As Pose Comes to an End, Mj Rodriguez Reflects on Her Character's 'Needed' Storyline

Ahead of tonight’s Pose series finale, star Mj Rodriguez, who plays Blanca Evangelista on the ballroom period drama, gave an interview to Digital Spy about her character’s romantic arc over the show’s third and final season, which she describes as “needed”:

I think the storyline with Blanca having a partner, having a love interest, was extremely important because she had struggled so hard to find her footing on how men were going to love her and how they were going to treat her, with knowing that she was trans, and also how they were going to deal with that when they brought it to people that they loved as well…

Especially if they are dealing with passability politics and they fit into this vernacular or this description of how a woman is supposed to look, but then there’s a truth that is revealed about them and then the whole thing changes…

There’s so much that goes into that, there’s so many layers that you have to break off in that, and Pose did that when they showed this story and what can happen. And also, how it feels for someone to stand up for you when they love you, regardless…

“You know, Blanca has fought so hard for herself. She has also been a beacon for others… And I think at this point in time, Blanca needed someone there for her and to feel that someone was there for her, and that they were going to look out for her…

So I think it was great to see that dynamic, and also see how strong she is within that dynamic too. She stood up, and she fought for herself and also the love of her life. I thought it was great.