Laverne Cox Dubbed by Male Actor in ‘Promising Young Woman’ Italian Release

“While there was no malicious intent behind this mistake, we are working diligently to fix it,” distributor Universal Pictures International says in a statement

Laverne Cox
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Outrage is brewing after a clip of the Italian release of “Promising Young Woman” showed Laverne Cox’s character dubbed by a man.

Male actor Roberto Pedicini provided the Italian voice for Cox in “Promising Young Woman,” prompting distributor Universal Pictures International to delay the film from its scheduled release on Thursday so that her voice can be redubbed with a female actor.

Cox was also misgendered for the film’s German and Spanish language dubs and will also be replaced by a female actor, though “Promising Young Woman” was already released theatrically in Spain last month, so her voice will be replaced in the home video release.

“We are deeply grateful to Laverne and the transgender community for opening our eyes to a bias that neither we nor many in our industry had recognized,” a spokesperson for the distributor said in a statement. “While there was no malicious intent behind this mistake, we are working diligently to fix it. We have begun redubbing Ms. Cox’s voice with female actors in our international territories and are pushing back release dates to ensure the correct version is available. We are sorry for the pain caused but are thankful that we can address the situation on this film and prevent similar mistakes from happening again on future projects.”

The Guardian points out that past Laverne Cox characters in “Orange In the New Black,” “The Mindy Project” and the series “Doubt” were also all voiced by a male actor, Andrea Lavagnino.

The Guardian also spoke with transgender Italian actress Vittoria Schisano, who has dubbed Cox in the past and expressed her outrage at the “Promising Young Woman” release, saying that she was not asked to read for the part.

“I think this dubbing choice was a straight-up act of violence,” Schisano told The Guardian. “It’s insulting. I’d feel bullied if I were [Cox].”

TheWrap has reached out to Cox for comment.

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