In episode six of Transparent’s second season, “Bulnerable,” there’s a scene featuring a slightly disgruntled Ali (Gaby Hoffmann) sitting in an armchair across from Sid (Carrie Brownstein). She’s wearing a loose jersey with a nipple poking out, seated with her legs entirely spread out. There’s something beautiful about the shot because it’s something we associate with how a man might sit and behave (dare we say manspreading). The shot, however, was not planned that way.
“It was a total accident that my tit popped out,” Hoffmann told us when we asked her about the scene. “I just sat down in the chair as I would as Ali. I don’t know how or why I sit the way I do when I’m Ali, but I just click into Ali. I don’t think, I’m Ali, so I sit like this. I would never sit like this [straightens up posture] if I was Ali, but I don’t think about it.”
Hoffman had no idea what happened until after “cut” was yelled and the shooting came to a halt. “We finished playing the scene, and somebody on the crew, I think the sound guy, was like, ‘That was so funny and beautiful and crazy: The whole time, your nipple was showing,’” she continued. “And I had no idea. It works so well for the scene. That kind of stuff happens all the time on set. Things that seem kind of perfect, like, oh, wow, that’s good writing — no, it’s just mishaps and accidents. There’s a weird element of magic that’s always at play. There’s so much about our show that feels [like] kismet.”
Mazel to that.
