Pose is an American drama television series about New York City's African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It features an ensemble cast, including Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Billy Porter, Indya Moore, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Charlayne Woodard, Angelica Ross, Hailie Sahar, Angel Bismark Curiel, and Dyllón Burnside. Joining the main cast in the second season is Sandra Bernhard, following a guest appearance in the first season.
Cast members
Character Portrayed by Appearances Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Main cast Stan Bowes Evan Peters colspan=2 Patty Bowes Kate Mara colspan=2 Matt Bromley James Van Der Beek colspan=2 Blanca Evangelista Michaela Jaé Rodriguez colspan=3 Elektra Wintour Dominique Jackson colspan=3 Pray Tell Billy Porter colspan=3 Angel Evangelista Indya Moore colspan=3 Damon Evangelista Ryan Jamaal Swain colspan=2 Helena St. Rogers Charlayne Woodard colspan=2 Candy Ferocity Angelica Ross colspan=2 Lulu Ferocity Hailie Sahar colspan=3 Esteban Evangelista Angel Bismark Curiel colspan=3 Ricky Wintour Dyllón Burnside colspan=3 Judy Kubrak Sandra Bernhard colspan=2 Lemar Wintour Jason A. Rodriguez colspan=2 Supporting cast Cubby Wintour Jeremy McClain colspan=3 Aphrodite Ferocity Alexia Garcia colspan=3 Veronica Ferocity Bianca Castro colspan=3 Costas Perez Johnny Sibilly Miss Orlando Cecilia Gentili colspan="2" Florida Ferocity Leiomy Maldonado colspan=2 Jack Mizrahi Jack Mizrahi colspan=2 Frederica Norman Patti LuPone Jazmine Wintour Damaris Lewis Silhouette Wintour Brielle Rheames Shadow Wintour Dashaun Wesley colspan="2" Eileen Ford Trudie Styler Chi Chi Patricia Black colspan=2 Manhattan André Ward colspan=2 Castle J. Cameron Barnet colspan=2 Andre Taglioni Alexander DiPersia Wanda Danielle Cooper Kiki Pendavis Jonovia Chase colspan=2 Christopher Jeremy Pope colspan=2 Notes
Characters
Main characters
Blanca Evangelista Blanca Evangelista (portrayed by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), an HIV-positive trans woman, the founder and mother of the House of Evangelista, and former member of the defunct House of Abundance. She opens up her own nail salon in season two, only to enter an ongoing battle against the owner of the building, Frederica Norman. After Frederica burns down the nail salon, Blanca begins doing nails in her apartment until the fumes begin to negatively affect her heath and she must quit. In the third season, she becomes a nurse aide and begins dating a man named Christopher who works in the same hospital. He encourages her to go to school and eventually become a nurse, a task she ultimately succeeds. She is able to get on the trial for new HIV/AIDS medicine and her health becomes stable.
For her performance, Rodriguez became the first transgender actress to be nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.
Elektra Wintour Elektra Wintour Jackson (portrayed by Dominique Jackson), a trans woman, the mother of the House of Wintour, former mother of the defunct House of Abundance, and former member of the House of Evangelista and the House of Ferocity. She was born Duane Jackson. She originally gained wealth through a long term sugar daddy who eventually ended their relationship once she underwent gender confirmation surgery. Without the inflow of money, she lost her apartment and resorted to living on a park bench before Blanca took her into her home and helped get her a job as a hostess at the restaurant Indochine. In the second season, she has quit her job as a hostess and begins working as a dominatrix, making a lot of money. After a falling out with Blanca, she leaves to join the House of Ferocity, which she also leaves due to an argument between her, Lulu, and Candy. Purchasing her own apartment, she creates the new House of Wintour, named after Anna Wintour, and recruits new members including Ricky. During one of her dominatrix shifts, a client requests to do drugs during the session and pays her extra to allow it. She agrees and leaves him alone for a while, only to return to him dead from an overdose. Knowing she can't go to the cops, she pulls in Blanca and Candy. Calling up Ms. Orlando, they wrap the body up and hide it in a trunk. In season three, Elektra has moved past dominatrix work and now operates a large phone sex business, making her even richer. She is contacted by the mafia, who wish to launder money through her company, and she agrees. She then uses this wealth to pay for Angel and Papi's wedding. She then transitions her business from phone sex to running a web cam business.
Pray Tell Pray Tell (portrayed by Billy Porter) is a gay New York City-based aspiring fashion designer and master of ceremonies, who is popular among the ball scene and acts as a mentor to the members of the community. In season one, he is informed he is HIV positive. He uses his fashion design skills to craft outfits for the House of Evangelista. He and Blanca have a close familial relationship through all three seasons, helping each other through rough patches of life. In season two, he begins a relationship with Ricky, a decision he has to defend from many people. In season three, he battles with alcoholism and the news that he doesn't have much time left. After he reconnects with his biological family and his mother in particular, he is able to gain a spot on a new drug trial for those with HIV/AIDS. His health improves greatly, and he and Blanca begin making plans until he learns that Ricky is starting to show signs of worsening health due to AIDS. Lying to Ricky that he can get more medication, he gives him his pills and ends up dying from AIDS. His words and wisdom are used by Blanca to inspire others as he watches over her.
