Actress Laverne Cox met her Madame Tussauds lookalike on Friday, the museum's first transgender wax figure.
The model of the actress, best known for portraying Sophia Burset on the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black," was unveiled at a press conference for the 2015 San Francisco Pride Celebration and will later go on display at Madame Tussauds' San Francisco location at Fisherman's Wharf.
"When I think about being who I am, a black trans woman from a working class background raised in Mobile, Alabama, this honor feels even more improbable and extraordinary," Cox, 31, said in a statement. "I hope that this will be a source of inspiration for every one [sic] who encounters it to believe that their dreams matter and are possible."
But Cox told SFGate that the proud moment also stirred up emotions.
“I’ve so often internalized the message that I am not allowed to be loved in public,” the actress said. “Am I enough? As I stand here next to this wax figure, I can’t help but feel that disconnect.”
Madame Tussauds' Bay Area outpost has recently taken to immortalizing Silicon Valley tech luminaries in wax. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were first. Steve Wozniak is up next.
