all eight episodes debut Thursday, Feb. 6. In the preview, Desiree (played by Orange is the New Black‘s Cox) returns home to reconnect with her father Harry (Batman Forever’s George Wallace).

Executive produced by the late TV legend Norman Lear, the comedy follows “Harry, an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he once called ‘son’ returns after 17 years as a proud trans woman,” according to the official synopsis. “Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers and love interests as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around.”

In addition to Cox and Wallace, the series’ cast includes Jay Wilkison (Younger) as Mack, Harry’s employee and right-hand man at the car wash — who also takes a liking to Desiree; D.K. Uzoukwu (Commune) as Louis, the local choir director and Desiree’s closeted best friend; Telma Hopkins (Family Matters) as Louis’ mother and Harry’s love interest; Philip Garcia (Sprung) as Miguel, Harry’s arch nemesis; and Norah Murphy (A Friend of the Family) as Opal, Mack’s daughter who dreams of leaving Alabama.

Lear — who died in December 2023 — served as a non-writing executive producer on Clean Slate via his production company Act III Productions. Cox and Wallace conceived the story with Dan Ewen (Playing With Fire), who also penned the pilot and serves as the comedy’s showrunner.

Hit PLAY on the trailer above, then hit the comments with your first impressions of Clean Slate!

Read More About:
Clean Slate
George Wallace
Laverne Cox
Norman Lear
Prime Video
trailers-and-promos
Laverne Cox

Cox in July 2014
Born May 29, 1972 (age 52)[1][2]
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Education
Fashion Institute of Technology
Indiana University Bloomington
Marymount Manhattan College
Occupations
Actressactivist
Years active 2000–present
Relatives M Lamar (twin brother)
Website www.lavernecox.com
Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBT advocate.[3][4][5] She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category,[6][7] and the first to be nominated for an Emmy Award since composer Angela Morley in 1990.[8] In 2015, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,[9][10] making her the first trans woman to win the award.[9] In 2017, she became the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on U.S. broadcast TV as Cameron Wirth on CBS's Doubt.[11]

Cox appeared as a contestant on the first season of VH1's reality show I Want to Work for Diddy, and co-produced and co-hosted the VH1 makeover television series TRANSform Me. In April 2014, Cox was honored by GLAAD with its Stephen F. Kolzak Award for her work as an advocate for the transgender community.[12] In June 2014, Cox became the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.[6][13][14] Cox is the first transgender person to appear on the cover of a Cosmopolitan magazine, with her February 2018 cover on the South African edition.[15] She is also the first openly transgender person to have a wax figure of herself at Madame Tussauds.[16]

Early life
Cox was born in Mobile, Alabama,[17] and was raised by a single mother and grandmother within the AME Zion church.[18] She has an identical twin brother, M Lamar,[19] who portrayed the pre-transitioning Sophia (as Marcus) in Orange Is the New Black.[20][21][22] Cox has stated that she attempted suicide at the age of 11, when she noticed that she had developed feelings for her male classmates and had been bullied for several years for not acting "the way someone assigned male at birth was supposed to act".[18][23][24]

She is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, Alabama, where she studied creative writing before switching to dance.[25] She then studied for two years at Indiana University Bloomington[26] before transferring to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where she switched from dancing (specifically classical ballet)[27] to acting.[21][28] She also studied as a Fashion Merchandising Management major at the Fashion Institute of Technology.[29] During her first season on Orange Is the New Black, she was still appearing at a restaurant on the Lower East Side as a drag queen (where she had applied initially to work as a waitress).[30]

Career

Laverne Cox at PaleyFest 2014 representing Orange is the New Black.
Cox appeared as a contestant on the first season of I Want to Work for Diddy; afterwards she was approached by VH1 about show ideas.[31] From that came the makeover television series TRANSform Me, which made Cox the first African-American transgender person to produce and star in her own TV show.[32][33] Both those shows were nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding reality program, and when Diddy won in 2009, Cox accepted the award at the ceremony, giving a speech described by the San Francisco Sentinel as "among the most poignant because [it] reminded us how important it is to tell our stories, all of our stories."[34][35][36] She has also acted in a number of TV shows and films, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bored to Death, and Musical Chairs.

