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Who is Mj Rodriguez?
Mj Rodriguez is a Newark, New Jersey-born American actress, and singer. Mj Rodriguez is most recognized for her role as Angel Dumott Schunard in the Broadway production of Rent. She was just nominated for an Emmy Award for her part in Pose, which catapulted her to fame.
Early life and Childhood
Mj Rodriguez (Michael Antonia Jae Rodriguez) was born on January 7, 1991, in Newark, New Jersey, USA.
She is 30 years old and belongs to the Capricorn star sign.
There isn’t much information available about Rodriguez’s parents other than the fact that her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is African-American.
Her father encouraged her when she was a young kid and introduced her to Vogue.
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez has a sister, Kyss, who works in entertainment and owns a hair shop. Kyss has done a lot of Mj’s hair and make-up.
Mj is an African-American trans woman who is also Latina because her father is Puerto Rican.
Michael is a devout Christian who speaks Spanish fluently. Rodriguez is a mixed Afro-American.
Education Details
Mj Rodriguez completed her education at Queen of Angels Catholic School before enrolling in the New Jersey Performing Arts Center at the age of 11 to pursue her passion of being an actress.
She has been with the group for eight years.
Michael adopted the name Mj from the Spider-Man franchise’s Mary Jane.
Kyss is her sister’s name. Rodriguez is a Trans woman of Christian faith and Afro-American ancestry.
Rodriguez is bisexual by gender and came out at the age of 14, telling a magazine that when she was younger, she used to pray to become a female.
In 2016, Rodriguez began hormone replacement therapy, which also ensured her anonymity; by this time, her career had taken off, and she needed to notify her agency in order to secure female jobs; read on for more information on this.
More Facts about Mj Rodriguez
| Full Real Name | Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez. |
| Nickname | Mj Rodriguez. |
| Age (as of 2021) | 30 years old. |
| Profession | Actress & Singer. |
| Birthday | 7 January 1991. |
| Place of Birth | Newark, New Jersey, USA. |
| Gender | Female (Transgender). |
| Before Surgery | Transgender |
| Current Residence | Newark, New Jersey, USA. |
| Education | Graduate. |
| Alma mater | School: Queen of Angels Catholic School. University: Berklee College of Music. |
| Boyfriend | Stephen Gimigliano (Screenwriter). |
| Profile | Instagram: @mjrodriguez7 Twitter: @MjRodriguez7 |
| Net Worth (approx.) | $800,000 US Dollars. |
| Nationality | African-American. |
| Ethnicity | Multiracial Afro-American descent. |
| Religion | Christian. |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn. |
Professional Career
Rodriguez began her career in college as a member of Rent, where she portrayed Angel Dumott Schunard, a character she had always wanted to play since the live-action rendition of the novel.
Fredi Walker-Browne, who portrayed Joanne Jefferson in the original Broadway production of Rent, was in the audience and commended Michaela Jaé Rodriguez’s performance before assisting her in finding an audition for an off-Broadway production of Rent alongside Annaleigh Ashford.
Michael’s performance earned her the Clive Barnes Award in 2011.
Rodriguez was investigating the process of transitioning during this period; after concluding the off-Broadway production of Rent in 2012, she chose to take a sabbatical and begin her transition.
As previously stated, she began hormone replacement therapy in 2016.
Bertha, the 2017 Bun in the Oven short film
The video became viral, and Mj Rodriguez was invited to audition for Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the Broadway musical Hamilton.
Her audition made headlines since she was a transgender actor auditioning for a cisgender part.
Michael participated in theatrical productions such as Encores!, Street Children at New Ohio Theatre, the Women at Loeb Drama Center, and Burn All Night at American Repertory Theater following the triumph of her role in Hamilton.
Mj Rodriguez starred in the 2017 film Saturday Church as Ebony, an adolescent who runs away to explore their gender and the ball culture scene. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Pose’s Success
Rodriguez landed the most successful and important role of her career in 2017 when she was cast as Blanca Evangelista in the FX series Pose.
Ryan Murphy, Steven Canals, and Brad Falchuk cast five transgender actresses in the largest cast of transgender persons in a major scripted series, making history.
The pilot episode of the show aired in June 2018 to excellent reviews.
The show depicts the daily lives of members of the LGBTQ community in the 1980s, notably black trans women. It is situated in the urban atmosphere of New York Metropolis and contains many attractive and gorgeous scenes depicting the city at the time.
Rodriguez’s character, is a lady who is the head of the Home of Evangelista, a house she starts after being diagnosed with HIV.
Blanca, her character in the series, resolves to become a surrogate mother for several underprivileged LGBT individuals of color.
Her portrayal is frequently described as a breakthrough, and critics laud her acting and significance.
Return Following Gender Transition
When Rodriguez returned, she had just begun her career as a woman and actress; to her surprise, her agents were very supportive and assisted her in landing roles.
She has appeared in a number of television shows, including Marvel’s Luke Cage, Nurse Jackie, and The Carrie Diaries.
Because of her participation in Luke Cage, she became the first transgender actor and character in the massive, infamous, and diverse Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Even after reaching such a significant milestone, she did not abandon her theatre roots and posted a video of herself performing “Satisfied” from the musical Hamilton.
Net Worth and Salary
Mj Rodriguez’s net worth is $800,000 US Dollars.
Relationship Status
Mj Rodriguez has a lover called Stephen Gimigliano, who works as a screenwriter.
In May 2021, the couple will spend time together in Italy and Milan.
Although there isn’t much information about the pair, Michaela Rodriguez recently acknowledged that she tries not to bring work to him and enjoys traveling with him.
Stephen was observed celebrating with Mj when the Emmy nominees for 2021 were announced.
Body Measurement
Mj Rodriguez’s height is 5 feet and 8 inches. She has a weight of roughly 55 kg.
Social Media
She is active on Instagram as @mjrodriguez7.
Also read: Bryce Durfee, Marissa Bailey, Yogscast Sjin
Trivia
- She is well known for portraying Angel Dumott Schunard, in the theatrical production of Rent.
- Rodriguez is a Trans woman who is a Christian by faith and is an Afro-American by race.
- She was recently nominated for an Emmy Award which brought her to the limelight for her role in Pose.
- Rodriguez is bisexual by gender and came out at the of 14, when talking about her younger self she told a magazine that when Mj was younger she used to pray to become a female.
- Her father is Puerto Rican she is also Latina.
- She appeared in a few television roles like Marvel’s Luke Cage, Nurse Jackie, and The Carrie Diaries.
- Her role in Luke Cage was so significant, she became the first transgender actress and character in the huge, infamous, and diverse Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Even after such a milestone she did not leave her theatre side and uploaded a video of herself singing “Satisfied” from the musical Hamilton.
- Her audition made the mainstream news as she was a trans-actress auditioning for a cisgender role.
- In the series, her character Blanca decides to become a surrogate mother for several unprivileged queer people of color.
- Mj Rodriguez’s net worth is $800,000 US Dollars.
