Elle Fanning plays transgendered role in new film

Without question, actress Elle Fanning has moved outside her acting comfort zone for her latest film.

The young star, recently seen as the extremely feminine teen Princess Aurora in “Maleficent” with Angelina Jolie earlier this year, is currently shooting “Three Generations,” in which she portrays Ray, a character transitioning from being a teenage girl to a boy.

Naomi Watts plays Fanning’s mom in the movie, with Susan Sarandon cast as her grandmother. The film focuses on the family’s struggles to adjust to the transgender issue and how they come to reconcile themselves to it all.

Tate Donovan has just been added to the cast to play Watts’ former boyfriend, who helped raise Ray. The film is being directed by Gaby Delal (“On a Clear Day”), based on a screenplay by newcomer Nikole Beckwith. The movie will be released next year.