In 2013, Cox began her recurring role in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black as Sophia Burset, a trans woman sent to prison for credit-card fraud. In that year, she stated, "Sophia is written as a multi-dimensional character who the audience can really empathize with—all of the sudden they're empathizing with a real Trans person. And for Trans folks out there, who need to see representations of people who are like them and of their experiences, that's when it becomes really important."[37] Cox's role in Orange is the New Black provides her a platform to speak on the rights of trans people.[38]

In January 2014, Cox joined trans woman Carmen Carrera on Katie Couric's syndicated show, Katie. Couric referred to transgender people as "transgenders", and after being rebuffed by Carrera on the subject of her surgeries, specifically what genital reconstruction she had done, turned the same question to Cox. Cox responded,

I do feel there is a preoccupation with that. The preoccupation with transition and surgery objectifies trans people. And then we don't get to really deal with the real lived experiences. The reality of trans people's lives is that so often we are targets of violence. We experience discrimination disproportionately to the rest of the community. Our unemployment rate is twice the national average; if you are a trans person of color, that rate is four times the national average. The homicide rate is highest among trans women. If we focus on transition, we don't actually get to talk about those things.[39]

News outlets such as Salon, The Huffington Post, and Business Insider covered what was characterized by Salon writer Katie McDonough as Couric's "clueless" and "invasive" line of questioning.[40]

Cox was on the cover of the June 9, 2014, issue of Time and was interviewed for the article "The Transgender Tipping Point" by Katy Steinmetz, which ran in that issue and the title of which was also featured on the cover; this makes Cox the first transgender person on the cover of Time.[13][41][42]

Later in 2014, Cox became the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black.[43][44] She also appeared in John Legend's video for the song "You & I (Nobody in the World)".[45]

Cox joined a campaign in 2014 against a Phoenix, Arizona, law which allows police to arrest anyone suspected of "manifesting prostitution", and which she feels targets transgender women of color, following the conviction of activist (and transgender woman of color) Monica Jones.[46] Cox stated, "All over the country, trans women are targeted simply for being who they are. Laws like this manifestation law really support systematically the idea that girls like me, girls like me and Monica, are less than [others] in this country."[46] Later that year the Sylvia Rivera Law Project released a video in which Cox read a letter from transgender inmate Synthia China Blast, addressing common issues faced by trans inmates.[47] But when Cox learned that Blast was found guilty of the 1993 rape and murder of a 13-year-old child, she wrote on her Tumblr, "I was not aware of the charges for which she was convicted. If I had been aware of those charges, I would have never agreed to read the letter."[47]

Cox was featured in the annual "Rebels" issue of V in late 2014.[48] For the issue, V asked celebrities and artists to nominate who they saw as their personal rebels, and Natasha Lyonne nominated Cox.[48] Cox was also on the cover of the October 2014 issue of Essence magazine, along with actresses Alfre Woodard, Nicole Beharie, and Danai Gurira.[49]

On October 17, 2014, Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, an hour-long documentary executive-produced and narrated by Cox, premiered on MTV and Logo simultaneously.[50] That same year, Cox was featured on the fifth anniversary cover of C☆NDY magazine along with 13 other transgender women—Janet Mock, Carmen Carrera, Geena Rocero, Isis King, Gisele Alicea, Leyna Ramous, Dina Marie, Nina Poon, Juliana Huxtable, Niki M'nray, Pêche Di, Carmen Xtravaganza (House of Xtravaganza), and Yasmine Petty.[51]

In 2015, Cox won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as Executive Producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.[9][10] This made Cox the first transgender woman to win a Daytime Emmy as an Executive Producer; as well, The T Word is the first trans documentary to win a Daytime Emmy.[9] That year Cox, among others, posed nude for the Allure annual "Nudes" issue, becoming the first transgender actress to do so.[52]

Cox is the cover subject for the June 11, 2015, "totally not-straight issue" of Entertainment Weekly, the first issue of the magazine in 15 years to focus exclusively on gay, lesbian, and transgender entertainment.[53]

In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Cox and others told the stories of the people killed there.[54][55]

