Elle Fanning to play transgender teen in new drama

Elle Fanning (AAP)

Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon have filmed some of their toughest scenes in a timely new film about a transgender teen.

In her first role since starring alongside Angelina Jolie in Malificent, Fanning takes on the dramatic role of a teenage boy trapped in a girl's body.

Just months after Kim Kardashian's stepfather Caitlyn Jenner announced she was transitioning from a man to a woman, About Ray tackles the emotional and physical distress that can come with the process.

Sarandon portrays her lesbian grandmother, struggling to accept the teenager's sex-change plans and Naomi Watts plays Ray's mum trying to track down her daughter's father (Tate Donovan) to get his legal consent to allow the youngster's transition.

The film will hit cinemas next month.

WENN.com / 3 News

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