Trophy Lives

Ryan Murphy and the cast of the new FX drama Pose on going back in time, fierce fashion, convening the biggest cast of transgender actors ever, and why representation matters.

- Tim Stack

The shade is heavy on the set of FX’s new ’80s drama Pose. And it’s not the cloud cover on this chilly December day. Production has convened at an East Village theater in New York to shoot the aftermath of a competition ball. A cross between a fashion show and a dance contest, balls find groups of LGBTQ people strutting and serving looks in often hilariously named categories, like “Executive Realness” (think Working Girl on the runway). While victory only yields Little League-level gold trophies, the rivalries can be as pointed as the heels most of the crowd is wearing, which is evidenced by today’s exchange between opposing house “mothers” Blanca (Mj Rodriguez) and Elektra (Dominique Jackson). The two represent the competing Houses of Evangelista and Abundance, respectively, and they aren’t exactly BFFs. “You are the Cracker Barrel to my Gucci and Saint Laurent,” quips Elektra, channeling Dynasty-era Joan Collins both verbally and sartorially in a dramatic purple gown. Blanca, her former protégée, clad in a feathered red dress, responds, “I thought old age was supposed to mellow a bitch!”