This is the visibility we need!
Fans know and love Michaela Jaé Rodriguez for a myriad of reasons. Not only is she known for her iconic roles on Pose, Rent, or Loot, but she's also the first trans actor to win a Golden Globe and the first trans woman to earn an Emmy Award nomination in a major acting category.
With great power comes comes great responsibility and Rodriguez is not afraid to lead the charge when it comes to vital LGBTQ+ representation.
"It'd hard for me to even look back sometimes. I don't even take a chance in real life to smell the flowers. I'm thankful and I'm humbled. If I can be somebody who is a hope to people around the world, especially LGBTQ+ people, then I guess I'm doing my job," Rodriguez tells The Advocate.
The star is continuing to add to her iconic résumé by promoting the second season of the hysterical comedy Loot, alongside Maya Rudolph and Joel Kim Booster.
Rodriguez portrays Sofia, who serves as the director to Rudolph's character, Molly, and her charitable foundation. As a show that includes prominent LGBTQ+ representation, Loot doesn't make Sofia's queer identity the sole focus.
"I think it's so important to show LGBTQ+ people in a light where the titles that they go by or who they are is not the topic of discussion. The storyline behind how they grow as a human being is the best thing."
Many prominent LGBTQ+ roles or projects hone in on trauma, coming out, bullying, or a depressing aspect of being part of the queer family.
Loot makes a conscience effort to show Rodriguez as a complex and beautiful woman who's no different than any other person on the cast.
"The representation is important. We need to see more people and more trans people centered on screens, but not specifically for their transness, instead for storylines that each and every last person around the world can actually relate to. There's so much more to expect."
The show's co-creators Matt Hubbard and Alan Yang also agree that the roles assigned to Rodriguez and Booster weren't based on their identity, but rather solely on their talents and abilities as actors.
"Honestly, we just find the best actor for the role and that was Joel Kim Booster for Nicholas and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez for Sofia. It was extremely easy to cast them and put them into this pot. We are so happy and thankful that we get a chance to work with them," Hubbard says.
"We're all human beings! That's how they're portrayed in the show. To me, that's so baseline. They're so talented and we love working with them as well," Yang adds.
Season two of Loot premieres Wednesday, April 3 on Apple TV+. To see the full interview with Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, check out the video below.
MJ Rodriguez Reflects on Her Iconic Career & Talks 'Loot' Season 2youtu.be
