Mj Rodriguez is an actress and singer from New Jersey, the USA. She rose to fame after she was cast as Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista in the 2018 FX series, “Pose”. She has been one of the transgender actors starring in the show. As of September 2021, it was revealed that she had been nominated for an Emmy award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series” for her role in “Pose”. With this, she became the first trans actress to receive a nomination for an Emmy award in the lead acting categories. show. After coming out as gay at the age of 14, she underwent gender replacement therapy in 2016. Her first appearance as a transgender character and her role as ‘Sister Boy’ in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s web series, “Luke Cage” (2016), was praised by many. After her transition, Mj uploaded a video of herself singing the track, “Satisfied”, which is the single from the Broadway musical, ‘Hamilton’. She gained the deserved appreciation and was also invited for an audition for the role of Maria Reynolds in Hamilton from the famous director Telsey + Company. She made her first theatrical film appearance as Ebony in the musical fantasy drama film, “Saturday Church” in 2018 whereas she made her first TV show appearance as Lonna in the medical-comedy drama series, “Nurse Jackie” in the year 2012. She started her professional singing career in 2017 by releasing singles like Wrong Side of Town and You’ll Be Missing Me.
Mj Rodriguez Talks History-Making Emmy Nomination as a Trans Actress
Mj Rodriguez made Emmys history with her recent lead actress nomination for her role as Blanca Evangelista on Pose, becoming the first transgender woman to be recognized in a lead acting category at the ceremony. Now, Mj could be making history once again if she wins at Sunday’s Emmys. Ahead of the award show, Mj attended TV Academy’s annual pre-Emmy party on Friday, where she celebrated her historic nod. “I just want to constantly keep making that change,” Mj told Variety’s Marc Malkin on the red carpet. “I want to constantly keep making history. I want to be at the front of change . . . I am testimony that it is possible. There’s no excuses. The door is wide open and you can run right through it. There’s no crack. There’s no slipping in.” The actress also revealed that she already has a speech written in case she wins and that her Pose costars Billy Porter and Indya Moore have been texting her all weekend. “I’m glad that people in my life can come and celebrate this moment with me. It’s big.” Not only is Mj’s Emmy nod historic, but it’s also her first time being nominated at the ceremony. “I’m excited. I’m lifted. I’m thankful. I’m humbled and I’m grateful,” she told People. “I feel like this moment in time has never ever happened for a girl like myself and I feel like it’s time and it’s time to keep showing up. It doesn’t stop here.” Win or lose, Mj is opening doors for more transgender representation in Hollywood.
What makes Mj Rodriguez so famous?
- For appearing as Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista in the 2018 drama series, “Pose”.
- Being cast as Angel in the Off-Broadway revival of “Rent”.
Source: @instagram.com/mjrodriguez7
What is Mj Rodriguez’s Birth Name? Know About Her Family, Age, Ethnicity
Mj Rodriguez was born on 7th January 1991 with the birth name of Michaela Antonia Jae Rodriguez. Her place of birth is Newark, New Jersey, the USA. She holds American nationality and her ethnic background is multiracial (Hispanic and Black). She is of African-American descent on her mother’s side and has Puerto-Rican roots on her father’s side. As per her birth date, her Zodiac sign falls under Capricorn. She follows the Christianity religion. While she had “prayed to become female” beginning at age 7, she states that she was in denial for many years and initially came out to her parents as “bisexual/gay” at the age of 14. She became involved in the ballroom scene where she found support from her house father who taught her to vogue at the age of 14. Details about her parent’s names are unavailable at a moment. However, the fact is only known that she has a sibling; a sister named Kyss who is in the Entertainment business and runs a hair salon.
About her educational qualification, Mj attended Queen of Angels Catholic School. Although she wanted to become an actress since the age of seven, 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. She graduated from Newark Arts High School and then she got enrolled at Berklee College of Music where she was a 2009 Star-Ledger scholarship recipient and a 2009 Young Arts first level scholarship recipient. She 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.
Mj Rodriguez Career Timeline
- Mj Rodriguez was cast in a theater production of “Rent” as Angel Dumott Schunard while she was in college.
- She then connected with actress Fredi Walker-Browne (the actress who originated the Broadway role of Joanne Jefferson in Rent) who was in attendance at one of Rodriguez’s performances. Walker-Browne helped Rodriguez to land an audition in an upcoming off-Broadway production of “Rent”.
