Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is no stranger to making history. As the first transgender woman to win a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Blanca Evangelista on Pose, she became a trailblazer in Hollywood, breaking barriers and paving the way for other trans actors to follow. Rodriguez’s work on Pose redefined what it means to be a leading lady, offering a glimpse of the vulnerability and strength that makes her a force both on and off screen. Now starring in Apple TV’s Loot alongside Maya Rudolph, Rodriguez continues to prove that she’s not only a powerhouse actress but also an undeniable force in the industry. With her debut album 33, she is stepping into yet another spotlight, one that has been calling to her since her days as a young girl in New Jersey, performing in arts programs that ignited her passion for music.
Rodriguez is now turning up the volume on her lifelong love of music. Each track on the album tells the story of a cloned humanoid woman navigating an alien world—an allegorical journey that reflects Rodriguez’s own path of self-discovery and empowerment. The album delves into deep human emotions through a fantastical narrative that merges her love for sci-fi with her lived experiences. “I’ve always been fascinated by ‘chosen ones’ like Neo from The Matrix,” she tells Unbothered over the phone, drawing a parallel between her album’s heroine and her personal arc as a trans woman breaking new ground in entertainment.
The album’s lead single, “Green Lights,” is an anthem of empowerment for anyone who has ever felt stuck at a crossroads, waiting for permission to move forward. It’s a reflection of her own journey, with a powerful message that urges listeners not to miss their moment. Whether acting, singing, or simply showing up as her authentic self, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is breaking new ground and redefining what it means to lead with grace, resilience, and unapologetic authenticity.
Unbothered: You often use your platform for activism. Can you share a pivotal moment where your art has directly influenced social change?
Michaela Jae Rodriguez: There are many moments where [I realized] how my art really shifted the narrative. I started having interviews about Loot and [my character] Sophia and her trajectory as a woman and then questioning what kind of woman she was – that’s when I realized it was pivotal because people were asking the questions [about trans representation] and I was able to answer. It didn’t matter what walk of life she walked as a woman because she had to really just climb the ladder, as all women have to do, and really fight harder than most. It challenged them to ask the questions.
You said recently that the album is “subconsciously healing the trauma that I never addressed.” What did you mean by that? How so?
MJR: The traumas of the world. When I would get heckled on the street or when I would get called out of my name on the streets, this album really healed a lot of that because I spoke about those things. One of the records on the album touches on the whys – why do I go through these things or why do I feel I have to succumb when I don’t necessarily have to? Why is the world always coming at the necks of people who are different, no matter if they are part of the queer community or not? Why is the unknown so scary? Instead, why don’t you become a little bit more curious? All of those things were traumas that I had to deal with when I was younger and didn’t know how to. I lived through anxiety when that happened. Even though I had the strength to walk down the street, the anxiety was still pushing. There was anxiety pushing through and there was confidence pushing through that anxiety. That’s what helped me get through, but there was still that. Now my anxieties are totally different. Now that I am speaking truths through my music, the anxieties are what is going to come of [speaking out]? I’m not as worrisome as when I was younger. It’s definitely healing so much. I’ve grown from writing this album.
33 explores the experience of a cloned humanoid woman navigating an alien planet. What inspired this unique concept, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
MJR: You hit [the concept] right on the nail, Ty. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but on my socials, I try my best to let people know who I am in the present day. You go back to [my alter ego] Michaela J 33 F seven, they really know how to separate her from me, even though we look just alike and that bitch stole my look [laughs]. I feel like I wanted people to have the separation between her being a robot and a shell of who I am in the present day and that I’m the voice of who she is right now since I can do it physically and in this form. I wanted to see where she started from “Wasting My Time” to when she was killed in “Black Void (Interlude)” to when she’s rebuilt in “Green Lights” and then questioning herself in “A Storm Brews.” I wanted people to see all of those kinds of evolutions of her in the future and what she’s trying to convey to me or present day Michaela Jaé.
What role do you see yourself playing in fostering community and support for other artists within the LGBTQ+ space?
MJR: I feel the role I play in the queer space is that I’m like a guidance, if you will. I don’t like seeing myself as an authoritative or somebody who’s dictating. I like to see myself as a guide, and I always want to be that. I always want to be someone who helps someone along the way through words of wisdom, through actions, instead of demanding or laying down law because most times when people don’t listen, they instead rebel. I like to act as someone who can lead [new artists] along the way and be happy that I did that. I don’t consider myself an angel, but maybe I got an angel on my shoulder that’s telling me I’m someone who needs to relay it. I feel like I am that specifically to the queer community, and I hope I can continue. I’m so glad that I get to deal with the music because I know I can do it even more poignantly than anything else because that’s my passion.
