11 Reasons I'm Obsessed With Michaela Jaé (Mj) Rodriguez, And Why You Should Be Too
Sorry to everyone else, but Michaela Jaé invented being an icon.
Dear readers, I have gathered you here today to sing the praises of Emmy-nominated actress Mj (aka Michaela Jaé) Rodriguez. Let us begin, in our attempt to quantify the beauty and grace that Mj so clearly embodies.
1. Her character on Pose, Blanca, is one of the best on TV.
No, I will not be taking questions at this time. If you haven't had the honor of watching Pose — which just concluded its three-season run on FX earlier this year — pick up the TV remote and do so now. The series, which explores New York City's queer- and trans-led 1980s ballroom culture, has some of the most honest, beautiful, and heartfelt representation I've ever seen. And when it comes to Blanca, there's no other character in existence who comes close to being as caring, selfless, determined, and poised.
2. Of course, this is due to Mj's incredible talent as an actress (and the writing, too).
There's a reason Mj is Emmy nominated, being the first trans woman in a major acting category to accomplish that. (I will not comment on her egregious snub here because it simply makes me too angry for words — the Academy will be getting a strongly worded letter from me!) While she attended performing arts schools as a child, Mj first got her start in an off-Broadway production of Rent, where she played Angel Dumott Schunard. After transitioning, she had a number of small television appearances — including on Nurse Jackie, The Carrie Diaries, and Luke Cage (meaning she became the first trans actress and character in a Marvel project). In 2017, she also earned a Best Actress nomination at the Tribeca Film Festival for her role as Ebony in the independent film Saturday Church.
3. Because she's a multi-talented icon, Michaela Jaé also sings, and she released a debut single in June.
View this video on YouTube
Of course, Pose fans will recognize her vocal chops from the series — notably when she performed a duet rendition of "Home" from the 1975 musical The Wiz with Billy Porter's Pray Tell in Season 1. But Mj made her official debut as Michaela Jaé, the artist, on June 4, with the release of "Something to Say" under the Access Records label. The track is, in my opinion, an infectious blend of pop and disco-funk that just makes you want to get up and dance! And the colorful visuals in the music video — which, believe it or not, were put together within mere hours — are just *chef's kiss.* Speaking to People, Michaela Jaé said the inspiration behind the song was to "represent everyone." She added, "I want to make you smile all the time, so if I did that, I'm happy."
4. And she doesn't JUST want to be defined by her role on Pose.
%20Rodriguez%2C%20And%20Why%20You%20Should%20Be%20Too&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimg-mkr.buzzfeed.com%2Fbuzzfeed-static%2Fstatic%2F2021-09%2F26%2F18%2Ftmp%2F9d3615750064%2Ftmp-name-2-405-1632680469-0_dblbig.jpg%3Ftemplate%3Dpinterest-vertical-halftone-v1%26title%3DMTEgUmVhc29ucyBJJ20gT2JzZXNzZWQgV2l0aCBNaWNoYWVsYSBKYcOpIChNaikgUm9kcmlndWV6LCBBbmQgV2h5IFlvdSBTaG91bGQgQmUgVG9v%26color1%3Dbluelight){kind=link}
In a profile with Refinery29, the multi-hyphenate said she was ready for the next chapter of her career and wanted to be reborn in the public eye as Michaela Jaé. “I wanted people to see that I was more than just this character that I played on a television screen. … It was only right and even more personal to let people know who the woman inside of Mj is: Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez," she explained. "The only way I was going to do that was if I really made a mark through my music and separated myself from the person who Mj was, which is the actress that shows up and that keeps it together.”
5. The 30-year-old is also a glamorous trendsetter.
Mj has looks for days! Just take a look at her 2021 Met Gala look or any of her iconic fashion moments from Pose. From matching sets to designer gowns and bodycon dresses, she literally never misses.
6. Mj makes it a point to always advocate for her community and accurate representation, paving the way for other trans artists of color.
Speaking to the Washington Post's woman-driven outlet The Lily, Mj said, "Sadly, that [discrimination against trans women of color] is something that still goes on. But I’m glad that something like [Pose] is showing that there were women like Blanca and there were women like Angel or Elektra or Candy or Lulu. You know there was still a fight going on inside of the community, because there was still work that needed to be done. Hopefully, the community, especially the African American community, will see that this is something we went through and this is something that we will always go through and that we always have to fight."
7. Particularly, she has spoken out on how colorism disproportionately marginalizes darker-skinned actors of color.
“I don't think when it comes to colorism right now that there is progression,” she said. “If not everyone's a part of [what’s on screen], and you only see a group of people who are of a lighter complexion, especially if they are assimilated to whiteness, then that goes to show there's not a lot of work being done. The work is happening, but there needs to be more.”
8. But she's also quick to disallow labels to define her and refuses to be a token.
“I just pray that, at a certain point, people get to see the human being,” Michaela Jaé shared with Refinery29. “That people get to see the person who is all types of intersectionalities — Black, Latina, trans, a woman, all things encompassed in one — and not use it as a logline or a subtext title where it's like, ‘This is what she is and look at what she's done because she is trans.’”
The actress cited her upcoming role on Loot — an Apple TV+ comedy series costarring Maya Rudolph — where her gender identity is not a focal point as proof of progress: “I do believe Hollywood is seeing me. If I weren't able to book Loot, I probably would have different words. But now that I'm doing a show where my transness is not highlighted, [I’m optimistic].”
9. She's been dreaming of being in the limelight as a starlet since she was 5 years old — and, if I do say so myself, she's gone above and beyond in accomplishing that goal.
“Being herstory is so profound. Beautifully profound,” she told Refinery29 about being at the 2021 Emmys alongside acting legends. “Finally, finally, I get to be in the same spaces that I've been dreaming of when I was 5 years old.”
She added, "I wanted to be the girl that was just in a movie and that was doing her hard work and just maybe, who knows, get awarded for it. Maybe possibly get a nomination. Now it's happening. With my dreams coming true, so many more babies behind me — their dreams are going to come true even more than mine."
(No, it's fine, I'm just over here sobbing.)
10. She's beginning to work on her debut album and hopes to collaborate with fellow Black women artists who are ascending in the music ranks.
Specifically, she would love to have Doja Cat or Chloe Bailey hop on a track with her. And I, personally, would love to see it.
11. And finally, she wants to star in a rom-com in the vein of Jennifer Lopez's 2000s movies.
As a self-proclaimed romantic-comedy film connoisseur, I believe it is my personal mission to expedite this process. She said of her rom-com movie goals, "I would just love to be a silly, goofy girl who falls head over heels for this guy or vice versa. I see myself showing people another side of the [romantic] experience of a woman like myself and many other women who go through it. It's not just the trans experience."