- Later, she was cast for the role in the off-Broadway production, and her performance achieved her the 2011 Clive Barnes.
- Then, she began exploring the transitioning process in the year 2012 which made the decision to go on hiatus to begin the transition. In early 2016, her hormone replacement therapy began and she started a new chapter as a female actress. She also contacted her representation to inform them that she was no longer auditioning for male roles. She found her representation to be fully supportive of her new gender identity.
- During the period between 2012 to 2016, she appeared in small television roles, including “Nurse Jackie”, “The Carrie Diaries”, and “Luke Cage”.
- She also uploaded a video of herself on Facebook singing the number “Satisfied” from the Broadway musical Hamilton.
Source: @broadway
- Additionally, she appeared in several additional stage productions; Encores! Off-Center’s 2016 production of Runaways, the 2016 off-Broadway premiere of Street Children by Pia Skala-Zankel at the New Ohio Theatre, the American Repertory Theater’s 2017 production of Trans Scripts: Part 1, The Women at the Loeb Drama Center, the 2017 world premiere of the synth-pop musical Burn All Night in the Oberon at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge,
- Moreover, she landed a supporting role in the independent film “Saturday Church” as Ebony which was premiered in January 2018 which earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
- In the year 2017, she was cast in the leading role of Blanca Evangelista in the FX series “Pose” which 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.
- Described as a “breakout, starring role,” her performance has been praised by critics.
- She also performed with “Pose” co-stars Dyllón Burnside, Billy Porter, and Ryan Jamaal Swain in a benefit concert on 23rd July 2018, to celebrate the season 1 finale and raise money for GLSEN and sing “Waving Through a Window” from Dear Evan Hansen.
- In the year 2019, she became the first openly transgender woman to win Best Actress – Television at the Imagen Awards.
- At the end of the year 2019, he played Audrey, the leading lady in Pasadena Playhouse’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors”, becoming the first transgender woman of color to play the role in a major production.
- On 1st October 2019, she and “Little Shop of Horrors” co-star George Salazar were the musical guests on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” on CBS where they performed “Suddenly Seymour.”
- She then landed a contract with Olay Body, becoming the first Latina trans woman to enter a partnership with the company in November 2019.
- On 7th May 2021, it was reported Variety that Rodriguez would star alongside Maya Rudolph in Apple TV’s upcoming comedy series which will be directed by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard.
- Additionally, she became the first transgender woman to receive an Emmy Award nomination in a major acting category; she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in the third and final season of Pose in 2021.
- On 4th June 2021, she released her first single as a singer called “Something to Say” under the musical label Access Records with the name of Michaela Jae.
Who is Mj Rodriguez Boyfriend?
Mj Rodriguez is not married yet and she is still to get married. But she is not single as of today. She is dating her handsome boyfriend whose name goes by Stephen Gimigliano. By profession, Stephen is a screenwriter. The duo is spotted in several places as well holding hands of each other. Stephen is spotted celebrating with Mj when Emmy 2021 nominations were announced. Today, the lovely couple is enjoying their present life happily without any disturbances.
Source: @distractify
What is the Net Worth of Mj Rodriguez?
Mj Rodriguez is a very talented singer and actress who has appeared in a number of movies and TV Shows. As of 2021, the net worth of Rodriguez is estimated to have $1 Million-$5 Million. Her main source of wealth comes from an acting career whereas her secondary source of wealth is from a singing career. Whereas her exact salary details are still to get revealed yet as Mj herself has not stated anything about her career earnings to the media. She is living a lavish lifestyle as of today.
How tall is Mj Rodriguez? Details About Her Gender Transition
Mj Rodriguez is a very charming and attractive personality lady whose body build is slim. She has a tall height of 5 ft 8 in and her balanced body weight consist of 58 Kg or 128 lbs. Her hair color is dark brown and she has a pair of black eyes. She has a pointed chin. Her sexual orientation is transgender (male to female). In 2012, Rodriguez decided to undergo transition surgery and in early 2016, she underwent complete gender replacement therapy. Details regarding her other body measurements such as waist size, shoe size, and more are still to get disclosed yet. Overall, she has got a healthy body as of today.
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