TanyaPeters1
Femme Fatale
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2026
- Posts
- 45
Tanya Peters’ Naked Gun: An Underrated Trans Woman Character in Naked Gun 33 ⅓
In the pantheon of trans women villainesses in cinema, figures such as Lois Einhorn (Sean Young) come to mind from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). However, a very underrated character in this genre is Tanya Peters (played by the late Anna Nicole Smith) in the 1994 film Naked Gun 33 1/3. Perhaps this film series is better known for starring the late comedic talent, Leslie Nielsen, but Tanya’s role and presence in the movie and the Naked Gun franchise is important and deserves recognition for it. Her character is fascinating, and she has her own individuality. She is someone who has a story and through understanding her story we can begin to sympathize with her and see her as a person and not just a trope used for comedic relief. Despite the stereotype she represents as criminal and deceitful, she has her own story, agency, and backstory. Tanya Peters is an individual with mobility and her representation on screen depicts a story of a young and beautiful trans woman, who moves to Los Angeles and inhabits the ridiculous world of Naked Gun and Frank Drebin.
The background information that the audience is presented about Tanya Peters is that she was born in Dallas, Texas, and is twenty-four years old. In her application file that Frank pulls from a file cabinet at the fertility clinic she works at, the Karlson Clinic, it is written on her paperwork that she worked at a disco nightclub sometime during the 1960s, and her job title was simply a dancer. Also, we learn a little bit about her likes/dislikes as well ranging from her expected salary to travel preferences. Tanya would be willing to travel anywhere but China and in the modern-day geopolitical climate this would be a joke that has not aged well. Later in the film Tanya has moved in with her lover Rocco (played by the late Fred Ward) and his ferocious mother Muriel.
Frank’s first encounter with Tanya takes place in the 1970s, when he was investigating a murder in a disco bar, but it isn’t until the early 90’s when Frank is reunited with Tanya at the Karlson Clinic, where she works as a nurse. He tries to disguise himself, but she almost recognizes him. Frank later escapes from a prison with her boyfriend Rocco and heads back to their cabin.
In what is a revealing and sensual scene, played for laughs, Tanya walks out in a sheer short white kimono over a pink bathing suit and gold pumps. There is a humorous slow camera pan up her ridiculously long legs with a double set of knees. Frank comments admiringly “You’re all woman–I can tell just by lookin’ at ya’!” (This foreshadows the subsequent reveal towards the end of the film, when she undresses in front of him in a dressing room backstage at the Academy Awards and reveals her male genitalia, to Frank’s dismay).
Later that night, Frank is trying to send a message to Police Squad, but Tanya interrupts him. He pretends to play chess, but in a double-layered gag, Tanya tells him “Your bishop is exposed.” This implies she can play chess, in contrast to her ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype, and suggests a more complex personality.
Instead, Tanya is sweet, kind and flirts with Frank because she wants him. Despite her penis being shown in silhouette and playing into the trope of being a deceptive trans woman, Tanya is the opposite. She in no way led Frank astray in her true identity and was completely comfortable with being trans. Her dialogue in the movie makes her a character in her own right and she isn’t simply a proxy, but rather a person that needs to be seen for her own autonomy as stated earlier in this piece. She also speaks in a very feminine tone and her voice is unmistakable as a woman. Either she had some sort of voice therapy or surgical procedure, or she naturally gained her female speech through practice. However, what matters is that she carries herself in a very confident and sexy manner. Tanya Peters is personally one of my favorite fictional characters in cinema, and she is highly underrated and hopefully this does her justice.
In the pantheon of trans women villainesses in cinema, figures such as Lois Einhorn (Sean Young) come to mind from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994). However, a very underrated character in this genre is Tanya Peters (played by the late Anna Nicole Smith) in the 1994 film Naked Gun 33 1/3. Perhaps this film series is better known for starring the late comedic talent, Leslie Nielsen, but Tanya’s role and presence in the movie and the Naked Gun franchise is important and deserves recognition for it. Her character is fascinating, and she has her own individuality. She is someone who has a story and through understanding her story we can begin to sympathize with her and see her as a person and not just a trope used for comedic relief. Despite the stereotype she represents as criminal and deceitful, she has her own story, agency, and backstory. Tanya Peters is an individual with mobility and her representation on screen depicts a story of a young and beautiful trans woman, who moves to Los Angeles and inhabits the ridiculous world of Naked Gun and Frank Drebin.
The background information that the audience is presented about Tanya Peters is that she was born in Dallas, Texas, and is twenty-four years old. In her application file that Frank pulls from a file cabinet at the fertility clinic she works at, the Karlson Clinic, it is written on her paperwork that she worked at a disco nightclub sometime during the 1960s, and her job title was simply a dancer. Also, we learn a little bit about her likes/dislikes as well ranging from her expected salary to travel preferences. Tanya would be willing to travel anywhere but China and in the modern-day geopolitical climate this would be a joke that has not aged well. Later in the film Tanya has moved in with her lover Rocco (played by the late Fred Ward) and his ferocious mother Muriel.
Frank’s first encounter with Tanya takes place in the 1970s, when he was investigating a murder in a disco bar, but it isn’t until the early 90’s when Frank is reunited with Tanya at the Karlson Clinic, where she works as a nurse. He tries to disguise himself, but she almost recognizes him. Frank later escapes from a prison with her boyfriend Rocco and heads back to their cabin.
In what is a revealing and sensual scene, played for laughs, Tanya walks out in a sheer short white kimono over a pink bathing suit and gold pumps. There is a humorous slow camera pan up her ridiculously long legs with a double set of knees. Frank comments admiringly “You’re all woman–I can tell just by lookin’ at ya’!” (This foreshadows the subsequent reveal towards the end of the film, when she undresses in front of him in a dressing room backstage at the Academy Awards and reveals her male genitalia, to Frank’s dismay).
Later that night, Frank is trying to send a message to Police Squad, but Tanya interrupts him. He pretends to play chess, but in a double-layered gag, Tanya tells him “Your bishop is exposed.” This implies she can play chess, in contrast to her ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype, and suggests a more complex personality.
Instead, Tanya is sweet, kind and flirts with Frank because she wants him. Despite her penis being shown in silhouette and playing into the trope of being a deceptive trans woman, Tanya is the opposite. She in no way led Frank astray in her true identity and was completely comfortable with being trans. Her dialogue in the movie makes her a character in her own right and she isn’t simply a proxy, but rather a person that needs to be seen for her own autonomy as stated earlier in this piece. She also speaks in a very feminine tone and her voice is unmistakable as a woman. Either she had some sort of voice therapy or surgical procedure, or she naturally gained her female speech through practice. However, what matters is that she carries herself in a very confident and sexy manner. Tanya Peters is personally one of my favorite fictional characters in cinema, and she is highly underrated and hopefully this does her justice.
