Starring Mj Rodriguez

Category: Press

Posted on Written by jessComments Off on Mj for Deadline

Mj for Deadline

Photo Sessions > Photoshoots from 2021 > Session 011
Magazine Scans > Magazines from 2021 > Deadline (August 18, 2021)

Ballroom Hits: ‘Pose’ Star MJ Rodriguez On Being The First Trans Woman To Be Nominated For A Lead Acting Emmy

DEADLINE – Mj Rodriguez is the latest cast member of FX’s groundbreaking series Pose to make Emmy history, earning the very first lead acting nomination for a trans woman. In conversation with Ryan Fleming she reflects on an achievement she never thought possible, and what she hopes it will mean.

Growing up in Newark in the ’90s, Michaela Jaé (Mj) Rodriguez never imagined she could have achieved what she has. Coming from a time where there were no trans women of color in the forefront of entertainment, the existence of a role like Blanca Evangelista in Pose seemed nigh on impossible. Having been cast in 2017, the FX series’ final season has now earned Rodriguez a history-making Emmy nomination—making her the first trans person ever to be nominated in a lead acting category.
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Posted on Written by jessComments Off on Shape Magazine

Shape Magazine

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Magazine Scans > Magazines from 2021 > Shape (September 2021)

Mj Rodriguez Is ‘Never Going to Stop’ Advocating for Empathy Towards Trans Folks

SHAPE – The history-making Emmy nominee opens up about the importance of her artistry — and the change she hopes to create with it.

“Being an Afro-Latina trans woman in America is hard,” says actor and singer Mj Rodriguez, who starred on Pose, the ground-breaking TV show featuring the largest cast ever of transgender actors. “I take 15 minutes alone to appreciate the life that has been given to me and to figure out how I can move the needle forward every day.”

As Blanca in Pose, Mj, 30, earned critical acclaim and a devoted fan base. In July she made history as the first transgender performer to earn an Emmy nomination in a major acting category.
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Posted on Written by jessComments Off on Mj talks with InStyle

Mj talks with InStyle

Photo Sessions > Photoshoots from 2021 > Session 005

Mj Rodriguez on the End of Pose and the Start of Something New

INSTYLE – The Pose star on Emmys snubs, a movie career, and Blanca Evangelista’s curtain call.

Back in 2018, three weeks into filming for the first season of FX’s groundbreaking ballroom series Pose, star Mj Rodriguez had an epiphany. “I started realizing how the show was not only about entertainment,” she recalls. “It was also extremely educational about our lives [as trans people] and how we chose to move through the world.”

After years spent navigating Hollywood as a trans woman, Rodriguez was shocked to finally land on a script that clearly understood not only how the world perceived members of her community, but the resiliency that allowed these women to continually fight to carve a space for themselves. “That was just so crazy at the time,” she adds.

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