Cox at L.A.'s Families Belong Together March in June 2018
In 2017, Cox began her role as transgender attorney Cameron Wirth on Doubt on CBS.[11] However, after only two episodes had aired, CBS announced that they were pulling the series from their schedule, leaving the future of the remaining unaired episodes uncertain.[56] It was the first official cancellation of the 2016–17 season, following weak viewership. CBS later announced that the remaining 11 episodes would be broadcast on Saturday, beginning July 1.[57]

Cox was nominated in 2017 for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Orange Is the New Black.[58]

Also in 2017, Cox collaborated with the ACLU, Zackary Drucker, Molly Crabapple, and Kim Boekbinder, in making a video about transgender history and resistance, called "Time Marches Forward & So Do We", which Cox narrated.[59] That year Cox became one of the four faces of the fall campaign for the Ivy Park line of clothing.[60]

In February 2019, Cox headlined the New York Fashion Week show for 11 Honoré, a luxury e-retailer focused on plus-sized designer fashion.[61]

Cox was featured in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video, which was released June 17, 2019.[62]

She was one of fifteen women chosen by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue; this made Cox the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of British Vogue.[63][64][65]

In September 2019, Cox brought ACLU attorney Chase Strangio as her date to the 2019 Emmy Awards, and carried a custom rainbow clutch featuring the phrases "Oct 8", "Title VII", and "Supreme Court". This action was in reference to the U.S. Supreme Court case R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which Strangio was one of the lawyers representing Aimee Stephens, a trans woman who was fired from her job at a funeral home. Cox and Strangio spoke to reporters on the red carpet about the upcoming court case.[66][67][68] Cox executive produced the documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, which premiered on Netflix on January 27, 2020.[69][70]

In May 2021, E! announced that Cox would become the host of Live from the Red Carpet starting in January 2022, replacing Giuliana Rancic.[71] In December 2021, she was cast in Netflix's dystopian fantasy film The Uglies directed by McG, based on a book of the same name by Scott Westerfeld.[72]

In 2024, Cox competed in season twelve of The Masked Singer as "Chess Piece" where Nikki Glaser (who performed "Snowstorm" in season eight) served as her Mask Ambassador. She was eliminated on "Barbie Night".[73]

Impact
Cox has been noted by her LGBT peers, and many others, for being a trailblazer for the transgender community,[74] and has won numerous awards for her activist approach in spreading awareness. Her impact and prominence in the media has led to a growing conversation about transgender culture,[75] specifically transgender women, and how being transgender intersects with one's race.[76] She is the first transgender person to be on the cover of Time magazine,[6] be nominated for a Primetime Emmy,[44] and have a wax work in Madame Tussauds,[16] as well as the first transgender woman to win a Daytime Emmy as an executive producer.[77] In May 2016, Cox was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from The New School in New York City for her progressive work in the fight for gender equality.[78]

