Indya Adrianna Moore (born January 17, 1995) is an American actor and model. They are known for playing the role of Angel Evangelista in the
FX television series ''
Pose''.
''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' named them one of the
100 most influential people in the world
''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine '' Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, ...
in 2019. Moore is
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
and
non-binary
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...
,
and uses ''
they/them
Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'' and ''themselves'' (or ''themself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, in sentence ...
'' and ''she/her'' pronouns.
Early life
Assigned male at birth, Indya Moore is a Bronx native of Haitian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican ancestry. At the age of 14, they left their parents' home due to their parents'
transphobia
Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger to ...
, and entered into
foster care
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...
.
They moved around frequently during this time, eventually living in all five
boroughs of New York City. After being frequently bullied, Moore dropped out of high school during their sophomore year.
They began working as a model at the age of 15, and eventually earned their
General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
Career
Early work
Moore became a model at the age of 15, and began working shoots for
Dior and
Gucci
Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragran ...
, despite the fashion industry's initial treatment of them as a risky choice.
[
Although Moore was booking modeling gigs, they became increasingly disenchanted with the fashion industry and its emphasis on body image. Moore met ballroom dancer ]Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza
Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza (né José Gutiérrez, sometimes called Jose Xtravaganza / Extravaganza) is a dancer, choreographer, recording artist, New York City nightlife personality and the current father of the House of Xtravaganza. He is one o ...
while doing background for the television series ''The Get Down
''The Get Down'' is an American musical drama television series created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis. The series debuted on Netflix on August 12, 2016, and was cancelled after the first season.
Produced by Sony Pictures Television ...
''. He encouraged them to pursue acting and sent Moore to an audition for the independent film '' Saturday Church''.[ Moore landed the role of Dijon, and the film was screened at the ]Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
. ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' called it "sweet and soulful". The film was later released on January 12, 2018, by Samuel Goldwyn Films
Samuel Goldwyn Films is an American film company that licenses, releases and distributes art-house, independent and foreign films. It was founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the Hollywood business magnate/mogul, Samuel Goldwyn. The curr ...
.
In early 2017, Moore walked in New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
and was photographed for ''Vogue España''. That year, Moore appeared in Katy Perry's music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for the single " Swish Swish", and performed live with Perry on the May 20, 2017, episode of ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'', where they were credited as a member of the House of Xtravaganza.
''Pose'' television series
In late 2017, Moore was cast in '' Pose'', Ryan Murphy's FX television series about New York City ball culture in the late 1980s. Moore portrays Angel Evangelista
''Pose'' (stylized as ''POSE'') is an American drama television series about New York City's ballroom culture, an LGBTQ subculture in the African-American and Latino communities, throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Featured characters are dancers ...
, a transgender sex worker
A transgender sex worker is a transgender person who works in the sex industry or performs sexual services in exchange for money or other forms of payment. The term transgender refers to an individual whose gender identity differs from their sex ...
who joins the House of Evangelista after leaving the House of Abundance with her friend Blanca, portrayed by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez (born January 7, 1991), formerly known as MJ Rodriguez, is an American actress and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Rodriguez attended several performing arts schools in her youth before being cast in a theater ...
. While working at the piers, she meets Stan, a yuppie
Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...
played by Evan Peters
Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series '' American Horror Story''; as Detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama limited series '' Mare of Easttown'', w ...
, and becomes his mistress.
The series premiered on June 3, 2018. The first season boasted the largest cast of transgender actors ever for a scripted network series with over 50 transgender characters. On July 12, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 11, 2019.
Present projects
In 2018, Moore signed a contract with IMG Models
IMG Models is an international modeling agency headquartered in New York City and with additional offices in London, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris, and Sydney. It is a subsidiary of the talent management company International Management Group. The com ...
and William Morris Endeavor
Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, WME or WME-IMG) is an American holding company for talent and media agencies with its primary offices in Beverly Hills, California, United States. The compa ...
(WME). Moore was WME's first signed contract with a trans actor. Moore also started the production company Beetlefruit Media, which provides a platform for stories about disenfranchised groups.
Moore has appeared in J.View's 2017 "Don't Pull Away" music video, and in Blood Orange
The blood orange is a variety of orange ( ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'') (also referred to as raspberry orange) with crimson, almost blood-colored flesh.
The distinctive dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of polyp ...
's 2018 "Saint" video.
In May 2019, Moore became the first transgender person to be featured on the cover of the U.S. version of ''Elle'' magazine.
In December 2019, Moore debuted as the voice of Shep on the animated limited series '' Steven Universe Future''. The character is also non-binary.
Moore had been cast in the psychological thriller film '' Escape Room: Tournament of Champions'', the sequel to the 2019 film ''Escape Room''. The film was released on July 16, 2021.
Upcoming projects
Moore will appear in the upcoming horror television series, ''Magic Hour'', a gender-bending recreation of Mary Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...
's ''Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
'', directed by Che Grayson and filmed in Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, on which they also serve as an executive producer. Moore is set to appear in the short film ''Spot''.
In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, '' Queerty'' named them among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".
Personal life
Moore is transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
and non-binary
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...
and goes by ''they/them
Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'' and ''themselves'' (or ''themself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun. It typically occurs with an unspecified antecedent, in sentence ...
'' and ''she/her'' pronouns. Moore has spoken openly about their lifelong struggles with the bullying and transphobia that caused them to leave home at 14 and drop out of school in the 10th grade.[
In an interview with '' Pose'' co-star ]Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez (born January 7, 1991), formerly known as MJ Rodriguez, is an American actress and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Rodriguez attended several performing arts schools in her youth before being cast in a theater ...
, Moore discussed how, despite identifying as non-binary, being seen as a woman means they are still subjected to the same "surveillance and scrutiny" as women, and to a desire to use fashion to take back that power:
MOORE: I feel like that about fashion. I feel like that about us having the autonomy to express ourselves. I'm non-binary but I don't really talk about it that much. I don't feel like people really are there yet for understanding it, which I don't mind, but I also acknowledge the way people see me as a woman. And because I'm seen as a woman, a cis woman or binary presenting, people are going to hold me up to those same standards that women are held up to.
RODRIGUEZ: Which you're saying you shouldn't be, right?
MOORE: Which I'm saying women should not be.
In December 2018, Moore came out as polyamorous.[Twitter thread]
Indya Moore's official twitter
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
See also
* LGBT culture in New York City
* List of LGBT people from New York City
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Indya
1995 births
Living people
21st-century American actors
American people of Dominican Republic descent
American people of Haitian descent
American television actors
Entertainers from the Bronx
Hispanic and Latino American actors
IMG Models models
LGBT African Americans
LGBT people from New York (state)
American people of Puerto Rican descent
American non-binary actors
Non-binary models
Transgender non-binary people
Transgender rights activists
LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people
Transgender models
21st-century African-American people
Polyamorous people
Agender people