Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Calls Growing Up in Newark ‘Liberating’

“It’s a whole process,” Michaela Jaé Rodriguez says by phone from her Newark home about her morning routine. It’s the same house she lived in as a child and then bought from her mom.

Rodriguez, best known for her role as Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista in the FX series Pose, starts with meditation and music, whether its Lo-fi or ambient sound like rain falling. Then, there are twenty minutes of stretching and daily affirmations in the mirror, where she’ll give herself “some boost,” followed by a lengthy skin-care process.

All of this takes place before heading out the door for performances across the river in The Rocky Horror Show, her Broadway debut.

The revival, which is playing a limited run at Studio 54 through November 29, is based on the wacky cult-classic 1975 film. Rodriguez plays the memorable role of Columbia.

“I’m happy for people to see me play a character that is different from other characters that I played before,” Rodriguez says of Columbia, whom she infused with nods to the movie and inspiration from her own life. “I was so excited to just jump right into her, because even though she has this high, cute, squeaky voice, there is a person and a human behind that.”

Rodriguez, 35, started her acting career off-Broadway in a production of Rent, playing Angel, followed by one-episode stints on TV shows like Nurse Jackie, The Carrie Diaries and Luke Cage.

Her breakout role came in 2017 on Ryan Murphy’s groundbreaking show Pose; she won the 2022 Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama, the first transgender actress to earn the accolade.

For Rodriguez, the art of acting began as a child. Born in Newark, Rodriguez moved to Jackson for five years before returning to Newark for high school.

“Had a pretty good upbringing. Had a really gorgeous home, which I pride myself in saying my mother and father did their thing on that,” Rodriguez recalls.

By her preteen years, Rodriguez was back in Newark at Queen of Angels, a now shuttered Catholic school. Rodriguez also joined a summer youth workshop at NJPAC.

At the age of 13, Rodriguez auditioned for Newark’s well-known Arts High School with the Fugees’ version of “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Rodriguez was inspired by New Jersey’s own Whitney Houston, who was raised in East Orange.

“A lot of people in Newark shared the same kind of mentality of being very classy, but also a little edgy and urban. Whitney was that,” Rodriguez says. “Growing up in north New Jersey was actually quite liberating. It was good to be around individuals like myself, who are POC.”

Arts High School was the first public school in the United States to specialize in visual and performing arts. Notable alumni include singers Sarah Vaughan and Connie Francis, tap icon Savion Glover, and newly minted Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan, who took home the best actor award at this year’s ceremony for his role in Sinners. Jordan, 39, was graduating when Rodriguez was entering the school as a vocal major.

“I got to share a small bit of space with him,” she says, adding that his mother was her guidance counselor.
“There’s something in the waters over here in Newark, where there’s just a good threshold and a pool of talent,” Rodriquez says.

“It’s inspirational to see someone from your home school. If [Jordan] can do it, then I know I can do it,” she says proudly.

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