Honors and awards
2013 – Anti-Violence Project 2013 Courage Award honoree[79]
2013 – Reader's Choice Award at Out Magazine's OUT100 Gala, honoring the magazine's selection of 2013's 100 "most compelling people of the year".[80]
2014 – Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine.[81][82]
2014 – Included in the annual Root 100; this list honors "standout black leaders, innovators and culture shapers" aged 45 and younger.[83]
2014 – Topped the British newspaper The Guardian's third annual World Pride Power List, which ranks the world's most influential LGBT people.[84]
2014 – Stephen F. Kolzak Award from GLAAD.[85]
2014 – Named to the EBONY Power 100 list.[86]
2015 – Named to the 2015 OUT Power 50 List.[87]
2015 – Included in the People World's Most Beautiful Women List.[88]
2015 – Three Twins Ice Cream in San Francisco renamed its chocolate orange confetti ice cream Laverne Cox's Chocolate Orange is the New Black for Pride weekend.[89]
2015 – Named in the 2015 Time 100 Most Influential People List; her entry was written by Jazz Jennings.[90]
2015 – Named by Forum for Equality as one of their 31 Icons of the LGBT History Month.[91]
2015 – Winner of a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as Executive Producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.[77][10] This made Cox the first transgender woman to win a Daytime Emmy as an Executive Producer; as well, The T Word is the first trans documentary to win a Daytime Emmy.[77]
2016 – Awarded Honorary Doctorate from The New School.[92]
2017 – Named to the 2017 OUT Power 50 List.[93]
2018 – Received the Claire Skiffington Vanguard Award from Transgender Law Center. The award recognizes transgender community members who have been part of the movement's vanguard.[94]
2022 – Received the W. E. B. Du Bois Medal from the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.[95]
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Betty Anderson Deirdre Short film
2004 The Kings of Brooklyn Girl
2008 All Night Layla Short film
2009 Uncle Stephanie Stephanie
2010 Bronx Paradise Hooker
2011 Carla Cinnamon
Musical Chairs Chantelle
2012 Migraine Lola Short film
The Exhibitionists Blithe Stargazer
2013 36 Saints Genesuis
2014 Grand Street Chardonnay
Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word Herself Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Special Class Special (2015)
Nominated - GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary (2015)
2015 Grandma Deathy
2017 Freak Show Felicia
2019 Can You Keep a Secret? Cybill
Charlie's Angels Bomb Instructor Cameo
2020 Bad Hair Virgie
Promising Young Woman Gail
Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen Herself Also executive producer
2021 Jolt Detective Nevin
2024 Uglies Dr. Cable
TBA Outcome TBA Post-production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Candace Episode: "Closet"
I Want to Work for Diddy Herself 6 episodes
Law & Order Minnie Episode: "Sweetie"
2009 Bored to Death Transsexual prostitute Episode: "Stockholm Syndrome"
2010 TRANSform Me Herself Also producer
8 episodes
2013–2019 Orange Is the New Black Sophia Burset Recurring role; 40 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015–2016)
Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2014)
Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2015–2017)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2014)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (2017, 2019–2020)
2014 Faking It Margot Episode: "Lying Kings and Drama Queens"
Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce Adele Northrop Episode: "Rule No. 426: Fantasyland: A Great Place to Visit"
2015–2017 The Mindy Project Sheena 3 episodes
2016 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again[96] Dr. Frank-N-Furter Television movie
2016–2019 Lip Sync Battle Herself 2 episodes
2017 America's Got Talent Herself; Guest Judge 1 episode; S12E10
Doubt Cameron Wirth 13 episodes
2019 Weird City Liquia Episode: "Smart House"
Tuca & Bertie Ebony Black (voice) Episode: "The Sex Bugs"
Dear White People Cynthia Fray Episode: "Chapter VII"
A Black Lady Sketch Show Kiana Episode: "Angela Bassett Is the Baddest Bitch"
2020 Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens God (voice) Episode: "Pilot"
Curb Your Enthusiasm Herself Episode: "Artificial Fruit"
One World: Together at Home Herself Television special
2021 The Blacklist Dr. Laken Perillos Episode: "Dr. Laken Perillos"[97]
2022 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Herself Season 2 Episode 13[98]
Inventing Anna Kacy Duke Series regular
Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter Herself Television special[99]
If We're Being Honest with Laverne Cox Herself Talk show host[100]
2024 Password Herself Season 2 Episode 6[101]
The Daily Show Herself Segment: "In My Opinion"[102]
The Masked Singer Herself/Chess Piece 5 episodes, Season 12
TBA Clean Slate Desiree
Discography
Soundtrack albums
Title Album
The Rocky Horror Picture Show:
Let's Do the Time Warp Again
(with Various Artists)
Released: October 21, 2016[103]
Format: Digital download
Label: Ode Sounds & Visuals
Singles
Title Year Peak chart positions
US
Dance
Club
[104] US
Dance/
Elec.
[105]
"Beat for the Gods" 2018 22 —
"Welcome Home" 2019 6 30
"America the Beautiful" 2020 — —
See also
LGBT culture in New York City
List of LGBT people from New York City
NYC Pride March
References
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Spaner, Whitney (June 15, 2014). "Trans Actress-Activist Laverne Cox Talks "OITNB", Dream Roles and Starting a Casting Revolution on Stage and Screen". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
"Laverne Cox Bio". LaverneCox.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
Piepenburg, Erik (December 12, 2010). "Helping Gay Actors Find Themselves Onstage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
"Meet the Gay Man and Transgender Woman Who Want to Work for Diddy". AfterElton. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
Gjorgievska, Aleksandra; Rothman, Lily (July 10, 2014). "Laverne Cox is the First Transgender Person Nominated for an Emmy – She Explains Why That Matters". Time. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 11, 2015). "Laverne Cox Cast As Transgender Attorney in CBS Legal Drama Pilot". Variety. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015. ... the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for an Emmy ...
Gaughan, Gavin (January 23, 2009). "Obituary: Angela Morley | Television & radio". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2014. A transsexual woman, previously known as Wally Stott, she underwent a sex change in 1972.
Townsend, Megan (April 25, 2015). "Laverne Cox makes history with Daytime Creative Arts Emmy win". GLAAD. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
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Further reading
Contemporary Black biography. Volume 122 : profiles from the international Black community. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, Cengage Learning. 2015. ISBN 9781573024310. OCLC 904154846.
External links

