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Michaela Jae Rodriguez is taking over Hollywood, and she has a dream collaborator we never would have guessed.
Rodriguez, who starred as Blanca Evangelista on the critically acclaimed series Pose (which ended this year) has one of the brightest futures imaginable in front of her. She can do anything and go anywhere. So, when she said she wants to work with someone most of the trans community has negative feelings for, we took notice.
As a part of The Advocate's Person of the Year profile, Rodriguez gave a list of some of her dream collaborators. After listing directors like Ava DuVernay, Steven Spielberg, Lena Waithe, and Quentin Tarantino, Rodriguez named some actors she dreams of starring opposite.
Rodriguez mentioned the young actor Jacob Elordi, who she loves in Euphoria, as well as Bradley Cooper, and her idol, Angela Bassett. But it was another name that caused the most buzz: Scarlett Johansson.
Johansson had been criticized by many in the trans community after she was cast as a trans man in the biopic Rub & Tug before she eventually dropped out. The controversy was one of the biggest talking points in the issue over whether cis actors should play trans roles. But that doesn't bother Rodriguez.
"A lot of people would gag about that," she said. "But I feel like there's a lot of learning that can happen between me and her that I'd be really happy to [take on]. And also, on top of that, she's an amazing actress."
Rodriguez should know, as this year she became the first out trans actor nominated for a Leading Actress Emmy Award. While she didn't win, she broke new ground for trans actors, as well as for Black and Latina actors.
After Pose, Rodriguez has an appearance in Lin Manuel Miranda's Netflix musical tick, tick BOOM!, about Rent creator Jonathan Larson. After that, she's starring in the Apple TV+ series Loot alongside Maya Rudolph. She doesn't have any projects with Johanson currently lined up, but if Rodriguez wants one, we have no doubt she'll get it.
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