Michaela Jaé Rodriguez certainly has a lot going on in her life after taking home a Golden Globe, but nothing is more important than supporting her community for National Transgender Awareness Week. The talented actress partnered with Citi on their Chosen Name initiative, which allows customers to update banking cards with their chosen first name without requiring a legal name change, a feature especially helpful to transgender and non-binary people. “They can go out in the world and use the identity that is representative of them,” Michaela EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife on Nov. 16.
“It shows camaraderie in so many ways; it shows that there is obviously a queer space over at Citi that’s educating; it also shows that there are people outside LGBTQ+ community that are able to understand and listen and make change,” the star added. “And it’s happening with these Citi cards. Now anyone who’s trans can change their name at the drop of a dime. It doesn’t require a long-haul process that could be embarrassing. Instead, it can be something as quick as possible.”
Having made history in 2022 as the first trans person to win a lead acting Golden Globe for portraying Bianca Evangelist in Pose, Michaela knows a little something about the recent shift in Hollywood regarding transgender awareness. “What has changed is the access that we have as women in the space and the power now that we have,” she told HollywoodLife. “A very, very, very small percentage, but we are still a part of influential spaces and we create a lot of influence, which I’m very happy about. I’m also happy about us being worth something now. Our work as human beings has risen and I think it just needs to constantly keep rising.”
Michaela also teased to HollywoodLife what fans can expect in Season 2 of her hilarious Apple TV + show “Loot,” where she plays Sofia, the determined director of a charity owned by uber-wealthy divorcee Molly, played by Maya Rudolph. “Well, there’s so many more stories we are going to see,” she began. “Obviously, more scenes with Molly and Sofia, their chemistry is out of this world. Within Sofia’s world, we’re definitely going to see some changes, more emotions from her, things happening in her life that she never expected. And I think that’s what people want, to know more about her.”
And as for what’s coming up next on her dance card, Michaela is keeping her eyes on the prize: EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) status. “You know, there is an EGOT winner here inside me. I hope that I’ll reach the masses enough, so we can get there. I have music coming out and more down the line. It’s coming out next year and I’m coming in hot!”
Check out the Citi website for more info on their amazing Chosen Name initiative and tune in to Apple TV + to catch up on the incredible Loot episodes before the next season gets here!