Rent Live's Kiersey Clemons Talks About Playing a Queer Black Woman, Just Like Herself

Kiersey Clemons is opening up about getting to play Joanne Jefferson in Rent Live, a queer black woman just like herself.

The 25-year-old actress has been open about her sexuality since the beginning of her career and she’s had the opportunity to play queer characters in the past as well.

“I’ve played Black queer characters more than once or twice, which a lot of queer people do not get to do,” Kiersey told Out. “I got a tweet and someone said like, ‘This person only plays queer people.’ We never say anything to white men about just playing straight white men who drink whiskey — and they do it all the time!”

Kiersey has been a fan of Rent since she was a teenager and has always found Joanne to be “inspiring.”

“When I was young, I thought that Joanne was so cool,” she said. “I was thrilled by anybody that looked like me.”

Kiersey also commented on how times have changed since Rent debuted in 1996, though the musical is still relevant to today’s political climate.

“Over that amount of time, to see technology and all these things change and yet our country is still kind of the same in how we treat people with illnesses or disabilities or because of the color of their skin or their gender identity or sexual orientation, the themes in this show are still relevant today,” she said.