MJ RODRIGUEZ
The actress speaks to Willa Bennett about living her truth out, loud and proud in award-winning queer television show Pose.
The actress speaks to Willa Bennett about living her truth out, loud and proud in award-winning queer television show Pose.
“I’ve always been drawn to telling real and authentic stories,” Mj Rodriguez opens up to me, just a few days after having the honor of announcing the 30th annual GLAAD Media Award nominations with Crazy Rich Asians star Nico Santos at Sundance Film Festival. She’s only been back on the East Coast for a few days, and I patiently wait as she traces her memory for the first time she used storytelling to express herself. It’s late winter in New York, but she moves gracefully across a naturally lit studio coat-less in a vibrant pink gown huing her body. She opens her mouth to speak, then gestures her hands towards the sunlight, slightly adjusting the gathering fabric around her ankles. She elaborates: “It all started at a very young age for me. I grew up in North Jersey and my mother always made sure I was put into [art] programs so that I would develop the way I wanted to. As I got older, my mother encouraged me to audition for this arts school in Jersey, which is where I would eventually learn to dance, act, and study classical music. I booked my first professional show at the age of 19 and then the rest is sort of history.” Her hands move in coordination with her torso, a testament to her many years of dance training. She plays with her painted fingernails, then tilts her head gently to the right and looks directly into the camera frame.
Well-known for her very impactful work in Hollywood, ranging from roles in Rent (2011) where her notable performance as Angel Dumott Schunard earned her the 2011 Clive Barnes Award, Nurse Jackie (2012), Carrie Diaries (2013), Dear Pauline Jean (2014), [Blank] My Life (2016), Luke Cage (2016), Saturday Church (2017), Burn in the Oven (2017), Gema (2018), to her most recent and best-known starring role in Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals’ television series Pose (2018). Mj has had quite an impressive rise into the spotlight as a multifaceted and boundarybreaking dancer, actress, singer, and storyteller.
She admits that her platform has recently grown significantly, especially since being in Pose, where she is known for her role as Blanca RodriguezEvangelista, alongside the largest cast of transgender and recurring LGBTQ actors in a scripted show, ever. Pose, which provides audiences with an intimate take on New York in the late 1980s, brings unprecedented storylines around transphobia, racism, and sexism to mainstream television. The show is not only is the first television show of its kind to fearlessly tackle these intricate topics, but also works to redefine definitions of family. Mj is unique in not only how she effortlessly seems to address the responsibility that comes with this role, but also in how she continues to shape the industry both on and off-screen. She is the first to say that although Pose helped catapult her into the mainstream spotlight, this doesn’t mean she’s even slightly diverted from her profound dedication to telling stories that wouldn’t otherwise be told in mainstream media. Her drive is both self-evident and inspiring.
“As an actor, you’re given the opportunity to get to be something that you’re not,” she explains. “Whether that be something that’s real or fiction, as an actor you get to dive into specific stories that are not your own story.” I wait as she pauses to exhale, then quickly adds, “That’s the real and important work.” She continues, “It’s just such a blessing that I get to be on the show Pose, where I am the woman I am today [off-screen], while also elevating [important and underrepresented] stories.” It seems pertinent to also acknowledge how historic Pose has really been, especially for the LGBTQ community, paving the way for more diverse storytelling in the future. Mj explains that they work together as a cast, even off-screen, to start conversations and offer real and different perspectives that are not usually portrayed on television. Off-screen, the actress describes herself as “a happy go lucky girl.” She articulates, “Honestly, I just go with the flow. I’m pretty easy going.” This becomes further self-evident as even despite her fame, she appears comfortable and completely candid with me. She makes jokes, addresses me by my first name, then laughs at herself, proving that although her hard work has landed her high fashion campaigns, magazine covers, and a well-deserved place at the Golden Globes red carpet (on her 28th birthday), she remains grounded. She lives in Jersey with her mother, and feels the most comfortable when she’s left alone. She recounts, “To be the quite honest, I’m [still] the most confident when I’m in a small space in my room alone and can listen to music and whip my hair around. That’s when I feel the most free.” She calls herself “mysterious by nature,” then says “I like to keep myself a mystery. I like people to know small parts of me, but not all of me.”
