Rain Valdez - Actress, Writer, Producer
Rain Valdez just received her first Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series” for her lead role in Razor Tongue, which she created, crowdfunded and produced. Rain is the 2nd transgender actress to ever be nominated for a Primetime Emmy in an acting category and the first Filipina American transgender actress to be nominated. Rain is also the founder of ActNOW. Known for her work on Razor Tongue, Transparent, and Lopez, and seen in the recent documentary Disclosure, Rain continues to work towards representation and opportunities for her community. Born in the Philippines, raised in Guam, Rain moved to Los Angeles to study at Santa Monica College and USC, though she ultimately wanted to act. She took acting classes and modeled, expanded her skills and became an Assistant Editor at a post-production facility working her way up to becoming a Digital Intermediate Producer. She managed the process, from finishing to delivery, and different aspects of film, creative, production, and post-production. Soon Rain returned to acting and filmmaking. With the support of mentors Chick Vennera and Joey Soloway, and her community, Rain has been able to create the work she wanted. Rain also supports her community through ActNOW— the “only acting class in Los Angeles prioritizing a safe space for LGBTQIA actors and teaches beyond the binary.” ActNOW creates a space for trans actors and actresses and nonbinary people to work on their talent without having to be the only ones in the room. Rain has plenty in the works including season 2 of Razor Tongue and a new script about a Filipinx American family. She’s a positive light and uplifting force, believing that, “You define who you are. You can carve out your own story and your own life with joy and with experiences that work for you. And that you can change the narrative you’ve been told, especially if it’s a negative narrative.”
Who/what has been instrumental in your personal and creative growth?
I would say community and finding people like me within the industry. Finding people who are willing to mentor me and believe in me, in terms of getting myself to a place where I could create more opportunity for myself. Before community and mentorship, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. With my community, I was able to write a short film, produce it myself, and submit it to festivals. With my short film I was able to get a manager and an agent. Having that kind of support system is crucial.
How does your identity as a trans actress affect the work you choose to do?
Depends on each role. For the most part, it’s just a part of who I am. If I’m playing a character who’s specifically trans, that’s fine. But if I can play a role and their gender identity isn’t talked about at all, then that’s a way for me to play the essence of a character. In terms of being trans or not, for me it only affects my work when it becomes something that I’m forced to address. Which I don’t always necessarily care to address in my work. Just like Emma Stone doesn’t get to talk about her gender identity, my transness is not entirely who I am. There’s so much more I can play as an actress.
When did you start ActNOW? What was the inspiration?
I started ActNOW about 2 years ago. I was one of the people who was featured in the Hollywood Reporter speaking out about trans representation and acting. That was in regards to Scarlett Johansson being cast as a trans man in Rub & Tug. The community went up in arms about it. Some actors spoke up against it— she is a cis gender woman who has no business playing a trans man in 2018. I kept hearing, ‘There aren’t any big name trans actors,’ from people in the industry. So I decided to create a space where it’s predominantly trans actors, actresses and nonbinary people where we could hone in on our talent without having to worry about explaining or using any emotional labor. It’s hard when you’re the only one because it becomes this thing that continues to make you ‘other’ and that part of your identity becomes the sole focus of the place. With my class, we are the majority so there’s nothing we need to explain; we just focus on the work.
What have been some of your favorite acting projects so far?
Razor Tongue was fun to make because I wrote the majority of the episodes and we crowdfunded the series. It was also independently produced. I got to act and work with people I care about. I really liked working on Sneaky Pete opposite of Margo Martindale, she was lovely to work with. Now I’m just writing and creating new work. On Razor Tongue, we employed at least 80% trans identifying, LGBTQ, female identifying, and POC folks in front of and behind the camera. In every department there was a trans or nonbinary person.
How did you get involved with Disclosure and how has the reception been?
I got involved through the director, Sam Feder, who is someone I have known from the community. He knew me through my work on Lopez and Ryans, my short film. He interviewed me about representation, what it’s like being an Asian American trans woman in the industry, and the good and bad representation I saw growing up.
Since Disclosure has been out, the response has been very positive. I’ve been getting a lot of messages on social media about my presence in the film. I knew I wasn’t in it for very much, but I was very proud of the film and I went to Sundance for it’s premiere. I was very surprised by the amazing feedback I’ve been getting personally with my presence in the documentary. People have been responding to the things I have said about lack of representation and my experience. It’s a universal experience. To have my story shared with the world and seeing everyone’s response, saying ‘that happened to me, too’ makes me feel like I’m not alone. It’s something to be proud of.
What do you want others to learn from your story?
I want people to learn that no matter what they see or what people tell them, that’s not what defines who you are. You define who you are. You can carve out your own story and your own life with joy and with experiences that work for you. And that you can change the narrative you’ve been told, especially if it’s a negative narrative. You will find out it’s something you can change on your own.
Do you have any upcoming projects you are excited about?
I’m working on a queer romcom and last year I won a pitch contest for the idea. Now we have a full feature script. We did a live reading for AAPI month and donated the money to charity. Re-Live is a tale of an American Island cheerleader who has to go home to take care of her mom. While home, she attends her high school reunion where she tries out to be the one thing she missed out on— becoming a cheerleader. It’s a fun, quirky, inspiring, and heartfelt script. And it houses a large Asian American cast with an Asian American trans lead.
I also have season 2 of Razor Tongue written and I am excited to work on that once we are able to find financing and once we can get back to production.
Currently, I am working on a new script with a Filipinx American family that doesn’t have a name yet, but I’m excited about it. I am utilizing this downtime we have now and trying to get in as much creativity as I can.
Photos courtesy of Rain Valdez