While she’s “really excited for the phase of Marvel that’s coming,” specifically mentioning “Black Adam” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” she’s ready to see a trans superhero join the MCU. “I would love to see us in power. I would love to see us as superheroes, but I definitely would love to see us as villains too. But good villains though, lovable villains.” With her undeniable charisma and a recent slate of featured acting roles, Madison may be the one to fulfill her own dreams.
Though she’s been a pop culture sensation since 2013, when a viral Vine video catapulted her into album deals and reality shows, most cinephiles became aware of her talents more recently. Last year, she brought high drama and comedy to “Zola,” Janicza Bravo’s zany joy ride through the road trip from hell.
Related ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’: How James Cameron Built His Ambitious Epic to Please an Eager Audience Diego Calva Says ‘Babylon’ Production Was ‘Beautiful Organized Chaos’ Related 24 Famously Queer and Homoerotic Horror Movies, from ‘Psycho’ to ‘Hellraiser’ The Best Zombie Movies Ever Made
“Janicza is brilliant. What I like about Janicza is that she knows how to make people channel in on things that they wouldn’t normally do,” Madison said. “For instance, in movies, women are always showing their breasts. We didn’t see any breasts in ‘Zola.’ We saw penises. So she flipped it around. OK, well, so all these times that women are objectified, let’s see the penises. And then she cast me, come on.”
This year she takes on a slightly meatier role in “Bros,” Billy Eichner’s splashy gay rom-com with an all LGBTQ+ cast. While the distinction is a bit nebulous, the Universal Pictures flick will be the first theatrically released gay rom-com from a major studio. Why has it taken so long to get here?
“I do believe that it’s the fear of change for one. A fear of change and a fear of failure. Those are the two main points. I think from a studio’s perspective, it’s the fear of failure because they thinking that like, ‘Oh, nobody’s going to go out to watch a gay movie,’ when that’s not true,” Madison said. “We gay and lesbian and trans, non-binary, like the LGBT spends money. Hello? We spend lots of money.”
Universal Pictures
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
So far, doing a little bit of everything is working out pretty well for her. Her voice appears on “Cozy,” one of the breakout hits of Beyonce’s latest album “Renaissance.” It’s Madison’s voice delivering the powerful credo: “I’m dark brown, dark skin, light skin, beige, fluorescent beige. Bitch, I’m Black!” Along with “Cozy” producer Honey Dijon, they became the first Black trans women to land a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
The next door she’ll be banging down? Hollywood’s.
A Universal Pictures release, “Bros” is in theaters now.
