History Main / CrossCastRole

* All versions of ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'' feature a man as Edna Turnblad (the drag queen Divine in the original 1988 film, and Creator/JohnTravolta in the 2007 film of the musical).

* In ''Film/WildChild'', Kirk Lazarus is an extreme [[MethodActing method actor]] who often [[DyeingForYourArt transforms himself for his roles]] and has won 5 Academy Awards. According to [[AllThereInTheManual supplemetary material]], one of those awards was for Best ''Actress''. This is given a nod in the ending of the movie where [[spoiler:Lazarus presents Tugg Speedman with the Academy Award for Best Actor. Said award is always presented by the previous year's winner of Best Actress.]]

* In ''Film/WildChild'', Kirk Lazarus is an extreme [[MethodActing method actor]] who often [[DyingForTheirArt transforms himself for his roles]] and has won 5 Academy Awards. According to [[AllThereInTheManual supplemetary material]], one of those awards was for Best ''Actress''. This is given a nod in the ending of the movie where [[spoiler:Lazarus presents Tugg Speedman with the Academy Award for Best Actor. Said award is always presented by the previous year's winner of Best Actress.]]

* Extremely common in [[Franchise/TheMuppets Muppet]] productions. Many female characters on ''Series/SesameStreet'' and ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' are performed and voiced by male puppeteers, initially due to a lack of female puppeteers and later due to the GrandfatherClause. Most notably, Miss Piggy, who was voiced by male puppeteer Creator/FrankOz... though Oz did such a convincing feminine voice that you probably never even noticed (to prove how great a voice actor he is, Frank Oz was also none other than [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]]. Also pops up in ''Series/FraggleRock'', another Creator/JimHenson production, most notably with the character of Marjory the Trash Heap, who is voiced by veteran Muppet performer Jerry Nelson, who does an intentionally unconvincing female voice, and, presumably unintentionally, made the character sound exactly like a JewishMother.

* Inverted in ''Film/ShakespeareInLove''. Because women aren't allowed to act, Violet disguises herself as "Thomas Kent" to play women's roles.

'''Please do not list "retroactive" examples''' of transgender actors who performed characters of their biological sex before they transitioned some point post-production. This trope requires the casting to be an intentional decision. When they were cast for the role, they ''were'' considered by the world at large to be the same gender as the character. For example, Creator/ElliotPage played real life cisgender teenage girl Sylvia Likens in 2006's ''Film/AnAmericanCrime'', but had been assigned female at birth and was presenting as such when cast for that film. If the film was being made now, after Page's transition, a cisgender girl would be cast by the director as Sylvia. The same applies to Page's other pre-transition roles as, with the exception of his character from ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'', none of these characters have been [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] as trans.

* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo the Musical'' has consistently cast women in the title role, a given since the Disney parks don't cast child actors.

* Voice and motion-capture for ''VideoGame/Fallout4'''s version of perennial companion male dog Dogmeat was provided by River, a ''female'' German Shepard.

'''Please do not list "retroactive" examples''' of transgender actors who performed characters of their biological sex before they transitioned some point post-production. This trope requires the casting to be an intentional decision. The fact that an actor no longer corresponds to the gender of a character they played is ultimately irrelevant to the work itself, and doesn't change the fact that, when they were cast for the role, they ''were'' considered by the world at large to be the same gender as the character. For example, Creator/ElliotPage played real life cisgender teenage girl Sylvia Likens in 2006's ''Film/AnAmericanCrime'', but had been assigned female at birth and was presenting as such when cast for that film. If the film was being made now, after Page's transition, a cisgender girl would be cast by the director as Sylvia. The same applies to Page's other pre-transition roles as, with the exception of his character from ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'', none of these characters have been [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] as trans.

'''Please do not list "retroactive" examples''' of transgender actors who performed characters of their biological sex before they transitioned some point post-production. This trope requires the casting to be an intentional decision. The fact that an actor no longer corresponds to the gender of a character they played is ultimately irrelevant to the work itself, and doesn't change the fact that, when they were cast for the role, they ''were'' considered by the world at large to be the same gender as the character. For example, Creator/ElliotPage played real life cisgender teenage girl Sylvia Likens in 2006's ''Film/AnAmericanCrime'', but had been assigned female at birth and was presenting as such when cast for that film. If the film was being made now, after Page's transition, a cisgender girl would be cast by the director as Sylvia. The same applies to Page's other pre-transition roles as, with the exception of his character from ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'', none of these characters have been [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] as trans men.