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Clean Slate Filmz
Company type Private
Industry Entertainment
Founded October 2013
Founder Anushka Sharma
Karnesh Sharma [1]
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Key people Karnesh Sharma
Products Films, Web Series
Services Film production, distribution
Website https://cleanslatefilmz.com
Clean Slate Filmz (Previously known as Clean Slate Films) is an Indian film production and distribution company established by actress Anushka Sharma and her brother Karnesh Sharma [2][3][4] in October 2013.[5] Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films and web series.

Overview
Early years
Co-founded in September 2013 by Anushka Sharma and her brother Karnesh Sharma, Clean Slate Filmz was set up with the single-minded intention of producing movies that the sibling duo "believe in and the audience loves, while backing exciting hot new talent." Karnesh added, "Our first project, NH10 is taking shape so well, that it gave us a lot of confidence to put things into 5th gear under our banner."[5][6]

Their debut venture, the crime-thriller NH10 was a co-production between Clean Slate Filmz and Phantom Films, distributed by Eros International. The film dealt with a married couple in Gurgaon who decide to take a road trip, and instead endanger their lives by intervening in an incident of honor killing. Anushka Sharma played the lead role alongside actor Neil Bhoopalam, Darshan Kumar and Deepti Naval. The film was directed by Navdeep Singh, and written by Sudip Sharma. Released on 13 March 2015, on a budget of about US$2.1 million,[7] NH10 was declared a sleeper hit, raking in approximately US$5.1 million worldwide at the box office.[citation needed] The film was screened at the Beijing International Film Festival where it was warmly received and widely appreciated.[8]

Further productions
Following the success of their maiden production venture NH10, Clean Slate Filmz released their next production Phillauri, a romantic comedy directed by Anshai Lal and starring Anushka Sharma in the lead alongside Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma and Mehreen Pirzada. It opened to positive to mixed reviews and was a modest box office success.

They next produced Pari, a supernatural horror film directed by Prosit Roy in his debut. It stars Anushka Sharma, with Parambrata Chatterjee, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor and Mansi Multani featuring in supporting roles. The film received generally positive reviews for Sharma's performance and praising for the makers for doing a movie on this genre.

Clean Slate Filmz next produced a web series, a cop drama titled Paatal Lok, written and created by Sudip Sharma. The series is in collaboration with Amazon and was hosted on Amazon Prime on 15 May 2020 to positive reviews.[citation needed]

The same year, their production Bulbbul, which released on Netflix on 24 June 2020, received positive reviews from the critics and the audience with a particular praise for its stand on feminism,[9] visual effects, background music, and performance of the leads, especially Tripti Dimri.[citation needed]

Their latest production Mai: A Mother's Rage Released on 15 April 2022 on Netflix. The series, created by Atul Mongia and directed by Anshai Lal, follows a story of a grieving mother who discovers the criminals behind her daughter's tragic death, and transforms from meek to merciless to get the real cause behind death.

