Michaela Jaé Rodriguez‘s journey to stardom reads like something out of a movie, especially considering that how underrepresented the LGBTQ community is—particularly people of color. But the actress defied all odds and got a leading role in the drama television series Pose, for which she became the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe Award for best performance, in addition to an Emmy nomination in a lead category. Recalling the moment when she was just doing guest roles, Rodriguez shared in an interview with Variety how Pose has helped her in ways she could have never imagined.
Rodriguez is a Broadway actress with roles in Rent and Runaways, but she only got to star in small roles in a few television shows, including Nurse Jackie, The Carrie Diaries, and Luke Cage, with a few appearances in films, such as Saturday Church and Adam. So when Ryan Murphy decided to create a series to put trans women at the forefront, Rodriguez flourished as the mother of the House of Evangelista, Blanca, which later earned her accolades from significant award-giving bodies. She told Variety: “When I was younger, I was doing guest roles, and that was fine with me, honey. But Ryan Murphy took the initiative to put a trans woman in a leading role, and I’m so glad he took that chance on me.”
The actress, now 32, remembers the pressure of carrying a show at a young age. She added:
“The first season was a little rough for me because I was nervous. I was young — I was 25 years old, going into 26. That’s young. And being young, carrying a show, you don’t realize how much weight that is until it’s done. I’m about to cry right now, because I’m realizing that, and I’m so happy that I learned that. So moving to the second and third season, all I did was grow and learn more about myself.”
When asked about J.K. Rowling‘s harmful comments against the trans community, the actress refused to let it faze her, saying that she will always remain a trans woman.
“I’m not here for it. I will always remain a trans woman. I will always call myself a trans woman. I will always refer to other biological women as cis women, in a non-derogatory way. But I’m a strong girl. I’m a strong woman. I was raised by a strong Black woman, which J.K. Rowling was not. I would love to have a conversation with her.”
Her Life After Pose
It’s safe to say that Pose launched Rodriguez’s career to new heights, having acted in 2021 critically acclaimed musical drama, Tick, Tick… Boom!, where she portrayed Carolyn. She also has an ongoing television series called Loot, opposite Maya Rudolph. Not only did Pose make a household name out of the actress, but it represented a community and started an important conversation. The American drama television series follows ballroom culture in the early 1980s, highlighting the lives of queer Black and Latino communities. Playing an HIV-diagnosed trans woman in the series, her character stood up and formed a house to help lost queer teenagers find a home and something they could call family.
Check out Blanca’s journey by watching the video below.