'''Please do not list "retroactive" examples''' of transgender actors who performed characters of their biological sex before they transitioned some point post-production. This trope requires the casting to be an intentional decision. The fact that an actor no longer corresponds to the gender of a character they played is ultimately irrelevant to the work itself, and doesn't change the fact that, when they were cast for the role, they ''were'' considered by the world at large to be the same gender as the character. For example, Creator/ElliotPage played real life cisgender teenage girl Sylvia Likens in 2006's ''Film/AnAmericanCrime'', but had been assigned female at birth and was presenting as such when cast for that film. If the film was being made now, after Page's transition, a cisgender girl would be cast by the director as Sylvia. The same applies to Page's other pre-transition roles as, with the exception of his character from ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'', none of these characters have been [[{{Retcon}] retconned]] as trans men.

'''Please do not list "retroactive" examples''' of transgender actors who performed characters of their biological sex before they transitioned some point post-production. This trope requires the casting to be an intentional decision. The fact that an actor no longer corresponds to the gender of a character they played is ultimately irrelevant to the work itself, and doesn't change the fact that, when they were cast for the role, they ''were'' considered by the world at large to be the same gender as the character. For example, Creator/ElliotPage played real life cisgender teenage girl Sylvia Likens in 2006's ''Film/AnAmericanCrime'', but had been assigned female at birth and was presenting as such when cast for that film. If the film was being made now, after Page's transition, a cisgender girl would be cast by the director as Sylvia. The same applies to Page's other pre-transition roles as, with the exception of his character from ''Series/UmbrellaAcademy2019'', none of these characters have been [[{{Retcon}] retconned]] as trans men.

'''Please do not list "retroactive" examples''' of transgender actors who performed characters of their biological sex before they transitioned some point post-production. This trope requires the casting to be an intentional decision. The fact that an actor no longer corresponds to the gender of a character they played is ultimately irrelevant to the work itself, and doesn't change the fact that, when they were cast for the role, they ''were'' considered by the world at large to be the same gender as the character. For example, Creator/ElliotPage played real life cisgender teenage girl Sylvia Likens in 2006's ''Film/AnAmericanCrime'', but had been assigned female at birth and was presenting as such when cast for that film. If the film was being made now, after Page's transition, a cisgender girl would be cast by the director as Sylvia.

'''Please do not list "retroactive" examples''' of transgender actors who performed characters of their biological sex before they transitioned some point post-production. This trope requires the casting to be an intentional decision. The fact that an actor no longer corresponds to the gender of a character they played is ultimately irrelevant to the work itself, and doesn't change the fact that, when they were cast for the role, they ''were'' considered by the world at large to be the same gender as the character. For example, Creator/ElliotPage played real life cisgender teenage girl Sylvia Likens in 2006's ''Film/AnAmericanCrime'' but was thought to be, and was presenting as, female when cast for that film. If the film was being made now, after Page's transition, a cisgender girl would be cast by the director as Sylvia.

* ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw'' features an ImagineSpot imitating the opening of [[Series/TheIncredibleHulk the 1970s Hulk show]], with Shulkie being [[https://twitter.com/nupersona/status/1580635868741529600 a male bodybuilder in a wig and a dress]] (and green paint).

* In some Chinese traditional opera troupes, there are no actresses, so all of the female roles are played by men. (''Film/FarewellMyConcubine'' is the story of such a cross-dressing actor.)

* In 2018, American female country singer Reba [=McIntryre=] was cast as Colonel Sanders, the mascot for Kentucky Friend Chicken, who is portrayed as a SouthernGentleman.

* The character of ''Literature/PeterPan'' is traditionally played by an actress, to the point that the character is sometimes jokingly referred to as Broadway's most famous [[DragQueen drag king]]. The reasoning behind this had to do with child labor laws and the belief that an adult actor could carry the role better, and the fact that it's much easier to pass off a petite actress as a young boy than a grown man (even if he's physically small-framed and babyfaced, the illusion would be shattered the moment he opened his mouth). Both the [[Theatre/PeterPan1904 original play]] and [[Theatre/PeterPan1954 1954 musical]] follow this tradition. The only male actor to have played Peter Pan on Broadway is Jack Noseworthy, who understudied the role as part of ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway''.

* In ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}'', Edna is always played by a man, the part having been originated by the 300-pound drag queen Divine. TheMusical helps enforce this by writing Edna's song parts in the [[LarynxDissonance baritone range]].

* The character of ''Literature/PeterPan'' is traditionally played by an actress, to the point that the character is sometimes jokingly referred to as "Broadway's most famous [[DragQueen drag king]]." Both the [[Theatre/PeterPan1904 original play]] and [[Theatre/PeterPan1954 1954 musical]] follow this tradition. The only male actor to have played Peter Pan on Broadway is Jack Noseworthy, who understudied the role as part of ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway''.

* In ''Film/TheGamersDorknessRising'', Gary's actor plays [[DeepImmersionGaming his character, the sorceress Luster]] as well, though there is also a female Luster who swaps in for the [[CrossPlayer "oh yeah, my character is supposed to be a woman, isn't she"]] moments.

This is a role that, for whatever reason, is played by an actor who is a different gender than the character. Some common reasons for this involve a gender imbalance in the supply of actors: