Good for her! ~ V
Joining the ‘Pose’ star on this year’s list of LGBTQ+ changemakers are Lil Nas X, Pete Buttigieg, Poppy Liu, Leyna Bloom, Carl Nassib and Natalie Morales, among others.
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez’s banner year continues. The Pose star, who made history as the first transgender performer to land a best drama actress Emmy nomination, has been named by The Advocate as its 2021 person of the year.
The honor comes on the heels of Rodriguez releasing a single titled “Something to Say” and as she preps for the release of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Netflix film tick, tick…BOOM!, in which she plays Carolyn. She’s also got more to say on the music front as she finishes polishing an EP.
In the magazine’s cover story, Rodriguez, who previously went by a shortened version of her name, Mj, says she’s still processing all of the attention and recognition for her standout creative work. “I’m still grasping and wondering and even perplexed that I got this far being a Black Latina trans woman. That just has not happened for us,” she explains. “So when it did, it really lit a fire underneath to just keep going and to also know that there are people watching me.”
The Advocate editor-in-chief Tracy E. Gilchrist explained why so many eyes are on her, including at the magazine.
As a performer and in her life, Rodriguez exudes grace and optimism. She’s a rare talent who has created a path for others to follow. And she’s helped change trans visibility on TV and in film for the better forever.
tick, tick…BOOM!
Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM!, an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionized theater as the creator of Rent.
The film follows Jon (Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Andrew Garfield), a young theater composer who’s waiting tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical.
Days before he’s due to showcase his work in a make-or-break performance, Jon is feeling the pressure from everywhere: from his girlfriend Susan, who dreams of an artistic life beyond New York City; from his friend Michael, who has moved on from his dream to a life of financial security; amidst an artistic community being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic.
With the clock ticking, Jon is at a crossroads and faces the question everyone must reckon with: What are we meant to do with the time we have?
In select theaters and on Netflix November 19.
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Blacklanderz® 