[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let's see.
Do I have actors yet?
Do I have actors?
Do I have actors yet, Sam?
No, Miss Mock.
[LAUGHTER]
Janet is someone who I have been a huge fan of well
before I ever met her for the show.
She was an icon well before she ever worked on "Pose."
She'd written a memoir, and she had a show on MSNBC
that I thought was really fantastic.
So to get her as a writer and a producer was a real coup.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's perfect.
I am always asking myself how can I live a purposeful life.
And working on this show specifically
has really been a great answer to that question.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Being the first trans woman of color
to be hired in a Hollywood writers room and then the first
to direct and write an episode of television.
And now to come back to do two more that season is astounding.
But I hope that "Pose" shows that people who've never
been given a chance can actually do it and they can do it well.
And that it actually makes for more dynamic, more authentic,
more impactful storytelling.
The most amazing thing for me about having Janet in the room
is that there's not just one trans
person in our writer's room anymore.
There are two trans people writing for trans characters.
She's such a talented writer, she's such a talented director.
Working specifically with Janet Mock,
my trans black sister on set, it's so wonderful
to see this show have this initiative
that empowers and uplifts talented black trans folks.
And it just fills my heart when we're working together.
JANET MOCK: Well, we're taking it out.
Yes, I know.
I know.
I'm not going to fight you writer.
And then to see other people respecting her as a director,
as a female director, as a trans female director,
as a black trans female director is very empowering.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
So how does it feel being directed by Janet Mock?
Wow.
No, let's do that again.
Let's make it more exciting.
So how does it feel to be directed by Janet Mock?
Oh my god.
I never thought you'd ask.
That's better.
[LAUGHTER]
Everyone needs a Janet, I tell you.
She's definitely one of the best people
that I've ever been directed by.
And she knows exactly what she wants.
She's very specific.
Sometimes I got to help her out.
I'm just kidding.
Mother Mock, Mother Mock.
As a director she demands, and as an actor
you need to deliver.
Which is great because it sort of pulls the best out of you
from the best.
So I love it.
The crazy thing is that me and Janet met on the train.
I think it was the two train on 42nd street
after like tweeting toward each other.
And then we finally met on the platform and I'm like, "Janet?"
She's like, "Leomy?"
We all started this journey together since day one.
So being with her alongside this journey, it's been amazing
and I'm so lucky to be a part of it
and see her grow while we're all growing.
And that's it.
JANET MOCK: Number one, it's such an honor
that Ryan has trusted me to helm the show out
of the second season.
There's a lot of great loose ends
that are tied up, a lot of reconciliations,
a lot of new beginnings.
And so, that's really powerful to be able to helm that.
We'll let them have a beat.
She is someone who is completely
willing to open up her heart.
There's so much of her own personal experience
put into the narrative of "Pose."
And so, I'm forever indebted to her
for giving so much of herself and of her own story
to make this show and this story better.
Can I see the shot before it's starting?
- When she stands up? - Yeah.
Sure.
We are on the finale.
I think we're five scenes in so far.
For me, when people ask me what the legacy of "Pose"
will be, it will always be that we have equipped,
we have empowered, hired, and recruited people who lived
it to tell their own stories.
Thank you.
I feel like this is the sequence.
Reset, let's do that again.
Recommendation of Janet Mock, the one and only.
[LAUGHTER]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JANET MOCK: Cut.
Check that.
[MUSIC PLAYING]