Pose star MJ Rodriguez: ‘It made my heart melt’

POSE star MJ Rodriguez knew her series was boundary breaking. But the reactions were no less extraordinary.

AS ONE of five transgender leads in a major TV show, M.J. Rodriguez is breaking through boundaries.

Pose is set in the 1980s underground ballroom scene, where the marginalised transgender community came together and held events in which they sashayed and competed — it’s the kind of incredible spectacle you have to see to believe.

Rodriguez, who has appeared in The Carrie Diaries, Nurse Jackie and on stage in productions of Rent, plays Blanca, a new House Mother who builds her own family.

She spoke with news.com.au on what a show like Pose means to someone like her and about her own past in the ballroom scene.

Pose is set in the 1980s underground ballroom scene

(Edited for clarity and length.)

To people that aren’t familiar with the ballroom scene, what’s the essence of it to you? How do you describe it to them?

I have so many ways I can explain the ballroom scene. But the essence of the ballroom scene would be elegance, extravagance and fabulousness to its 100 per cent. It’s a place where you can be whoever you want to be inside of already being who you are. It’s a place where you can express through clothing, through movement, it’s also a place where you can find comfort and home with others who are just like you. That’s the essence of the ballroom scene.

When Pose and Blanca was pitched to you, did you have any reservations or concerns about how your community would be portrayed on screen?

You know, it’s funny, I never had any reservations or concerns because I knew was part of the community and that I would do my very best to represent my community. I was so happy I was a part of it for a specific time in my life. I had a House Father and I had brothers and sisters who were in the community so I wasn’t too concerned. I probably felt like it was a duty and responsibility I had to take on, and it was more important than the show — especially our African-American trans stories.

The case of Pose speak onstage during the Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour. Picture: Frederick M. Brown

With your background and experience in the ballroom scene, did you bring any of that to the set that had an impact on the script or the characterisation?

Yeah, there were many things I had brought from the ballroom scene into the script, as well as some things from outside the ballroom scene that I brought into the script. Obviously, vogueing is a very, very important aspect of the ballroom scene as well as runway and I had learnt runaway from my House Father, Timothy J. Smart, and I made sure I did him justice by walking the way he taught me.

What were some of the reactions like when the show aired in the US? Have people reached out to you with their own stories?

I’m glad you asked that because there were many, many people who contacted me through instant messages on my Instagram — most of them young kids who were saying I have a House Mother just like you or I had a House Mother who passed away and I’m so glad I can see her through the TV screen. Just to see the younger generation seeing people who are representing them and giving them the hope to be whoever they want to be. It made my heart melt, it made my heart chords burst a little bit.

You mentioned that kids have reached out to you who are part of the scene. If Pose had been on air when you were a kid, what would that have meant to you?

If I had seen Pose in the years I was a kid, it would have probably meant everything to me. Not only would I have been able to see people like me on the screen, that would’ve also been a catapult for me at the time to either fight harder to move forward. But if it were to happen to me at that time I’m sure it would’ve made me even stronger than I am today, I think it’s pretty great.

MJ Rodriguez is a star of stage and TV. Picture: John Lamparski

A lot has been made of the significance of this series being the first to feature five transgender characters as main characters. Being on set together, what was that like?

Well one, having us all on set, most of us know each other which I think is a blessing in disguise. Most of us have known each other through work we’ve done together, most of us have known each other from events we’ve seen each other at. So being able to see not only five women but five women of trans and Latina experiences. They’re not the same generic stories that you always hear — these are five different specific stories that many people can relate to. I think it’s beautiful that people get to dive into each story and see the human aspects of each and every one of these characters.

Now that we’ve had Pose, where do you think trans representation will be in five years?

I think possibly down the line in five years, I think transness will possibly be not even a factor when it comes to acting. I think women of all walks of life and walks of experiences will be able to go into the roles that they choose. Actually, I think it might happen earlier, the wave is starting now, the outlook is really, really great.

Pose starts on Showcase on Foxtel on Tuesday, September 11 at 8.30pm.

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