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As the finale of “Pose” takes place on Sunday, director Janet Mock and star MJ Rodriquez, Indya Moore and Dominique Jackson spoke to Harper’s Bazaar for a special digital cover.
Looking back at the progress the groundbreaking show has made, Mock was naturally “really proud.”
“I’m really proud of our producers, the network, and the studio for their faith in us—the faith in our stories, that they were worthy of investing millions of dollars in, on top of what it already costs to do this show, to bring us back. Because our stories matter and are important, and should be onscreen,” Mock told the publication.
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The stars all agreed that Mock was the right person for leading the show.
“I knew that we were going to be safe,” Moore said. “So thank you for protecting me and for protecting all of us through all these weird moments in Hollywood, where we were being processed and interpreted through lenses that don’t have the capacity to hold all that we are.”
— Photo: John Edmonds
They all took turns looking at their characters, with Rodriquez saying she was close to quitting acting after hearing “no” so many times.
“I saw the description of Blanca and what she represented, and I knew, I want this role. And then I remember sharing a moment with Dominique in the audition room, and I thought: ‘This feels good. Not only is the show about the strong Black trans women in our lives that have never gotten their own story, it’s also with people that I know.’ But I had my reservations personally, as far as my transness—how the world was going to receive me, or going to receive our stories collectively. But I was proven wrong, honey. We turnt it,” Rodriquez said.
She added that she “more than ready” to “let the world know about my transness.”
“So I was nervous but also diligent in knowing my message and purpose,” Rodriquez added about being “not only a trans woman, but also a Latina and African American woman.”
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For Jackson, finding out she got the part while in the process of completing her gender affirming surgery “was the most joyous, most validating accomplishment that any person could have.”
So as they get ready to say goodbye to the show, Mock looked back appropriately saying, “It’s the legacy of our foremothers who, when no one offered them anything, made their own s**t up and showed up and showed out, and made their dreams come true with no societal acceptance or any kind of resources. To me, ‘Pose’ is a love letter to those women and to those people who made magic out of nothing.”