Clean Slate Filmz be producing two Netflix films. The first one is titled Qala[10] which will be the debut of Irrfan's son Babil Khan in films. The second film is titled Chakda 'Xpress, a biopic about cricketer Jhulan Goswami which will be portrayed by Anushka Sharma.[11]

Productions
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Films
Year Title Director Distributor
2015 NH10 Navdeep Singh Eros International
2017 Phillauri Anshai Lal Fox Star Studios
2018 Pari Prosit Roy Pooja Entertainment
Zee Studios International
2020 Bulbbul Anvita Dutt Netflix
2022 Qala Anvita Dutt Netflix
TBD Chakda 'Xpress † Prosit Roy Netflix
Television
Year Title Creator Network
2020–present Paatal Lok Sudip Sharma Amazon Prime Video
2022 Mai: A Mother's Rage Atul Mongia Netflix
2023 Kohrra Sudip Sharma Netflix
References
"Karnesh Sharma is making sure his name adds up to a success number". 27 June 2020.
"Anushka Sharma wants to take risks as producer". 20 April 2015.
"Anushka Sharma: Transformation from actor to producer is wonderful". India Today. 20 April 2015.
Hungama, Bollywood (31 October 2013). "Anushka Sharma turns producer with NH 10 : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama.
"Anushka Sharma starts shooting for 'NH10'". Zee News. 17 January 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
"After 'NH-10', Anushka Sharma flags off her second production". IBN Live. 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
"NH10 Opens Better Than Queen, Kahaani, Tanu Weds Manu; Equals Mardaani". Koimoi. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
"Anushka to attend screening of NH10 in Beijing Film festival". Deccan Herald. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
"A feminist fable". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
"Babil Khan's debut film 'Qala' announced, Irrfan Khan's son to star opposite Tripti Dimri in Anushka Sharma production". Daily News and Analysis. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
"Anushka-Sharma-Preps-For-Chakda-Express-". Indian Express. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
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Categories: Hindi cinemaFilm production companies based in MumbaiEntertainment companies established in 2014Mass media companies established in 2014
Bulbbul

Official poster
Directed by Anvita Dutt
Written by Anvita Dutt
Produced by Anushka Sharma
Karnesh Sharma[1]
Starring
Tripti Dimri
Avinash Tiwary
Paoli Dam
Rahul Bose
Parambrata Chatterjee
Cinematography Siddharth Diwan
Edited by Rameshwar S. Bhagat
Music by Amit Trivedi
Production
company
Clean Slate Filmz
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
24 June 2020
Running time 94 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
Bulbbul is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language period horror film[2] written and directed by Anvita Dutt.[3][4] It was produced by Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Sharma under Clean Slate Filmz[1] and starred Tripti Dimri in the lead role alongside Avinash Tiwary, Paoli Dam, Rahul Bose, and Parambrata Chattopadhyay. Tripti Dimri was praised in many reviews.[5][6] Set against the backdrop of the 1880s Bengal presidency, the film revolves around a child bride and her journey from innocence to strength. Bulbbul was released on Netflix on 24 June 2020.[7][8]

Plot
During the 19th century in a village of Bengal Presidency, Bulbbul is married off to Indranil, a wealthy lord, when she is barely five years old. She is close with Satya, Indranil's youngest brother, who is closer to her age. Bulbbul and Satya grow up together, telling each other stories of a witch ("chudail").

Twenty years later, Satya returns home from London. In the interim, Indranil's mentally-challenged twin brother Mahendra was killed in what is believed to be a chudail's attack. His widow Binodini now lives in an outhouse. Indranil has left the village and Bulbbul has taken over his responsibilities. The village doctor, Sudip, regularly visits to check Bulbbul's feet due to an incident she refuses to discuss. When another man is killed, Satya suspects Sudip. Meanwhile, Bulbbul is informed by a village boy that his mother has committed suicide after her husband chose his second wife over her; Bulbbul seeks out the man.

In flashbacks, it is revealed that Binodini had been jealous of Indranil and Bulbbul and hinted to him that Bulbbul had feelings for Satya. With his mind poisoned, Indranil sent Satya to London to separate the two. Bulbbul and Satya had been collaborating on a story together, but heartbroken, she burned the manuscript in the fireplace. Influenced by Binodini, Indranil attempted to retrieve the burned pages and managed to recover only the title page. Seeing their names together, he became convinced of Bulbbul's feelings for Satya. Enraged, he beat her and mutilated her feet with iron bars. While she is bedridden, Mahendra rapes her, accidentally suffocating her while caught up in his sadism.

