Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • The Bachelor
    • The Last of Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • You
    • The Masked Singer
    • Yellowstone
    • Saturday Night Live
    • Outer Banks
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Fast and the Furious cast: Where are they now?

      The Fast and the Furious cast: Where are they now?

      Catch up with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of your favorite stars from the film that kicked off the hit franchise. Read More
    • How Grant Gustin runs The Flash — and the Arrowverse — across the finish line 

      How Grant Gustin runs The Flash — and the Arrowverse — across the finish line 

      The actor explains why he decided to end the CW’s last remaining Arrowverse show after nine seasons, and teases what to expect from next week’s epic series finale. Read More
    • Michelle Yeoh on the significance of American Born Chinese and her 'respectful' goddess action scenes

      Michelle Yeoh on the significance of American Born Chinese and her 'respectful' goddess action scenes

      The Academy Award winner previews the Disney+ action comedy series rooted in Chinese mythology: “Our culture, our heritage, is so steeped with history and beauty." Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • The Bachelor
    • The Last of Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • You
    • The Masked Singer
    • Yellowstone
    • Saturday Night Live
    • Outer Banks
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. TV
  3. Pose: exclusive new image realness

Pose: exclusive new image realness

EW goes behind the scenes of Ryan Murphy's new series about 1980s ball culture
By Tim Stack June 07, 2018 at 01:00 PM EDT
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Angel (Indya Moore), Stan (Evan Peters), Blanca (Mj Rodriguez), and Pray Tell (Billy Porter)

p_217863287219839021
Credit: JUCO for EW

FX's Pose celebrates the ball world of 1980s New York City. Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who co-created Glee and American Horror Story, were originally trying to adapt the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning into a series, but then discovered the script for Pose by young writer Steven Canals (Dead of Summer).

1 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Blanca (Mj Rodriguez)

p_218792398729390213
Credit: JUCO for EW

The 27-year-old actress has a few television and theater credits to her name, but Pose marks the biggest role of her career to date. “I would have never thought in a million years that something like this would be happening to a little ol’ girl from an urban area in north New Jersey who fought for her dream so long,” admits Rodriguez.

2 of 9

3 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Angel (Indya Moore)

p_723863298798320932
Credit: JUCO for EW

Moore had a memorable audition for the House of Evangelista member in front of Murphy. “The first thing that happened after I finished was, Ryan stood up and said, ‘I have nothing.’ And he sat down. I had absolutely no idea what that meant,” the-23 year-old recalls. “So then, you know, I see this like twinkle in his eye. I don't know what it was, but I knew that there was something going on behind that. There was a smize. Yes, Ryan Murphy smized at me. Yes, he did.”

3 of 9

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Pray Tell (Billy Porter)

p_3897239872389329
Credit: JUCO for EW

Tony winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) says he originally read to play the dance teacher in Pose (ultimately portrayed by Charlyane Woodard), but he had other ideas. “I was like, ‘Not when you’re doing the ball culture. It’s a waste of my time and yours.’ And I said it,” remembers Porter. “I said, ‘Look, I’ve lived this. I am this.’”

4 of 9

Advertisement

5 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Angel (Indya Moore) and Stan (Evan Peters)

p-8932793232032-032322
Credit: JUCO for EW

Peters has worked with Murphy and Falchuk on American Horror Story for all seven seasons and was drawn to the heart of Pose. Says the actor, “I loved the story, I loved the characters. But it was an opportunity to learn from the transgender community and to be an advocate for them. The story is beautiful because it's fun, but it's also very heartbreaking and shows how marginalized they are and discriminated against. You fall in love with the characters, and hopefully that will instill compassion in people.”

5 of 9

6 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Lemar (Jason A. Rodriguez), Cubby (Jeremy McClain), Candy (Angelica Ross), Elektra (Dominique Jackson), and Lulu (Hailie Sahar)

p_2176231872138219
Credit: JoJo Whilden/FX

Writer-producer Janet Mock says that the cast’s own life experiences often helped feed and inspire plotlines for Pose. “We mine them for stories in a way, or hear things in passing conversations,” she explains. “Because a lot of them don’t have a lot of acting experience, we felt that using their personal experiences in themselves would probably be their greatest tool. We try to write toward that.”

6 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain) and Blanca (Mj Rodriguez)

p_27632873289182931
Credit: JoJo Whilden/FX

Swain, who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, knows that this show has the potential to change lives and wishes he had it growing up. “I always cry when I think about it because I wish I had a Damon on screen to speak to the experiences I was dealing with and feeling isolated and marginalized,” says Swain, 24. “I think about how Damon is going to be powerful for a young queer person of color, or a queer person in general who’s trying to figure out their identity, and what that’s going to mean for someone who closes their door and watches Pose at 9 p.m. on Sundays and has to hide that from their families. This one is really, really going to touch the hearts of so many people.”

7 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Matt (James Van Der Beek)

p_2178632897123892901
Credit: JoJo Whilden/FX

If there’s a villain of Pose, it’s definitely Stan’s boss at Trump Tower. Van Der Beek, who flirted with the dark side in 2002’s The Rules of Attraction, had always wanted to work with Ryan Murphy. Says the actor, “I heard what the role was — this crazy, coke-snorting example of just raging, toxic masculinity — I thought, ‘Absolutely, 100%, I’m in.’”

8 of 9

Advertisement

9 of 9

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Patty (Kate Mara)

p_217632917392901230213
Credit: JoJo Whilden/FX

Mara, who plays Stan’s rightfully suspicous wife, previously appeared alongside Peters in the first season of American Horror Story. She says Pose’s universal messages are what made her reteam with Murphy, Falchuk, and Peters. “The thing that I love so much about the show is that, yes, you’ll be learning about this world, this culture, and these beautiful people that you don’t necessarily know a lot about. But at the end of the day, we are all really the same, you know? Like, we’re all searching for family and acceptance, and it doesn't matter where we come from.”

To read more on Pose, pick up the special LGBTQ issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday, or buy it here now. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

9 of 9

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Tim Stack

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 9 Angel (Indya Moore), Stan (Evan Peters), Blanca (Mj Rodriguez), and Pray Tell (Billy Porter)
    2 of 9 Blanca (Mj Rodriguez)
    3 of 9 Angel (Indya Moore)
    4 of 9 Pray Tell (Billy Porter)
    5 of 9 Angel (Indya Moore) and Stan (Evan Peters)
    6 of 9 Lemar (Jason A. Rodriguez), Cubby (Jeremy McClain), Candy (Angelica Ross), Elektra (Dominique Jackson), and Lulu (Hailie Sahar)
    7 of 9 Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain) and Blanca (Mj Rodriguez)
    8 of 9 Matt (James Van Der Beek)
    9 of 9 Patty (Kate Mara)

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab Do Not Sell My Personal Informationthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    Pose: exclusive new image realness
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.