'Nip/Tuck' Creator Has Transsexual Drama In The Works

To Ryan Murphy, size may not matter, but weight does. The latest project for the swashbuckling creator of Nip/Tuck is 4 oz., a new FX drama about a transsexual sportswriter with a wife and two teenage sons.
Four ounces is the average weight of a flaccid penis, according to Murphy. It fascinates him "that something that weighs so little can cause so much damage and joy at the same time."
Murphy's writing the pilot episode and hopes to begin production early next year. No cast yet, but he says his phone "is ringing off the hook" from A-list stars who shall remain nameless.
OK, then, we'll name them: Robert Downey Jr. and Alec Baldwin, among others, according to Hollywood buzz.
"This will be one of the great parts, if done correctly," says Murphy, 41. "It will be like Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie - a man who becomes a better man by being a woman." (Hoffman grabbed an Oscar nomination for his performance in the '82 film.)
A-lister Brad Pitt is one of 4 oz.'s executive producers. He and Murphy bonded as Pitt produced Running With Scissors, Murphy's feature directorial debut, starring Annette Benning. It opens nationally Oct. 27.
Pitt "is such a cool guy," Murphy says. "He's arguably the biggest movie star in the world, and when you have him in your corner, fighting for you, it makes a difference. He makes calls. He gets me more money. He'll be very involved in everything."
He won't, however, appear on screen.
The 40-ish protagonist in 4 oz. lives in Pasadena, Calif., and is "an everyday guy who's been fighting this secret all of his life," says Murphy. The series follows the "trajectory" of his sexuality.
Murphy calls 4 oz. his version of "My Three Sons, with the father being a tranny." In his mind, the common thread among the three males "is all their conflict and joys caused by their penises."
Are we sensing a theme?
Murphy has mapped out several seasons' plotlines. In Season 1, the character grapples with his secret. In 2, he lives and dresses like a woman. In 3, he undergoes the surgery, and in 4, he's a woman in the world looking for love.
"I think people will be charmed by how sweet it is," Murphy says. "It's daring. There are things in the pilot that are jaw-dropping. It's not salacious or violent."
Murphy says 4 oz. will be "more straightforward and dramatic" and "less theatrical" than Nip/Tuck, FX's most popular show. "The most shocking thing for me to do now is not be shocking." (Right.)
Murphy, who's gay, says he has been fascinated with transsexuality since he took a course in sexual deviance his senior year at Indiana University. (He copped an A-plus on his thesis, he says. "I know my trannies.")
"I've always been moved by that journey of somebody trapped inside a different body. It's just a metaphor for artistic expression - something caught inside, fighting to get out."
For his part, Murphy has no desire to bend genders. "As a gay man, I certainly feel equal parts man and woman sometimes, but I've never had that battle.
"I've always been very comfortable in my shoes. I've had no desire to turn them into pumps."
from The Philadelphia Inquirer