For the past 20 years, Laverne Cox has dreamed of starring in a scripted series she created. With Prime Video’s “Clean Slate,” that dream is finally coming true. But getting to this point was far from an easy process.
“The fact that this has finally happened feels like a miracle,” Cox told TheWrap. “I’m just committed to having fun, being in deep gratitude and being of service when I can because people do want to hear from me as a trans person in this moment.”
The idea for “Clean Slate” actually came from the series’ co-lead, comedian George Wallace. Together with his collaborator Dan Ewen, Wallace wanted to make a remake of the iconic sitcom “Sanford and Son.” But when the duo pitched the idea to the NBC comedy’s uncredited executive producer Norman Lear, he passed unless the series could be reformatted with a twist. That’s how “Stanford and Daughter” was floated, a comedy that would follow an older man who reunites with his adult trans daughter. After a four-hour meeting with Ewen that was supposed to last 45 minutes, Cox was brought on board as a co-creator and star.
“[Ewen] went home and wrote a pilot in four days,” Cox recalled. Most of the elements from that original pilot found their way to the screen. Once that package was put together, the now-trio went to Lear and pitched him the series that would eventually become “Clean Slate.”
“[Lear] said, after about an hour, ‘I’ve learned more about life that I should have known but didn’t know.’ He was so grateful,” Cox said.
But even with Lear’s approval, the series struggled to find a home. “We went out and pitched and got no’s everywhere. I got a development deal that fell through, and I thought it was dead,” Cox said. “And then on Norman’s birthday in 2022 — I think on his 100th birthday — we found that we were picked up by Prime Video.”
“Clean Slate” doesn’t feel like most shows that focus on trans characters. The comedy follows Desiree (Cox) as she returns to her hometown in Alabama after being estranged from her father for the last 23 years. Despite the heavy emotional baggage between Desiree and Harry (Wallace), the comedy always emphasizes the love and joy between this surprising family, rather than leaning into their grief or slipping into grandstanding. Cox credited that lighter tone to the late Lear, who died in December 2023 at the age of 101. “Clean Slate” was one of the last series Lear ever worked on in his storied life and career in Hollywood.
“Norman Lear, when you think about his iconic shows, like ‘All in the Family’ or ‘The Jeffersons’ that often dealt with political issues, it was that you lead with the funny. You lead with the humanity of whatever the character is going through, but make it funny,” Cox said. “It’s never like, ‘You are a bad person.’ It’s really seeing people’s humanity and finding the humor in that.”
Cox emphasized how amazed she was by “how succinct but astute” Lear was even in his final years. Lear had a sense of what did and didn’t work until the very end, yet was confident enough to trust the artists working on his series. Cox dubbed the late legend’s producing style as “gentle guidance.”
“When Norman gave you a note, you wanted to figure it out, take it seriously and understand where he was coming from,” Cox said. “It was a privilege to be in collaboration with someone with his experience.”
The joke-first tone of the show also reflects a certain kind of response to pain for Cox. “A lot of marginalized people, when stuff happens, we kind of have to laugh through it,” Cox said. The series’ co-creator, executive producer and star is especially proud of the makeup of the writers room. Though showrunners Ewen and Simran Baidwan are not trans, the writers room was composed of all queer and trans people as well as people of color. The show also took care to include writers who were from the South and had experience in the Black church, two crucial elements to this comedy.
“There’s so much comedy that happens in life. There’s so many sad things as well, but you just you live your life, and you’re human. I think it is great that we’re not doing trauma porn,” Cox said. “A lot of the storylines in ‘Orange Is New Black,’ while really poignant and beautiful and wonderfully challenging to act, it got dark for Sophia a lot. Certainly Desiree is going through a lot, but she goes through it in a really humorous way.”
Channeling Desiree’s complicated feelings actually impacted Cox’s performance with Wallace. Though she emphasized that the comedian is “so funny and amazing” and that she’s manifesting an Emmy nomination for him, on set she always kept this loaded family history between an unaccepting father and his trans daughter front of mind.
“There was something intimidating about him as my dad. I’d endowed him with all these things that traumatized me. That was real for me,” Cox said. “When I was shooting ‘Clean Slate,’ I knew I was acting, but it was just so personal for me. It was hard for me not to be in the trauma that Desiree was trying to work through.”
When the actress turned 30, she was in therapy “for a couple of years.” “I was just angry at my mom. I was dealing with my childhood trauma, which I had been in denial about. I think that’s where Desiree is. It’s messy, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s also hilarious,” she said.
Before the comedy even premiered, Cox has seen positive responses from critics as well as fans reacting to the trailer. One person in the comments of Cox’s social media feed even wrote, “They’re focused on the wrong 1%,” referring to how trans people make up less than 1% of the total population.
“I think this could be our new slogan,” Cox said, smiling. “[The response] has been unexpected and beautiful and humbling. It’s awesome.”
As President Trump has retaken the White House and signed executive orders aimed at trans people, Cox understands this moment in history is incredibly stressful for people. As this political anxiety continues, she hopes “Clean Slate” can serve as a much needed break.
“I’ve been going back to shows that I’ve watched before that are comfort shows for me,” Cox said. “If our show could be that for someone, what an honor.”
“Clean Slate” premieres Thursday, Feb. 6, on Prime Video.
