“I’ve had it with Hollywood and the protection of bad actors.”
For many of us, it was must-see TV each week.
At what point did you realize the impact of the show?
“I’ve had it with Hollywood and the protection of bad actors."
Angelica Ross:I knew thatPosewould have an impact on the world.
But, to be honest, I wasn’t sure where Candy would land in people’s hearts.
She wasn’t a priority in the storytelling and the script.
Can you share a scene that was improvised?
Did somebody tell you we were meeting here?”
I was like, “No, everybody knows this is where you bottoms brunch.”
That’s all he gave me as a cue.
When did you start to feel like fans were coming around to Candy?
They would laugh about whether Candy was bringing her [signature] hammer with her, or different things.
I’m standing here right next to this light-skinned bitch.
Why don’t you see me?
That’s how it was back in the day with the ballroom.
I was embodying that with Candy.
In hindsight, fans loved Candy when she was gone.
Dark-skinned Black trans girls need the spotlight too.
You didn’t get to see Candy receive that spotlight until she was rising out of her coffin.
She looked stunning, the best she had ever looked in the show.
Sadly, that is just the reality for so many Black trans folks.
In your view, what impact did it have in terms of highlighting violence against Black trans women?
I think that it had an impact, I know that it has.
Unfortunately, my prayer has not yet been answered, though.
I can’t say that it has stopped.
What I can say is that we see a lot more people who care.
We’re seeing a lot more people who are trying to correct themselves and who want to learn.
Have you rewatched the show since it ended?
I have not watchedPosein years.
I can’t bring myself to watch it.
It’s very, very hard for me.
I went through a grieving process with that.
Candy’s funeral was a rude awakening for so many people.
I’m proud of my work.
I’ve had it with Hollywood and the protection of bad actors.
And when I say bad actors, I’m not talking just about the performance.
I’m saying folks who are behaving badly and everyone knows they’re behaving badly.
The thing that so many people are aware of.
But we’re just built differently.
You later revealed that you spoke with Emma.
What did you say to her?
I was just like, “Girl don’t do it.
You know what was going on.
I don’t know what to tell you.
You’re not sorry, you’re just sorry that [backlash] has come or whatever.”
And that’s not why I even mentioned it, that wasn’t even what the intention was.
It was just me speaking my truth.
We’re not calling out how those same white women sometimes are very violent on set with their privilege.
That’s why I said something.
You alsoclaimedthat Ryan Murphy has ghosted you.
Where do you stand with him today?
I am grateful for Ryan Murphy and what he has done.
But you might’t just call us the LGBTQ community.
We don’t all belong together.
The thing that ties us to one another is accountability.
Accountability is the admission price for community.
What’s your relationship like with being the first person to accomplish something?
To be honest, I do not like being the first.
As the first, you have to go through and pioneer some stuff.
It is not easy.
There have been principal roles, but to lead a play [on Broadway] like that …
I didn’t want to diminish that.
And so I didn’t.
I stay out of calling myself the first anything.
She is the sole reason why I accepted the role of Roxie Hart inChicagoon Broadway.
I almost turned it down.
I just remember running into Sheryl at Janet Jackson’s birthday party.
I was like “Sheryl, I gotta ask you a question.
I have this opportunity withChicagoon Broadway, but I don’t know if I want to take it.”
And she said, “Take it.
I already know why you’re hesitant.
They’re not gonna pay any of us what we’re worth.”
I didn’t even have to tell her.
She said, “This is not about them.
This is about your moment.
And this is about the fact that you deserve this.
You’re going to be able to show the world what Black trans women can do.
And we are going to pack that audience to come see you.”
And so many people from around the world came out to see me.
I signed autographs until every single person was gone.
Fans ofAmerican Horror Storyand fans ofPose.
It was such a great experience.
It was the hardest thing that I’ve ever done in my entire life.
I’ve never worked harder, eight shows a week.
That was a lot, for two months straight.
But it’s because ofSheryl LeeRalph [that I did it].
She encourages me, she’s always there to listen.
She’s just really a real sister.
Did you grow up with religion and spirituality?
I grew up in church hearing that [I was valuable] all the time.
And then I got hit with messages that I was an abomination and that I was a sin.
But those things did not ring true to my spiritual experience.
So my drive initially came from clarifying that disconnect.
People were saying one thing, but the spirit in me was saying another thing.
So I had to figure it out.
What was that process like for you?
Me and God had a problem for a minute.
If that’s not gonna work, then I’ll take my life."
Before I fully passed out, Jesus spoke to me and said, “What you’re doing?
I know who you are.
Get up off the floor.
Pick up your cross, and walk.”
It’s a gift.
You just have to pick it up and walk with it, and understand that as life goes on.
It’s not that it gets any lighter.
Being Black in America doesn’t get any easier.
Being trans in America doesn’t get any easier.
But baby, I got these guns, and I am strong in them.
There’s not much that can take me down.
And if it does, it’s only temporary.
Your ID doesn’t match, your name doesn’t match."
In America, that’s an equation for being harassed on the job.
It wasn’t my aspiration to pose on adult websites.
That was how I was able to leverage a workforce of LGBTQ people and women around the world.
I’m so glad to see us in the spaces that we didn’t see ourselves at first.
Who was your support system while coming to terms with your self-identity?
[Veteran drag queen]Traci Ross.
She is my mother.
She performs like nobody else and she puts her all into every single performance.
She is where I got my name from.
She is the person who taught me what it meant to carry a name, like Miss Ross.
She always encouraged me to stay off the streets.
She encouraged me while I worked, and she helped me avoid bad men as I was coming up.
But she taught me how to make the most out of this life.
I will never forget that.
I love that.
Do you remember who was your first queer crush?
My first queer crush was Darryl Stephens fromNoah’s Arc.
Who is your Black queer fashion icon?
Law plays no games with Zendaya or herself!
When you are that bitch, you’re able to bethatbitch.
Who is your Black queer icon?
My Black queer icon has to be, hands down,Marsha P. Johnson.
So many people bring up her name but know nothing about her true struggles.
For me, my queer and trans icons are those girls whose stories might not ever get sung.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black history is all year, we don’t need a month to celebrate it.
Black History Month is just the month we turn up!
So do what you have to do.
Go to the lake, party with your friends, go to the cabin.
Thanks for chatting with us, Angelica!
Be sure to keep up with Angelica Rosshere.
you’re able to read moreBlack, Out & Proudinterviewshere.TheNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineis 1-800-273-8255.