For his performance, Porter won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Angel Evangelista Angel Evangelista (portrayed by Indya Moore) is a trans model and former sex worker who joins the House of Evangelista after leaving the House of Abundance. In the first season, she worked at the piers as a prostitute, where she met Stan Bowes. They begin a romantic affair even though Stan is married and she begins working at a peep show which pays more and is safer. Eventually, Stan rents her a luxury apartment with the extra money he gets from work. After he does not show up to spend Christmas night with her but with his family, she leaves and returns to the House of Evangelista. Stan's wife Patty eventually learns of the affair and seeks her out, tracking her down to a ball. They talk in a diner, and Patty learns that Angel is trans. Stan eventually returns to her and asks to go with her to a ball so he can learn about her world. She takes him to one but he grows overwhelmed and leaves. After a conversation with Blanca, Angel cuts off the affair with Stan, telling him that the House of Evangelista is her family and she needs to be there for them. In season two, she is back working at the piers for a little while before Blanca comes and encourages her to try out for a modeling competition. She meets Ms. Ford, a judge of the competition, who likes Angel but requires professional photos and helps arrange for them to be taken by a man named Andre Taglioni. After meeting with Andre, he informs Angel that he's familiar with her from her sex work at the pier and she admits she would not be able to pay for a complete set, offering to settle an arrangement. They take the pictures, but when only he and Angel are left, he orders her to undress and takes pictures of her. At the next ball, she is visibly distressed and informs Papi and Blanca about what happened. The three go to Andre, and Papi beats him up while Blanca retrieves the pictures. Angel gives her professional photos to Ms. Ford and advances far into the competition. She does not win the competition, but Ms. Ford helps her gain modeling contracts. During this time she forms a romance with Papi. After being invited to a club that is graced by models, artists, and photographers, they are both coaxed into doing cocaine. Angel becomes addicted and it starts to impede her reliability as a model. Damon reveals this to Blanca, but she is hesitant to kick Angel out due to Angel being like a daughter to her. Angel eventually sits Blanca down, takes responsibility for her addiction, moves out with Papi and quits using cocaine. During one of her photoshoots for a company, a member of the ballroom scene clocks Angel as trans and informs some of the other workers there. Word spreads and Angel's contracts start getting pulled. She goes home and drinks heavily until Papi finds her. He resolves to open up his own modeling agency specifically for trans women, and he and Angel get engaged. Towards the end of the season, he secures her a modeling job in Germany and they fly off to it. In season three, it has been a little while since Angel's last modeling gig and she begins to start smoking cocaine again. After an intervention from her loved ones, she quits. She and Papi begin planning for the wedding and Elektra agrees to pay for it. Papi learns he has a son who was born before he got together with Angel, and Angel walks out, believing she is not ready to be a mother. After receiving advice from Blanca and paying a visit to her estranged father, Angel returns to Papi and agrees to help him raise his son as theirs. They have a beautiful wedding attended by many members. Afterward, they go on a honeymoon with Papi's son, Beto, to Disney World and play on the beach. She eventually returns to New York as a successful model, stepmother, and wife.
Esteban Evangelista Esteban "Lil Papi" Martinez-Evangelista (portrayed by Angel Bismark Curiel) is a member of the House of Evangelista and Husband to Angel. He first appeared in season one where he quickly joined the newly formed House of Evangelista after seeing them perform as a house for the first time and not wanting to continue being homeless. He ends up breaking Blanca's rule against selling drugs when he is caught by Damon and later ratted out by Ricky who doesn't want to jeopardize his place in Blanca's house. After he is kicked out by Blanca he falls into more drug selling, and is arrested and then released. The drug dealers can't have him work for them for a while since he was just recently busted. This prompts him to join the newly created House of Ferocity, led by co-mothers Lulu and Candy. However they end up treating him like a servant instead of a house member and continually berate him. In the season one finale, he leaves the House of Ferocity after Blanca agrees to take him back. In season two, he begins to let his inner feelings for Angel show and they start flirting. Papi and Blanca accompany Angel to her modeling competition audition and celebrate when she gets in. When Angel later informs him and Blanca that the photographer took nude pictures of her, they go to his house and Papi beats him up while Blanca retrieves the pictures. Angel sadly doesn't win the competition but Ms. Ford still is able to land her modeling jobs. During a walk in the park Papi reassures her and they kiss for the first time.
Damon Evangelista