Jeffrey Tambor Nominated For ‘Transparent,’ Admits The Part Makes Him Nervous Because ‘Lives Are At Stake’

For the second time, Jeffrey Tambor has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as Maura on the critically acclaimed Amazon show Transparent. Tambor plays a 70-something divorced transwoman with kids who starts transitioning into a female late in life. Not only did he win the Golden Globe last year, but he also won an Emmy for the same show.

Transparent has provoked many public discussions about transgender issues. Jeffrey Tambor claims he’s proud to be a part of that change, but he’s constantly nervous about doing it right.

According to E! Online, one thing Jeffrey Tambor has noticed since he started playing Maura was the emotional and personal reaction people have to Transparent. People who meet him will often use the show as an excuse to open up to him about private issues in their life. But some say Transparent actually has an even stronger impact by helping to save lives.

When E! mentioned this to Jeffrey Tambor, he responded, “You’re the second person who has told me that this week. I’m so honored that I could be a part of it.”

But since the stakes are often so high for transgender individuals, with constant threats of violence and discrimination, Jeffrey Tambor also confessed that playing the role makes him uneasy. He’s afraid of portraying transgender issues in the wrong light.

“People ask me if I’m nervous about playing Maura for one reason or another. And I say, ‘I do get nervous.’ It’s because lives are at stake. It’s not so much about eight Rotten Tomatoes or two thumbs up. It’s about doing it right.”

Lucky for Jeffrey Tambor, the show seems to make a strong positive influence while still maintaining high critical praise. In fact, the Rotten Tomatoes score for Transparent is significantly higher than Jeffrey Tambor suggested, with the first season keeping a staggering 98 percent of positive reviews.

Some people believe the role Jeffrey Tambor plays on the show is helping to move transgender issues forward, urging society to accept transgender individuals as equal members of the community. Jeffrey Tambor calls it a “revolution” and says that Transparent has a “mission” to play a part in it.

“It’s important that people open their hearts and open their intellects to the revolution that is happening,” he said. “If someone could watch our show and say, ‘Oh, I get it,’ or ‘Oh, part of me is there,’ then our mission is achieved.'”

While Jeffrey Tambor has had great success playing Maura so far, his nervous feelings for the part may be a result of the vulnerability he feels for the character.

According to NPR, when he was cast in Transparent, Tambor feared the hair and makeup would be the most difficult part of playing Maura, but it turned out the uncertainty of her personal identity was the most difficult part to portray. Even so, Jeffrey Tambor has loved playing Maura from the start.

“That journey, that uncomfortability, that vulnerability, that transition, as it were, is very, very interesting to me. I loved playing that. Maura’s like a teenager. She doesn’t know where her friends are, she doesn’t know where her home is, she doesn’t know what to do at the LGBTQ center… I find myself much more vulnerable and I find myself less protective… That’s not to say that women feel more than men or anything like that, but I do know that there’s a different feeling in myself.”

For more on Jeffrey Tambor, read about how he defended Caitlyn Jenner as she began to transition into a woman.

[Photos by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images and Jennifer Clasen/Amazon]