Mj Rodriguez

Mj Rodriguez
Born (1991-01-07) January 7, 1991
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation Actress, singer
Years active 2011–present

Mj Rodriguez (born January 7, 1991; sometimes capitalized as MJ Rodriguez) is an American actress and singer.

Rodriguez is known for her role as Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista in the television drama Pose, where she is among the largest cast of transgender actors to be starring as series regulars in a scripted show. She is also known for her performance as Angel in the 2011 Off-Broadway revival of Rent, for which she won the 2011 Clive Barnes Award.

Early life and education

Mj Rodriguez was born on January 7, 1991, in Newark, New Jersey.[1][2] Rodriguez attended the Queen of Angels Catholic School.[3] Although she wanted to become an actor since the age of 7, she only began pursuing the profession at the age of 11 after her mother enrolled her in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center—where she became an eight-year veteran of the program and participated in its New Jersey Youth Theater program.[4][5]

While she had "prayed to become female" beginning at age 7, Rodriguez states that she was in denial for many years and initially came out to her parents as "bisexual/gay" at the age of 14.[4][6] At 14, Rodriguez became involved in the ballroom scene where she found support from her house father who taught her to vogue.[7][8] She is a graduate of Newark Arts High School,[9] and later attended Berklee College of Music, where she was a 2009 Star-Ledger scholarship recipient and a 2009 Young Arts first level scholarship recipient.[5] She eventually took the stage name "MJ" Rodriguez after the Marvel Comics character Mary Jane "MJ" Watson, being a self-described comic book geek and from putting the letters together from parts of her birth name.[1][10]

Career

Stage acting origins

While attending college, Rodriguez was cast in a theater production of Rent as Angel Dumott Schunard. Rodriguez had wanted to play the role since first seeing the 2005 film adaptation.[1][4][6] She connected with actress Fredi Walker-Browne (the actress that originated the Broadway role of Joanne Jefferson in Rent) who was in attendance at one of Rodriguez's performances. Walker-Browne asked Rodriguez to read for the part of Angel and helped her to land an audition in an upcoming off-Broadway production of Rent.[6] Rodriguez was cast for the role in Telsey + Company's 2011 off-Broadway production, and she acted alongside then-up and coming stage actor Annaleigh Ashford (casted as Maureen).[5] Rodriquez's performance garnered her the 2011 Clive Barnes Award that was established in honor of the late English writer and critic Clive Barnes.[5]

Transition and reemergence

It was during her stage career that Rodriguez began to fully explore the transitioning process. Following the conclusion of the off-Broadway revival in 2012, Rodriguez made the decision to go on hiatus and begin her transition. She began hormone replacement therapy in early 2016.[6] She later reemerged, and reengaged with her public career after giving herself enough privacy and time to sort out her affairs. Rodriguez then contacted her representation to inform them that she was no longer auditioning for male roles.[6] Despite her concerns, Rodriguez found her representation to be fully supportive of her gender identity.[6]

From 2012-2016, Rodriguez appeared in small television roles, including Nurse Jackie, The Carrie Diaries, and Luke Cage.[11] Her 2016 appearance in the non-speaking role of "Sister Boy" on Luke Cage also marked the first appearance of both a transgender actress and character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[12]

Following her reemergence, Rodriguez uploaded a video of herself on Facebook singing the number "Satisfied" from the Broadway musical Hamilton. The video received a positive response and landed her an invitation from casting directors Tesley + Company to audition for the role of Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds in Hamilton.[6] The news of her audition as a trans actress for a cisgender role made various Broadway and LGBT news outlets.[6][13] She then appeared in several additional stage productions:

Rodriguez also landed a supporting role in the independent film Saturday Church as Ebony. The 2017 film, which premiered in January 2018, depicted a runaway teenager exploring their gender identity and becoming involved in the contemporary underground ball culture scene. Her portrayal of Ebony earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.[18]

Breakthrough

In 2017, Rodriguez was cast in the leading role of Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista in the FX series Pose following a six-month casting search.[19] The show was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals and made history by casting five transgender actresses in leading roles. As of 2018, the show features the largest cast of transgender actors as series regulars in a scripted series.[7][20] The pilot for Pose went into production in November 2017 and premiered in June 2018 to positive reviews.[20][21][22]

The series is set in New York City during the 1980s and explores the lives of queer people of color (specifically black trans women) who are involved with the underground ballroom scene. Rodriguez's Blanca is a young woman who forms her own "house"—the House of Evangelista—after receiving a positive diagnosis for HIV. As the head of the House of Evangelista, she becomes a surrogate mother to several abandoned queer youth of color.[23] Described as a "breakout, starring role,"[18][24] her performance has been praised by critics.[24][25][26][27] Among the show's regular cast are Rodriguez's Saturday Church co-star Indya Moore, Tony Award-winner Billy Porter, model Dominique Jackson, Evan Peters, Kate Mara, and James Van Der Beek.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Saturday Church Ebony
2017 Bun in the Oven Bertha Short film
2018 Gema Gema Short film
2018 The Big Take Robyn

