The Story of Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, the First Transgender Actress to Win a Golden Globe for Best Actress
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez has wanted to become an actress since childhood, and she’s fulfilled her dream. Now Michaela plays in movies, TV shows, and theater. In 2022, she became the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe for her performance in the series Pose. Let’s find out the story of this actress, and how she transitioned and achieved success in Hollywood.
Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez was born in Newark, New Jersey. She knew she wanted to become an actress when she was only 7 years old, and she also knew who she really was, “I had an understanding that I was this extremely divine feminine creature on this earth.” At 11, her mother enrolled her in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and later she attended Berklee College of Music where she specialized in writing and performing songs.
At 14, Michaela came out to her parents as bisexual/gay, and at the same period of time, she became involved in the ballroom scene, an underground LGBTQ+ subculture that helps people express themselves artistically and find shelter, if necessary. “Ballroom shaped me in the ways of culture,” the actress revealed. According to Michaela, it was Ballroom that made her a well-rounded person.
While attending college, Michaela was cast in a theater production of Rent as Angel Dumott Schunard. Her character was a drag queen who presented as a woman for most of the show. This role made Michaela think, “Seeing what went on, it just kind of prepared me for what was to come and it was educational.” This role earned her a Clive Barnes Award. Taking part in this play prompted Michaela to an important event in her life: she took a hiatus from performing to transition.
She started her hormone replacement therapy, and at the age of 24 she came out as transgender. Michaela was concerned about the fact that the opportunities for transgender actors were very limited at the time. She informed her agent that she was no longer auditioning for male roles. Despite her concerns, her agent turned out to be fully supportive of her new gender identity.
She also received support from her family and friends who helped her on her way to acting success. “There were moments where I was called many derogatory names. I’ve gotten into a couple of fights. But experiences that you go through are what make you stronger and what help you push forward through life,” Michaela confessed.
From 2012 to 2017, Rodriguez appeared in Nurse Jackie, The Carrie Diaries, Luke Cage, and Saturday Church. And in 2017, she landed a pivotal role in the series Pose which tells the story of New York City’s Ballroom culture scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s. This role became a breakthrough in Michaela’s career making her the first transgender actress to earn an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and to win a Golden Globe.
She couldn’t even imagine that she would ever win such a prestigious award, “Being the kind of girl that I am, you never think that you would get an award like this.” According to the actress, she had these thoughts because she was insecure — she even thought that her acting career would end as soon as Pose ended.
However, she worried for nothing. Her career didn’t end there. In 2022, the new comedy series Loot starring her was released. She also took part in the Calvin Klein advertising campaign, appeared on the covers of popular magazines, such as Entertainment Weekly, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair, and also launched her music career which was kickstarted by the release of her debut single Something to Say.
Michaela wasn’t afraid to be herself when she was a child, and she continues to be like that. The actress supports LGBTQ+ community, and this year she performed during The 33rd Annual Nashville Pride Festival. “I feel like it is an obligation to live out my God-given purpose and that is to be a voice for the LGBTQIA community. And I use my platform daily to inspire those like me. If not me, then who?” Michaela said.
Just recently, the actress accepted another part of herself — she stopped hiding behind her unisex nickname MJ Rodriguez. As a child, she was very fond of Marvel Comics and took the stage name after the character Mary Jane “MJ” Watson. But in 2021, she decided to start using her full name so that the world knew her name and who she really was.
Michaela doesn’t like to talk about her personal life, but she has a boyfriend, Stephen. The couple loves to travel together, they also appear at different red carpet events together.
Michaela’s successful acting career means a lot to all transgender people in the world. This is a real breakthrough that proves all people regardless of their views, preferences, and race deserve respect and recognition. “This is for the LGBTQAI, Black, Latina, Asian, the many multi beautiful colors of the rainbow around the world. This is not just for me, this is for you all,” Michaela shared.
We admire Michaela’s work and wish her even more success in her acting career!