Pose Cast Guide - Trans Actors, Characters Backstories - Refinery29

Skip navigation!ADVERTISEMENTStory from TV ShowsMeet The Boundary Breaking Cast Of PoseElena NicolaouMay 31, 2018, 9:55 PM ADVERTISEMENTSee All SlidesBegin SlideshowCraig Blankenhorn/FXWatch enough Ryan Murphy shows, and you know what you’ll encounter: Sarah Paulson’s wry smile, Evan Peters’ sulk, Jessica Lange’s side-eye. Pose, out June 3 on FX, defies all those expectations. In the show, Murphy unveils a cast of electrifying newcomers to the Murphy Universe (plus Evan Peters, because it’s not a Ryan Murphy show without Evan Peters).Pose’s cast makes television history. The series, set in the drag ball scene of 1987 New York, has broken the record for the highest number of trans actors in series regular roles. All five trans actors will be playing trans characters. Dominique Jackson plays the unforgettably fierce Elektra Abundance, the house “mother" who guards over her “children” with control and a competitive spirit. Blanca (MJ Rodriguez) plays Elektra’s HIV-positive “child” who breaks out to form her own house, and goes head-to-head with Elektra on the ball floor.While Blanca and Elektra’s rivalry is the churning center of the show’s action, the series' other characters are just as memorable. With Pose, Murphy has carved a space in the TV landscape for trans actors and queer actors of color. “This is one of the best casts I’ve ever worked with," Murphy told Vox. "Many of them, when we were shooting, had never been in front of a camera. That was more exciting to me, to be blunt — to make stars and create opportunities."Pose isn't just a delightfully entertaining show (I rewatch scenes regularly). It's an important one. Meet the cast of Pose ahead.Begin Slideshow ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENT EntertainmentEverything We Know About Bridgerton Season 4I count down to a new season of Bridgerton like football fans count down to the Super Bowl. They are 108 and 118 days away, respectively. The official releby Kathleen Newman-B...EntertainmentWhat To Watch After The Summer I Turned PrettyNow that The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 has wrapped up, it feels like there’s a hole in our hearts. Instead of spending our Wednesday nights witby Rachel ChoyEntertainmentThese 8 Netflix Treats Are Worth Watching In OctoberAs we get further through the year, there’s nothing I want to do more than slump on the couch and reach for the remote. It’s been a busy few moby Rachel ChoyEntertainmentEverything We Know About The Pitt Season 2The Pitt is currently the best drama on television. I say that with my whole chest. And at the Emmys this month, the medical drama was officially awarded tby Kathleen Newman-B...EntertainmentThe Summer I Turned Pretty Finale Was For Team BellySpoilers ahead. Isabelle “Belly” Conklin has made her choice. For three seasons of The Summer I Turned Pretty, we’ve watched her romantically terroriby Kathleen Newman-B...Entertainment“I’m Not Afraid Any More.” Joy Sunday On Wednesday &...Joy Sunday glides into the lobby of The Whitby Hotel in New York City’s midtown donning a caramel corset and flouncy Emilio Pucci mini skirt.  Sunday’by Taryn FinleyEntertainmentThe Best TV Shows & Movies To Stream In AugustWhile most people have been getting out into the great outdoors this summer, we’ve been glued to our big and little screens as per usual. The Emmys nominby Alicia LansomEntertainmentSterling K. Brown & Ernest Kingsley Jr. Lead A Joyful Rebellion I...Washington Black is about joy. That may come as a surprise, since the story (based on the novel by Esi Edugyan) starts on a Barbados plantation where we fiby Kathleen Newman-B...EntertainmentIs The Bear Committing “Category Fraud”? Either Way, Ayo E...For many TV watchers The Bear and controversial Emmy nominations go hand in hand. For the last few years, every time the show scores Emmys nominations —&by Banseka Kayembe¡Súbelo!Love Island USA’s Amaya and Bryan Represent the Latine Lov...On Sunday, July 13, I perched on the edge of my stool at a Brooklyn bar, facing a huge screen normally reserved for sports. Now, it displayed the neon lighby Tess GarciaEntertainmentLove Island USA Needs An Overhaul Next SeasonLove Island USA needs to figure out what it wants to be before returning for Season 8. Sunday night’s finale was proof. Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales?by Taryn FinleyEntertainmentTwo Things Can Be True: Cierra Was Wrong & Love Island Mis...Update – Thursday, July 10: Cierra Ortega issued an apology video via Instagram in which she said she was taking accountability for using an anti-Asiby Taryn FinleyADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENT