Rain Valdez

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 starred in the show's fourth season.[8] She has written for Vice[7] and Popsugar.[9]

Early life

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

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]

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.[16][17] 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.[18]

Activism

Valdez has been a featured speaker at conferences such as The New School's The Festival of the New,[19] and WrapWomen's BE Conference.[1]

Personal life

Valdez is a transgender 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]

Podcasts
Date Show Episode
Sept. 18, 2020 Yellow Glitter Podcast[20] "Moving mountains and the importance of visibility with Rain Valdez"
Feb. 26, 2020 The Her Voice Podcast[21] "Rain Valdez"
Oct. 1, 2019 Good Morning LaLa Land[22] "Rain Valdez"
Aug. 30, 2019 Do Me A Solid[23] "RAIN VALDEZ"
Jan. 2019 FilAm Creative Voices[24] "Episode 17: Rain Valdez"

References
  1. "Rain Valdez | BE Conference - The Wrap".
  2. "Rain Valdez's Hilarious New Series Reflects New Era for Trans Creators". www.out.com. September 20, 2019.
  3. https://www.guamfilmfestival.org/razor-toungue/
  4. "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.
  5. Petski, Denise (February 24, 2017). "TV Land Series 'Lopez' Casts Transgender Actress Rain Valdez In Season 2". Deadline.
  6. Gohl 5/2/2017, Cody. "Trans Actress Rain Valdez Makes Her Debut On "Lopez"". LOGO News.
  7. "VICE - 'I'm Not Here to Be Your Token': My Life as a Trans Actress". www.vice.com.
  8. Chavez, Yong. "Meet Fil-Am transgender, actress, director and producer". ABS-CBN News.
  9. Valdez, Rain (October 1, 2017). "I Gave Up Living "Stealth" as a Trans Woman, and I'm Never Looking Back". POPSUGAR News.
  10. Lujan, Tihu. "Former Guam resident joins George Lopez show". The Guam Daily Post.
  11. "Rain Valdez Has A Razor Tongue". Jejune Magazine.
  12. "Rain Valdez of 'Transparent' Says She Has "Passing Privilege"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. "TV Land Series 'Lopez' Casts Transgender Actress Rain Valdez In Season 2". www.yahoo.com.
  14. "Sharpen Your Axe with Razor Tongue". Independent Magazine. March 24, 2020.
  15. "RAZOR TONGUE". festival.outfest.org.
  16. Dry, Jude (June 18, 2020). "Why Laverne Cox Lives for 'Yentl,' and How 'Disclosure' Invents a Trans Cinematic Gaze".
  17. Debruge, Peter (June 19, 2020). "'Disclosure' on Netflix: Film Review".
  18. "OSCAR Contender Live Action Short Film Created During the Pandemic". Monterey County Weekly. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  19. "Rain Valdez's schedule for The Festival of New". thefestivalofnew2019.sched.com.
  20. Podcast, Yellow Glitter. "Yellow Glitter Podcast - Moving mountains and the importance of visibility with Rain Valdez". Google Podcasts.
  21. Podcast, The Her Voice. "The Her Voice Podcast - Rain Valdez". Google Podcasts.
  22. Land, Good Morning LaLa. "Good Morning LaLa Land - Rain Valdez". Google Podcasts.
  23. "Do Me A Solid: RAIN VALDEZ on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts.
  24. "FilAm Creative Voices Ep 17: Rain Valdez - Filam Creative: Voices". Spotify.
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