She humbly admits how hard she works, and is proud of the fact that her fame was not instantaneous by any means. “In Hollywood, you have to truly work hard to get to where you need to be. You need to show that you’re hungry. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process.” She adds, “When people ask me how this all happened, I make [them] aware that it’s also really been a strule for me. People look at success in Hollywood and assume that it’s all just handed to them. But it’s truly always a work in progress.” She also points out the fleeting nature of fame, adding, “You always have to practice and own your craft because it could all be gone at any moment. It doesn’t matter if it’s Hollywood, or [if you are in] school. Either place can leave you at a drop of a dime. You need to constantly work [at what you love].” She admits that she still absorbs the judgement of others, explaining that “being able to wake up and live [her] existence” is still challenging for her on a day-to-day basis. She notes that some of this is inevitable, “Humans judge people naturally. I get it, but [judgement] is exhausting to be on the receiving end of, especially when it feels like people are constantly policing my body.” She continues to reiterate throughout our conversations that as Blanca, she has learned many tools that have grounded her in her sense of self. The role of Blanca seems to have been informative for her, especially in terms of conquering and accepting her own sense of self.
Through Blanca, she feels as if she is “finally an actress – and not just a trans actress.” She adds, “I’m being lined up with some amazing talent and I never thought in a million years [this would happen].” When asked about her experiences as Blanca, she says, “I see a lot of myself in Blanca. [Blanca] is rough around the edges, but has a lot of heart. We are also both from an Urban area, but still manage to wake up every single day and live our respective truths.”
In Pose, Blanca’s character exhibits many strong mother-like characteristics. When Blanca is initially introduced in Pose, Elektra is her mother and she too lives in the House of Abundance. However, when Blanca becomes dissatisfied with the House of Abundance, she begins to lead her own house, The House of Evangelista. Although she spends much of the show rivaling with her former “mother,” Elektra (played by actress Dominique Jackson), most of her screentime on Pose is spent caring for and raising others. Motherhood is a theme that is not only woven through the plot of Pose, but an important facet of Blanca’s character development. “When I look at how to how to portray a mother on screen, I look to my own mother. My mother has always been supportive of who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do.” She acknowledges the privilege in this, explaining that dissimilar to Blanca’s relationship to her family, “[Her] family has never left [her] side because of the person [she was becoming].” She makes an effort to point out how isolating it can be to own your identity.
Mj acknowledges how important it is that Pose dives into topics that are rarely explored on television, such as the complexities of coming out, exploring your identity, and chosen family. Pose is not, and has never been afraid to dive into these conversations. “I would encourage anyone [coming out] to really look into themselves, feel the comfort within themselves, and own who they are.” Mj adds, “Once you really learn yourself, you will more easily attract your chosen family. The more you learn who you are, the more easily you can relate to people. Find a safe space where you can talk about [your identity] with someone else. Remind yourself that you are worthy of being loved, known, and seen.” We
“I hope that the younger people watching can internalise how important it is to
live your life to your fullest, and to never let someone bring you down regardless of how
you identify.
”
both simultaneously pause, and I let her words sit. She then interrupts our brief silence to come back to the topic of chosen family, which she has clearly found for herself in the cast of Pose. Mj says, “Everyone is so close [on set]. Indya [Moore] and I have known each other forever,” then she adds that her and Billy Porter’s relationship can only be described as “dynamic” while laughing. She articulates, “[Billy and I] are really are so close. He has taught me so much. I’m so blessed to have him and have known him for so long. You don’t get to know legends like that often.” She warns me that she can’t tell me what’s going to happen next in Pose, as even she is unsure of the storylines that will unfold in the future, but trusts that with the love that they have created on set, “anything is possible.”
When asked to reflect on her past year, she acknowledges the power of her presence and alludes to the constant responsibility she feels in Hollywood to pave the way for a more diverse future. When asked how she hopes Pose is received, she hesitates to immediately answer, then adds, “I hope that the people who are watching Pose that are ‘conservative’ gain a greater understanding that our lives are just as important as theirs. We need as many people as we can get to also fight for us, especially in the time that we are in now.” She adds, “I want people watching, especially the conservatives, to see first-hand how important it is to not police our existence. We are humans. We hurt. We cry. We need to all be connected.
“I hope that the younger [people] watching can internalise how important it is to live your life to your fullest, and to never let someone bring you down regardless of how you identify. We all need to love unconditionally. Love is what is most important at the end of the day.”
At the end of our conversation, I ask Mj if there is anything she’d like more people to know about her. She leaves me with one last message, “I just want all the [artists] out there that are trying to make their way, to stay strong, focused, and to never let anyone divert them from their path.” Even after our conversation is finished, her charisma, strength, and authenticity remains.