Mj Rodriguez is proud to be a trailblazer.
“I do believe this is a pivotal moment.
But Rodriguez’s Emmy nomination didn’t come out of nowhere.
“I wanted to be everything under the sun,” she toldDr.
Drama, “but my main passion was singing and I wanted to act while doing so.
And thank goodness I can move well, so I can get past some dance audition.”
By this point, she was already thinking about the professional opportunities her passions offered her.
And it’s just carried through, throughout the years,” she said.
Fortunately, Rodriguez’s family lived in New Jersey, so getting to Broadway wasn’t too problematic.
“I put ‘Michael’ and ‘Junior’ together, and it worked perfectly,” she toldBroadway.com.
“The first time they called her MJ, I thought, ‘That’s a cool name!'”
It’s not surprising Rodriguez turned to comic books as inspiration for her evolving identity.
Her main character is a tall, striking woman.
“I’ve been building her up.
She’s kind of like me.
She’s just this misunderstood girl in the world.
“My mother turned around and said, ‘Who is that?’
“I turned to my father and said, ‘I want to play Angel.’
And he said, ‘In due time.'”
And only a few years after that, her portrayal of Angel off-Broadway would launch her professional career.
“She vouched for me.
I wasn’t a bad kid, just like how Damon isn’t a bad kid.
But sometimes you’re conflicted with things as a kid.”
She added that her mother always had her back, even when she was being difficult.
“Sometimes I became closed off, and I would almost miss opportunities.
“I’ve experienced that before.
I’ve walked into gay bars with my gay brothers, and they would completely ignore me.”
She noted that they’d even say rude things to her.
Second, she wanted to be accepted as female.
“But as all parents do, she went through a [phase] of asking ‘Why?
I don’t understand.’
Sometimes that may be projected as anger.”
But getting up the nerve to physically transition took some time.
Her hair and [clothes] … Just living,” she told Playbill.
She further elaborated on her struggle in an interview withDr.
That’s who I was in my head for all of my life until that time.
After “Rent” closed, she decided to take the leap and has never looked back.
But it’s a world Mj Rodriguez knows well.
And obviously African-American and Latina lesbians.”
She toldThe New York Times, “I would like to see more representation of Latinx LGBTQ figures.
There’s not enough.”
But she feels that taking cisgender female roles is also an important part of trans representation.
“I love playing who I am because that makes people more aware,” she toldDr.
I don’t want that.”
And Rodriguez is doing her part to make this a reality.
“I’ve been getting calls for female and trans roles, hence ‘Hamilton.’
But affirming as these experiences were, they were still one-offs.
To truly represent her communities, she needed a bigger platform.
And she was excited by the opportunity to share her message with an even bigger audience.
“I call it this beautiful oil spill, slash edgy Victorian look,” she toldInStyle.
She said her dress choice was intended to reflect the year’s Met Gala theme, American independence.
“You have to give what you give.
“They’re really high so that it can give you this kind of elevation.
I wanted people to see that I felt like I’m a statue.”
And in real life, she continues to relish emotional connections with her fans and others.
As she said toEntertainment Weekly, “I love giving hugs.
I don’t want to stop giving hugs for a minute.”
“That makes the job and everything that you do worth it.”
And when her name was announced, her family erupted into hugs of celebration.
“My d**n cheeks hurt I’m smiling so much,” she shared.
“This nomination is not just for me.
