"I hope that Chaz can understand that he is not alone and he's never been alone and anyone like him will never be alone," Alexis Arquette offers words of support for Chaz Bono. "It's an important time in his life; a lot of people don't understand that it is very difficult to come out as transgender."

Vivacious and blonde and decked in teal, the actress who has appeared in film and TV projects such as 'The Wedding Singer,' "Californication," "Friends" and 'Last Exit To Brooklyn' -- and is a member of the famous Arquette family -- is energetic, prepared and ready to talk when she walks into the Entertainment Tonight offices to sit down with Thea Andrews. She knows about the public scrutiny Chaz is facing, she has lived it.

Her transition from male to female was the subject of the 2007 documentary, 'Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother.' Her family includes actresses Rosanna and Patricia, actors Richmond and David and sister-in-law Courteney Cox Arquette. In many ways, Alexis believes that their Hollywood backgrounds have made it less difficult for her and Chaz.

"Coming out as transgender in America from a celebrity family is a lot easier than it can be for private individuals anywhere else in the world," she says. "In fact, if you come out as transgender in certain parts of the world, you may be murdered in the street. Legally, under their laws, you may be murdered."

She also feels that a Bono or Arquette has been trained to deal with the prying press and paparazzi. But, according to Alexis, people can go too far: "Don't go poking up my skirt or down my top! I know people want to understand this subject, but not at the cost of someone else's privacy."

When Thea points out a Chaz story on the cover of this week's People magazine with the headline "Chastity's Choice: Sex Change for Cher's Child," Alexis is concerned.

"It's weird language; it's confusing," says Alexis. "Chastity made the choice to come out as transgender. Chastity never made the choice of being transgender. In fact, there are a lot of transgender people who look at the difficulty of living this way and think, 'Is it worth it?' Of course it is, because nobody would choose this life. Nobody would choose to be ostracized. Nobody would choose to be questioned, and eyes rolled when they walk in the room -- nobody wants that. We all just want to be accepted for who we are. He wants to be accepted as a male; a transgender male."

"If there's anything that people can glean from this, and from Chaz's experience and my own experience, it's that we don't have all the answers to this -- and in fact no one does; that is an exploration," concludes Alexis. "It's essential to us that we have the support of people that love us and of people on the street who don't even know us. You know, a smile is so much better than pointing at somebody and whispering into your friend's ear."

Watch ET for more with Alexis Arquette!