Rain Valdez (born 1981) is an American actress, writer, and producer who rose to prominence with her award-winning short film, Ryans.[1] She stars in the web series Razor Tongue, which she created [2][3] and which has earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination in Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.[4]
Valdez got her start playing Coco in season 2 of TV Land's Lopez.[2][5][6][7] She consulted on Transparent and guest starred in the show's fourth season.[8] She has written for Vice[7] and Popsugar.[9]
Early life
[edit]Valdez was born in Manila, Philippines[8] and was raised by her mother and stepfather in Dededo, Guam.[10][6] She began writing poems and short stories as a junior high school student.[11] She attended Simon Sanchez High School[10] in Yigo before moving to Los Angeles in 2000, waiting tables and modeling to support herself while studying acting.[6][10][12]
Career
[edit]Valdez began her career as a producer's assistant in 2006. In 2010, she wrote and starred in her first short, Silly Games. In 2017, she wrote and starred in her breakthrough short film, Ryans, which premiered at Outfest and was given the Jury Award for Best North American Short.[1] The same year, she was cast in TV Land's Lopez, with a recurring role.[13][7] Also in 2017, Valdez was cast for Amazon's Transparent. In 2019, Valdez created Razor Tongue, an indie episodic romantic comedy,[14] and co-starring such actors as Alexandra Grey, Sterling Jones, Sarah Parlow, Carmen Scott, and Shaan Dasani.[15] The 7-part web series, which she wrote and stars in, had its international premiere in Toronto at InsideOut Film Festival, its US premiere in San Francisco at Frameline Film Festival of June 2019, as well as, premiering in LA at the Outfest Film Festival.[16] Her writing and performance in the romcom short film Ryans earned her a Best North American Short Film Award at OUTSouth Queer Film Festival and Hexed earned her 3 nominations for Best Director, Best Actress and Best Short at the Madrid International Film Festival. She is the Trailblazer Award recipient at the 2021 Outfest Legacy Awards.[16]
In 2020, Valdez appeared as a commentator in the Netflix documentary Disclosure alongside actors Laverne Cox, Jen Richards, Zeke Smith, Leo Sheng, Alexandra Billings, and others.[17][18] In July 2020, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her work on Razor Tongue.[4] In October 2020, she co-starred in the short film The Great Artist, which qualified for the Best Live Action Short Film shortlist for the 93rd Academy Awards.[19] She is currently working on her first feature Re-Live. “Re-Live” tells the story of Rowena, a transgender movie star who returns to her home in Guam for her high school reunion’s “do-over week.” [20]
Activism
[edit]Valdez has been a featured speaker at conferences such as The New School's The Festival of the New,[21] and WrapWomen's BE Conference.[1]
Rain is also the founder of ActNOW, the first and only acting class in Los Angeles prioritizing a safe space for LGBTQIA actors and teaches beyond the binary.[16]
Personal life
[edit]Valdez is a trans woman. She initially began her career closeted, eventually deciding to live as an openly trans individual, with her stint on Transparent as her first role as an openly trans woman.[11]
On being an out trans woman, and her experience being closeted she had this to say, "My years living stealth were a privilege. Safety and ignorance is a privilege. If not everyone in my community can have that choice, then why should I? This is the moment I felt proudest as an out trans woman. The moment I realized I can never go back because of the stamps I've been creating for myself. Instead of fear or disappointment, it gave me peace to know that there can no longer be room in my heart and soul for my own internal transphobia. There's no more room for hesitation when it comes to my part in our fight for equality. Going stealth would not solve anything, at least not for me."[22]
Podcasts
[edit]| Date | Show | Episode |
| Sept. 18, 2020 | Yellow Glitter Podcast[23] | "Moving mountains and the importance of visibility with Rain Valdez" |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | The Her Voice Podcast[24] | "Rain Valdez" |
| Oct. 1, 2019 | Good Morning LaLa Land[25] | "Rain Valdez" |
| Aug. 30, 2019 | Do Me A Solid[26] | "RAIN VALDEZ" |
| Jan. 2019 | FilAm Creative Voices[27] | "Episode 17: Rain Valdez" |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Rain Valdez | BE Conference - The Wrap".
- ^ a b "Rain Valdez's Hilarious New Series Reflects New Era for Trans Creators". www.out.com. September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Razor Toungue – Guam International Film Festival". www.guamfilmfestival.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06.
- ^ a b "72nd Emmys include exciting nominations for Rain Valdez, Laverne Cox, Billy Porter, 'Schitt's Creek,' 'We're Here' and more, but trans 'Pose' talent snubbed". GLAAD. July 28, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (February 24, 2017). "TV Land Series 'Lopez' Casts Transgender Actress Rain Valdez In Season 2". Deadline.
- ^ a b c Gohl 5/2/2017, Cody. "Trans Actress Rain Valdez Makes Her Debut On "Lopez"". LOGO News.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "VICE - 'I'm Not Here to Be Your Token': My Life as a Trans Actress". www.vice.com. 2 August 2017.
- ^ a b Chavez, Yong (13 June 2017). "Meet Fil-Am transgender, actress, director and producer". ABS-CBN News.
- ^ Valdez, Rain (October 1, 2017). "I Gave Up Living "Stealth" as a Trans Woman, and I'm Never Looking Back". POPSUGAR News.
- ^ a b c Lujan, Tihu (29 March 2017). "Former Guam resident joins George Lopez show". The Guam Daily Post.
- ^ a b "Rain Valdez Has A Razor Tongue". Jejune Magazine. 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Rain Valdez of 'Transparent' Says She Has "Passing Privilege"". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 July 2018.
- ^ "TV Land Series 'Lopez' Casts Transgender Actress Rain Valdez In Season 2". www.yahoo.com. 24 February 2017.
- ^ "Sharpen Your Axe with Razor Tongue". Independent Magazine. March 24, 2020.
- ^ "RAZOR TONGUE". festival.outfest.org.
- ^ a b c "Rain Valdez". Rain Valdez. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ^ Dry, Jude (June 18, 2020). "Why Laverne Cox Lives for 'Yentl,' and How 'Disclosure' Invents a Trans Cinematic Gaze".
- ^ Debruge, Peter (June 19, 2020). "'Disclosure' on Netflix: Film Review".
- ^ "OSCAR Contender Live Action Short Film Created During the Pandemic". Monterey County Weekly. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
- ^ Urban, Sasha (2022-01-22). "Maricel Soriano Cast in Rain Valdez Rom-Com 'Re-Live' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ^ "Rain Valdez's schedule for The Festival of New". thefestivalofnew2019.sched.com.
- ^ Valdez, Rain (2017-10-01). "I Gave Up Living "Stealth" as a Trans Woman, and I'm Never Looking Back". POPSUGAR News. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ^ Podcast, Yellow Glitter. "Yellow Glitter Podcast - Moving mountains and the importance of visibility with Rain Valdez". Google Podcasts.
- ^ Podcast, The Her Voice. "The Her Voice Podcast - Rain Valdez". Google Podcasts.
- ^ Land, Good Morning LaLa. "Good Morning LaLa Land - Rain Valdez". Google Podcasts.
- ^ "Do Me A Solid: RAIN VALDEZ on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 29 April 2023.
- ^ "FilAm Creative Voices Ep 17: Rain Valdez - Filam Creative: Voices". Spotify. 10 January 2019.
External links
[edit]- Rain Valdez at IMDb