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Nurse Jackie Lonna Episode: "No-Kimono-Zone"
2013 The Carrie Diaries Fabulous Clubgoer #2 Episode: "Read Before Use"
2016 [Blank] My Life Kerry Episode: "Mr. Owl"
2016 Luke Cage Sister Boy Episode: "Manifest"
2018 Pose Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista Main role

Theatre

Year(s) Production Role Location Category
2011 Rent Angel New World Stages Off-Broadway
2016 Runaways Pixie Encores! Off-Center Off-Broadway
2016 Street Children Gina New Ohio Theatre Off-Broadway
2017 Trans Scripts: Part 1, The Women Luna Loeb Drama Center
2017 Burn All Night Ensemble Oberon at the American Repertory Theater Cambridge

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
2011 Clive Barnes Award Rent Won
2017 Tribeca Film Festival Best Actress Saturday Church Nominated

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Henderson, Kathy (September 1, 2011). "MJ Rodriguez on a Heavenly Off-Broadway Debut as Angel in Rent". John Gore Organization. Broadway.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  2. ↑ @MjRodriguez7 (6 January 2016). "It's Officially my B-day Jan 7th! I'm 25!!!!!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ "NUNN ON ONE TV Mj Rodriguez strikes a 'Pose' - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive - Windy City Times". Windy City Times. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  4. 1 2 3 "MJ Rodriguez – The Importance of Being Seen". October 7, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Kenneth (December 5, 2011). "MJ Rodriguez of Rent Is Clive Barnes Award Winner". Playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gioia, Michael (June 7, 2016). "MJ Rodriguez Talks Her Transition and Hamilton Audition". Playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Kumar, Naveen (January 12, 2018). "Mj Rodriguez and Indya Moore Break Barriers With FX's 'Pose' and 'Saturday Church' (Exclusive)". ETOnline.com. ET. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ Garcia-Navarro, Lulu (June 17, 2018). "'You Just Serve As Much As You Can': Mj Rodriguez On Ball Culture And 'Pose'". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  9. ↑ Silver, Jocelyn. "Talking Pose with Mother Mj Rodriguez", Paper (magazine), July 19, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2018. "When I was 14 years old, I was in high school [at New Jersey's Newark Arts High School] at the time, and we would hold mini fashion shows."
  10. ↑ Wontorek, Paul (July 6, 2016). "One On One: Runaways Star MJ Rodriguez on Keeping the Drama Onstage and Getting Real as a Trans Actress". John Gore Organization. Broadway.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  11. ↑ Fasanella, Allie (June 10, 2018). ""Pose" Is Making Television History With These 5 Transgender Actors". Condé Nast. Teen Vogue. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  12. ↑ White, Brett (March 8, 2018). "'Marvel's Jessica Jones': Every Easter Egg and Marvel Reference in Season 2". New York Post. Decider. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  13. ↑ Salandra, Adam (May 21, 2016). "Trans Actress Thanks Producers For Letting Her Audition For "Hamilton"". Logo TV. NewNowNext. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  14. ↑ McPhee, Ryan (May 25, 2016). "MJ Rodriguez & More Set for Encores! Off-Center's Runaways at City Center". John Gore Organization. Broadway.com. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  15. ↑ Clement, Olivia (December 6, 2016). "'Street Children' Proclaim the Right to Be Fabulous in the Face of Adversity". Playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  16. ↑ Clement, Olivia (January 23, 2017). "Watch the Cast of Trans Scripts Discuss the Groundbreaking A.R.T. Production". Playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  17. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (July 28, 2017). "Pop-Synth Musical 'Burn All Night', by Andy Mientus and Teen Commandments, Arrives at A.R.T." Playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Champagne, Christine (June 28, 2017). "Mj Rodriguez on Breaking Out as Blanca on Ryan Murphy's Pose". MPAA.org. MPAA. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  19. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (October 25, 2017). "Ryan Murphy Makes History With Largest Cast of Transgender Actors for FX's 'Pose'". HollywoodReporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (October 25, 2017). "FX's 'Pose': Ryan Murphy Sets Largest Transgender Cast Ever For Scripted Series". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Pose: Season 1 - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Pose: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  23. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 3, 2018). "Is Blanca On 'Pose' A Real Person? Mj Rodriguez Shares Some Life Experiences With Her Nurturing House Mother Character". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  24. 1 2 Fienberg, Daniel (May 22, 2018). "'Pose': TV Review". HollywoodReporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  25. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (May 31, 2018). "'Pose' Review: Ryan Murphy's '80s NYC Ball Scene Drama Scores 10s Across The Board". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  26. ↑ Lawson, Richard (May 30, 2018). "'Pose' Is Bold, Necessary Melodrama". Condé Nast. Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  27. ↑ Poniewozik, James (June 1, 2018). "Review: 'Pose' Demands to Be Seen". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
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