Last year there were rumours that the Roseanne reboot would feature a genderfluid character, but aside from the casting call for a "gender creative" 9-year-old, not much else was known.
Now, the show's star Sara Gilbert, famous for playing Darlene, has given a bit more information about her on-screen son, Mark.
Played by Ames McNamara, Gilbert says Mark isn't trans, but is based on kids in her real life who choose to wear dresses.
"He's based on a few kids in my life that are boys who dress in more traditionally feminine clothing," Gilbert .
"He’s too young to be gay and he doesn’t identify as transgender, but he just likes wearing that kind of clothing and that’s where he is at this point in his life."
While Mark will wear dresses throughout the series, Gilbert also told EW one of the nine episodes in the revival series would focus on his choice to wear dresses.
When asked why Gilbert, a producer on the revival, wanted to introduce a young character who doesn't adhere to gender norms, she told EW, "It represents the world".
"This is a show that’s always been able to represent the world and talk about it without being so issue-heavy. We can do it through the dynamics of the family."
"That’s one element of the character that he dresses that way, but he’s also based on this kid I know in a lot of other ways. I don’t want to pigeonhole him and say just because he dresses this way that’s the only thing about him. He happens to dress that way but he’s an amazing, creative, brilliant kid, which you will see, and so is the kid, Ames, who plays him."