There have been a lot of people that have been very receptive to my music and within that group of people, the majority have been queer people, but it’s still quite low. I’ve always wanted that uproaring love that I got on Pose.
michaela jaé rodriguez
I have to be very, very honest. Let me be very clear, because I want to make sure this is said correctly: There have been a lot of people that have been very receptive to my music and within that group of people, the majority have been queer people, but it’s still quite low. I’ve always wanted that uproaring love that I got on Pose. That can’t always happen, and that’s just an insecurity of mine speaking. It’s the beginning and this album was just released, so I have to give a little grace to the people out there, including my queer family, and hope that down the line that upsurge of love still comes in and it keeps flowing. Hopefully something hits where they’re like, you know what? Let’s pump this even more, bitch, and let’s put this out in the streets. I do wish I could see a little bit more, but I’m not going to sit up here and be greedy because I am thankful for what I’ve got right now.
As an actress and a musician, what stories do you feel are most vital to tell right now, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community?
MJR: I love seeing stories of us prevailing. I love seeing stories of us saving lives – whether it be through reality or fantasy, we don’t get to see a lot of that reality. I think we should start creating the fantasy so that people can dream to create a reality for that. I see more opportunities for my girls, including myself. I always vouch for myself when I can, but to be superheroes and, like, actual fantastical superheroes, I would love to see all of us in one movie as superheroes so that people can see the girls are doing things together. I’m always someone who loves to collab. I wish studios would think to do that and incorporate us all together and make something spectacular. I look at places like South Korea and Japan – how they spit out girl groups and boy groups though vigorous hardwork and challenges. It gives an image to the young kids out there that they can have friendships and groups, and they don’t have to look to just one person.
In what ways do you believe your work contributes to a broader understanding of trans experiences, and what do you think still needs to change in media representation?
MJR: I think the best thing that contributes to it is that there are still girls in the industry that are really working hard and making sure that the legacy stays true. There’s not only me but we have Laverne Cox, Trace Lysette, Alexandra Billings, Hunter Shafer, and Yasmin Finney. I don’t see us necessarily being put on the platform, all of us, that we should be. I would love to see all of us be shined in the spotlight like how our hetero peers are shined and get the equal pay that our hetero peers get. I like to think I’m a voice of reason, and I like to think that I calmly approach [people] versus the aggressors out there that make people want to run away, but hopefully they hear, they listen, and they incorporate, and I hope they incorporate me.
I love how you incorporated a bit of your love life on the record, “All Mine.” How has your relationship influenced that record specifically and would you say it’s a love letter to the person you’re with right now?
MJR: I wrote [“All Mine”]t, and it was actually not about a relationship, but an instance that I had before the man that I’m with right now. I’m so glad that you asked about that, because I think it ties true to me in real life. When I wrote that record, there was an individual that I had dealt with way prior — before me and [my boyfriend] Stephen —- and I realized that it was best that I stayed apart from them versus engaging because it didn’t benefit us both. I was feeling like this isn’t going to work, but thinking, damn how I would feel if you were right here next to me? I will say through the journey of this story, I did write “Forever” for Stephen. I realized in that moment when I was writing it how important he was to me and how damn near almost six years into our relationship that we’ve had something very sturdy and strong, and I’ve never lost sight of him. The person that she’s running from is the person that she’s been in love with the whole damn time. It’s not the person who killed her, but it’s the person who’s built her to be the best that she can be. When Stephen heard the record, he was very laid back and so calm and so sweet. He loved it and really enjoyed it. I think at first, he didn’t know about him, so I had to, like, really, really tell him and reiterate to him that, “hey, this specific song is about our journey” and he got a little emotional, and I really appreciated that. I’m glad that that was the last song, and I’m glad I brought it to the producers.
What’s the number one thing you still hear from fans about Pose and what do you think its lasting impact will be?
