Most people know Daphne Rubin-Vega from her role as Mimi Marquez in the original cast of “Rent”, but few people know the woman behind the character. That is, until now. The Tony-nominated actress bares all in a new video by StyleLikeU, revealing how racism, ageism, sexism and the people around her have shaped the badass woman she is today. ; For every item of clothing shed, Rubin-Vega reveals something intimate about herself, like how early on in her career she had had her breast and nose surgically augmented because “if you’re not ;fuckable looking, then you’re either the gnome under the bridge, or somebody’s grandmother, or an …
Most people know Daphne Rubin-Vega from her role as Mimi Marquez in the original cast of “Rent”, but few people know the woman behind the character. That is, until now.
The Tony-nominated actress bares all in a new video by StyleLikeU, revealing how racism, ageism, sexism and the people around her have shaped the badass woman she is today. ;
For every item of clothing shed, Rubin-Vega reveals something intimate about herself, like how early on in her career she had had her breast and nose surgically augmented because “if you’re not ;fuckable looking, then you’re either the gnome under the bridge, or somebody’s grandmother, or an extra,” she says in the video. She also discusses the entertainment industry’s pervasive and ever-present diversity problem.
“The better jobs on television for someone that looks like me… is ‘Devious Maids’. My girlfriends are all on ‘Devious Maids’. Boy it’s a lot of fun… you’re a maid,” Rubin-Vega explains with a sigh. “People like me are supposed to clean toilets and shit, and take care of your kids.”
Through it all, Rubin-Vega says her stepfather’s words of advice kept her going. “He’d say you have to be smarter, because people are going to think you’re stupid just by the way you look. It’s not an even playing field, and because of your race, and because of your class, people are gonna judge you. So you have to be smarter than other people,” Rubin-Vega recalls. “So I took that and I rode with it.” ;
Now in her 40s, Rubin-Vega says she’s a lot more fearless than she was in her youth. “Now I’m more unapologetic in the sense of going after what I want — asking for what I want,” Rubin-Vega explains. Especially when it comes to her career.
“I’m in the Labyrinth Theater Company. We started that company because people like us weren’t doing Chekov or Shakespeare, or Tennessee Williams or American Classics ;– ;or any kinds of classics because of the color of our skin and they way we spoke. We don’t do shit like that; we play ‘the other people,’” explains Rubin-Vega. “It’s still a struggle, but at least I can say I helped make it happen. It pisses you off to make a change, you know, and say ‘I have nothing to lose if I do this.’”
Watch the video above for more truth bombs from Rubin-Vega. ;
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‘Rent’ Veteran Calls Out Racism, Ageism, And Sexism In Show Business
