There's a very good chance the female best actress this year could be a man.
Sorry, ladies, you're just not as good at being a woman as this man.
In what is a first for the primetime Emmy Awards, Pose star Mj Rodriguez has been nominated for lead actress in a drama series, marking the first time a transgender individual has been nominated in a major acting category.
Mj Rodriguez, who was born male and later transitioned to female, played the role of Blanca Evangelista in the FX series Pose, which recently concluded its three-season run. Rodriguez will compete against biologically female stars Olivia Colman and Emma Corrin for The Crown; Uzo Aduba for In Treatment; Elizabeth Moss for The Handmaid’s Tale; and Jurnee Smollett for Lovecraft Country.
The first openly transgender performer nominated for an acting Emmy was Laverne Cox, who has been nominated four times as a guest actress for Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black.
Mj Rodriguez landed on the cover of Entertainment Weekly‘s Pride issue this year, with the quote “My job is to show them how much of a woman I am.”
Photo: Getty Images Europe
CANNES, FRANCE - JULY 06: MJ Rodriguez attends the "Annette" screening and opening ceremony during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 06, 2021 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)