Mj Rodriguez is making the jump from drama to comedy with her new television series. The 31-year-old actress starred in FX’s Pose for three seasons as Bianca Evangelista and made history as the first transgender woman to to be nominated for an Emmy and to win a Golden Globe. Now, Mj stars in Apple TV+’s newest comedy series, Loot, as Sofia Salinas, the no-nonsense director of a charity foundation that’s owned by new divorcee Molly, played by Maya Rudolph.
“I was really, really happy about trying something new,” Mj told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY in a new interview to promote Loot. “I mean, I am a drama girl through and through. I love drama. It just feeds my soul. I love sometimes being traumatized on set, it makes me feel good. I don’t know why, weirdly, that feels great,” she said with a laugh.
Mj continued, “But there are times when you have engulfed yourself in a deeply rooted character you want to have some space to be not only versatile, but also you want your mental to be lifted. And I think Sofia was that perfect balance between serious but also fun. It was great to be able to make that transition. And I’m glad people get to see a total different side of Michaela versus just miss Blanca.”
The Golden Globe winner said that when she read the script for Loot, she admired how different Sofia was from her Pose character. “Blanc is this nurturing, caring, loving character. Sofia, not so much. She is very straight to the point. She is very serious about what she does,” Mj told us. “And she doesn’t really take no for an answer. So I wanted to really try that out.”
Premiering June 24, Loot tackles the age-old idea that money can’t buy you happiness. Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon, and Ron Funches also star as Sofia’s fellow charity foundation employees who have to report to Molly (Maya) as she takes over following her divorce from her cheating husband John (Adam Scott). According to Mj, fans will easily connect with Loot thanks to the “warmth” that the ten-episode series exudes.
“There’s such a generic feel when it comes to a comedy. But I think this sets itself apart from what regular comedy is,” Mj told us. “And I think that’s what makes Loot so spectacular, is that there is a warmth outside of a comedy. Some people want to see the differences, they want to see one one dynamic, and they want to see another dynamic. And I think that’s exactly what Loot does.”