Following this, there is a supernatural change in Bulbbul — she returns with a mission to help the women in her village fight back against injustice. She goes through a symbolic transformation each time, represented by a blood-red moon which indicates that the goddess Kali is supporting her. She punishes men who abuse, murder, or take advantage of girls by killing them; she is in fact the chudail the villagers attribute the killings to, distinguished by backward feet. Bulbbul also killed Mahendra.

In the present day, Satya is escorting Sudip to Calcutta. The driver of the carriage (the village boy's father Bulbbul had been seeking) is killed by the chudail, making Satya realise that Sudip is innocent. Satya shoots the woman and Sudip realises Bulbbul is the chudail. During a brawl with Sudip, Satya accidentally sets the forest on fire and also discovers that Bulbbul is the chudail. Upon realizing this, he cries in agony, while Bulbbul takes refuge on a tree and is slowly engulfed by the flames.[9][10]

A year later, Indranil returns to his empty estate. Satya has departed, guilt-ridden for what happened to Bulbbul and feeling like he too was becoming like his brothers. That night, Indranil is awoken by Bulbbul, who smirks at him, hinting that she will kill him as revenge.

Cast

Tripti Dimri played the titular role Bulbbul
Tripti Dimri as Bulbbul Chaudhary, a former child bride who secretly fights against the injustices females face in her village.
Avinash Tiwary as Satyajeet Thakur, Indranil's younger brother and Bulbbul's childhood friend.
Varun Buddhadev as Little Satya
Paoli Dam as Binodini Chaudhary, Mahendra's widowed wife.
Rahul Bose in dual roles as twins Thakur Indranil Chaudhary/Mahendra Chaudhary. Indranil is Bulbbul's husband whom she married at 5 years of age. Mahendra is Binodini's husband.
Parambrata Chattopadhyay as Dr. Sudip, a local doctor who regularly checks up on Bulbbul's mutilated feet.
Production
The story of the movie was written by Anvita Dutt who has been a commissioned writer for films.[citation needed] She wrote the first two pages of the story after waking from her sleep one night and outlined the chudail, the myth, and the idea behind her in this first draft. She completed the rest of the story after returning from a trip from Kolkata, after seeing a bulbul make a nest outside her house and after some encouragement from her colleagues. She intended the story to resemble a fairy tale and set it in the neoclassical era of Bengal to fulfill that. She was also inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's portrayal of women; Binodini is the name of one of the characters in his work.[11] The premise has similarities with Tagore's novella Nastanirh, which was adapted by Satyajit Ray as the 1964 film Charulata.[12] Dutt describes, "Now in reality what happens to women is much worse. The emotional, the physical and the psychological abuse is much, much worse. In telling of the story, I chose to tell it this way. I wanted the cold rage of women to find an outlet... It's a tragedy. The story is set 200 years ago but it's still relevant."[13]

The film was shot over a period of thirty-three days in locations near Kolkata and Mumbai.[citation needed] Siddharth Diwan led the cinematography. With inputs from Dutt, the artwork of Raja Ravi Varma and Caravaggio were used as inspiration, in addition to influences from Expressionism and Surrealism. Diwan also took inspiration from photographers like Man Ray and Raja Deen Dayal. Satyajit Ray's poster of the film Devi was an inspiration for the lighting. Some examples of symbolism used include the grass, kaash phool, the bird and flower motifs, all significant to the goddess Durga.[14] The mansion used in the film is Bawali Rajbari, located 30 km (19 mi) from Kolkata in the village of Nodakhali. The mansion has previously featured in the film Chokher Bali by Rituparno Ghosh.[12]

Themes
Set in the late 19th century in Bengal, the film delves into the idea of aristocratic Bengali women embracing ideologies of freedom. Aruna Chakravarti's Jorasanko described Tagore's relationship with his sister-in-law, the child-bride Kadambari, which Shreya Paul of Firstpost noted as the foundation behind the relationship between Bulbbul and Satya. Chakravarti described how Kadambari was devastated when she was separated from Tagore