èßäAV

Only weeks ago, Michaela Jaé (Mj) Rodriguez made history as the first Trans woman to win a Golden Globe Award for her ground-breaking performance in Pose. While the Awards program went untelevised, Rodriguez made an impassioned speech on Instagram live saying, “There are going to be so many young individuals — young, talented thriving individuals — that are going to be able to trail in and storm in through the door. This is for y'all." Such an honor was a fitting end to the Pose, having just wrapped its third and final season, and long overdue for Rodriguez.

While Pose propelled Rodriguez to global fame, she has always been committed to changing the way the world views Trans actors. Growing up in Newark New Jersey, Rodriguez envisioned a career in the arts as early as eleven years old, and went on to attend the Berklee College of Music, sharpening her musical training. Often in search of roles that reflected her true identity as an Afro-Latina woman, Rodriguez secured a role as Angel in New World Stages production of Rent.

 “When I saw Angel’s character [in Rent], I saw a female. But they didn’t have the vernacular; they didn’t have words back in the 1990s when Rent was being created, for us. So when Angel came along, I said, ‘This is me. I have to do this,’” she remembers.

After Rent, Rodgriez snagged notable television roles in Nurse Jackie and Marvel’s Luke Cage, made an indie film debut in Saturday Church at the Tribeca Film Festival, and launched a solo music career with Access Records. Needless to say, Michaela Jaé is booked and busy.

Whether it’s the stage or the silver screen, Rodriguez possesses a unique knack for unearthing the humanity behind any character. An outspoken advocate for diverse representation in Hollywood and beyond, Rodriguez may be the first trans woman to reach such heights in acting, but doesn’t want to be the last.

“I want to be that actress that is fighting for all rights,” she told Variety in 2019. “I’m obviously fighting for my community simply because I’m trans…and I do it because that’s my existence. I wake up in the morning, and that is my activism.”