MJR: The number one thing I hear from them is that they want the show to come back and I respond to them saying, “Me too!” [laughs]. Mister [Ryan] Murphy is working hard on a whole bunch of shows and I don’t think he has Pose on his mind right now and that’s alright. Maybe he’ll come back to it so just hold steady. I think its lasting impact will for sure be that the queer community has a place. We’re not just a one trick pony nor one dimensional. We’re multifaceted and we’re human first. We are just as capable and qualified to harness or helm any kind of opportunity that is right in our laps. It’s showing how we didn’t have it all given to us – we had to find a way, and we found a way, and we did it well and we did it so well that it upset people. I hope it continues to shake up people’s minds and challenge them to understand anyone who is different from them, aside from them being trans or gender nonconforming. Shoot, even if they decide to get a whole bunch of tattoos and change their whole image, that doesn’t necessarily mean their spirit or their energy has changed.
We’re multifaceted and we’re human first. We are just as capable and qualified to harness any kind of opportunity that is right in our laps… We didn’t have it all given to us – we had to find a way, and we found a way, and we did it well and we did it so well that it upset people.
michaela jaé rodriguez
You are the first and only trans actress to win a Golden Globe. We know that there are complicated feelings that come with being a “first” — how do you feel about that accolade looking back on it now?
MJR: That’s still hard to register, even hearing you saying it. It’s so nuanced because it was such a joy to be the first. It felt like getting first place, but then to not see another behind me, it made me wonder, and, you know, it’s like I said, it’s very, very tricky because there aren’t a lot of girls in the industry, but there are also a lot of girls that are not showing up to the audition or sending out [their] stuff so it’s very, very tricky. I think it’s simple because there’s still this kind of idea that transness is not loved or seen or deserves to have a spotlight so being the first and the only one, I mean, it feels great, but it’s a very, very heavy load of responsibility for me to constantly continue to be the example that there are women like me out there who are more than capable enough to be in this realm. We have another one named Nava Mau, who received her first Emmy nomination. I’d like to hope that we are the examples and the other women are the examples to just usher some new girls in.
I’ve been following your career for a while now, and it’s incredible to see how much you’ve grown, especially with your physical comedy—like what we see on Loot. Every time you’re on screen with Maya Rudolph, it feels like you’re constantly getting better and more versatile. How has working with Maya influenced or pushed you to become an even stronger, more well-rounded actress, whether it’s through physical comedy or nailing punchlines? How has your collaboration with her shaped your craft?
MJR: She has given me nourishment. In the comedy realm, Maya is someone who is so free when it comes to her comedy because it’s so fluid. When she says a line and she knows a button, she takes it and she goes there with it.I would look at her and I would take note. I wouldn’t obviously never bite off of the things that she’s doing because that’s Maya, but I did take note of her freedom within the lines and to feel comfortable and feel free. I’m so so by the book when it comes to learning the lines, and I think that’s what lended itself to my character, Sophia, as well. When I would see Maya and even my other cast members with their freedom being that they’ve been in comedy for so long and them even vibing off of each other, it made me feel so much more comfortable to just dive in with them and be in the character while diving in with them – that’s what Maya has created on the set. She’s made it very easy to fluently just play, and I think I’m going to take that away with me for a long time.
Now, as a trailblazer and entertainment industry, what challenges have you faced that you believe still persist for future generations of trans artists?
MJR: I like to think that I’m very vocal, obviously, but there are times where I feel like I’m not capable of saying the things I need to because I don’t want to ruffle feathers or I don’t want to push the envelope. I don’t want to shake things up too much and I think we all have to learn that we have to work on that within ourselves. Therapy is key and also learning, when, where, and why and how, and just knowing time and place.
What unique challenges do you believe trans artists face in this industry and how do you navigate those hurdles in your career?
MJR: I think the unique challenges that we face is being leaders – I think people refrain from [allowing] us to be leaders. I think the one thing that I do is I step out outside of that, and I just am a leader. I’m my own leader and I hope young girls and other trans women take a page out of my book and keep leading and be leaders on their own. Don’t look for any kind of explanation from anyone else. When we do that, we’ll start creating our own things and we may not have to rely on the people that don’t want us there, but are just willing to pay us because we are in the know or the hot thing right now. If we create our own, we’ll actually be able to do it for the art and not so much for just the money, even though the money is cute [laughs]. Artistry is a balance and balance is always great because we love balance, boundaries, and discernment.
Hello, we love a good BBD!
MJR: BBD is correct! [laughs]
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This article was originally published on refinery29.com.