By Stacy Lambe FX
While
Pose is largely an ensemble show, following the lives transgender women and gay men of color as they live out their best lives in the ballroom scene and navigate the realties of living in a less than accepting New York City during the AIDS crisis, Mj Rodriguez’s character, Blanca, has always been the heart of the FX series.
Upon receiving an HIV positive diagnosis at the beginning of season 1, Blanca stepped out on her own to create the House of Evangelista and became the mother that many in her community never had. Over the course of the series, she has provided for and guided her children Angel (Indya Moore), Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain), Ricky (Dyllón Burnside), Papi (Angel Bismark Curiel) while attempting to run her own nail salon.