Talking With Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor of 'Tangerine'

Shooting entirely on the iPhone 5 is only one of the innovations of the Sundance hit "Tangerine." Writer/director Sean Baker discovered a cast of transsexual actresses and delved into the community of L.A.'s trans sex workers. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, in her first film, plays Sin-Dee, a prostitute who returns from a jail stint looking for her pimp. Mya Taylor plays Alexandra, her closest friend. As they go through more encounters with rivals, johns and police, the drama (and comedy) get more heated.

In reviewing the film for the New York Times, Manohla Dargis writes that "Sin-Dee and Alexandra share much in common, including a taste for sweets, a weakness for men and absolute faith in the transformational power of a luxurious wig. Given the girl talk and high-pitched shrieks of laughter, you may not immediately notice that the women are transgender, with identities that speak to the cultural moment. 'Tangerine' encompasses dizzying multitudes - it's a neo-screwball chase flick with a dash of Rainer Werner Fassbinder - but mostly, movingly, it is a female-friendship movie about two people who each started life with an XY chromosome set."

Rodriguez and Taylor were in Los Angeles to discuss "Tangerine" and EDGE interviewed them to find out how they became movie stars, and as much about their personal stories and transitions they cared to share. "Tangerine" opens in limited release this week. Check out its website to see when it opens throughout the country.

Getting their roles

EDGE: This is Kiki's first movie and the first time I'm seeing Mya. What are your backgrounds and how did this happen for you?

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez: Mya met Sean before I did. She somehow remembered my love for the arts, so she brought me along to meet him. He just wanted to hear about our experience, our background within living in that area, being around that area and the transsexual community. Just like what's it like for some of the girls out there and our own personal experience. I don't think either one of us really expected much. We just expected to talk. It was a great opportunity just to meet and I'm really grateful and happy about it.

EDGE: How long had you known each other before the movie was shot?

Mya Taylor: Years. We met probably three years before.

EDGE: Depending how personal you want to get, what was your experience in the transsexual community in L.A.?

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez: This community is a big community. It's very, very diverse. It's the first time I was in a big group of transsexual women in one area. It's not just the transsexual women. It's also the partners they have - the guys who choose to be with them. Together they makes that community, my community, I like it. I like living out here. I like the fact that there are more people out here like me who've been through some of the same tribulations and things I've been through. I like to have relationships, to get to know girls and their stories, everybody's individual stories. And if I didn't know these stories and if I didn't know this area and these girls out here, I wouldn't be able to make this movie happen the way it happened.

Life on the streets

EDGE: Where did you live before L.A.?

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez: Up the 210. San Bernardino.

EDGE: And there wasn't a transsexual community there?

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez: Not as broad as out here. Not as open. It was not our scene. There were a couple girls I knew and there was a lotta older girls. There weren't many people at that point in time when I lived there. We had a street called Church Street. It was this neighborhood block called Church Street and there was a church on every corner of that street. But, like really? You think anybody's really out and open?

EDGE: Mya, Sean had said he met you at a community center. Where was that and what was your role there?

Mya Taylor: I believe at that time it was called the Edd Gould LGBT Center on McAdden. I was actually in the courtyard at that time just hanging out with a friend.

EDGE: Sean said you told him stories of sex workers in L.A. How did you know their trials and tribulations?

Mya Taylor: Okay, to begin with, I came from a hard life being with my family and everything. When I was 18, I came out to them. So I moved to L.A. with another family member who also had done me wrong, and I ended up in the streets. Getting in the streets, I had met all of these other transgender girls and all these different drug dealers. All those girls went to the same places to get their housing or food or hormones or whatever, and I did too. So I was always interacting with them and knew about the prostitution and the drug deals and all of that. There's so much that I had seen, so much dramatic stuff that I had seen, and was able to tell Sean so much of my story.

Filming with an iPhone?

EDGE: Did shooting on iPhone cameras make it easier or more natural?

Mya Taylor: You know, from shooting my last movie, I didn't feel any different. I'm so natural at acting that I don't even notice the camera. I guess because I know what I'm doing. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I just don't really notice.

EDGE: Had you ever wanted to be an actor before Sean approached you?

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez: Yeah, I did, but I just want to take everything slow. If you take stuff too fast it ends very fast. If you take stuff more slow, you can enjoy it more, you appreciate it more and it lasts longer.

EDGE: Mya, you did a few shorts. Were you already pursuing acting before Sean approached you?

Mya Taylor: One of the things on my IMDB says 'Hollywood Wasteland.' I never mention this in my interviews because it was long before my transition. I played a small part. I was a celebrity that got turned into a zombie, so I had this zombie makeup on. But of course I looked way different than I look now. Another thing that's on my IMDB is actually an error. I think it's 'Love Me Something [I Love You... Me Neither].' That's not my work. That's an error and I've been trying to get them to change it for the longest time.

EDGE: So 'Tangerine' is your first movie.

Mya Taylor: This is my first movie. I just completed the filming of 'Happy Birthday, Marsha!'

EDGE: Has 'Tangerine' opened a lot of doors for both of you?

Mya Taylor: Oh, yes. Most definitely. There's quite a bit that's going on that I can't mention yet, but yes.

EDGE: Did things start happening right after Sundance?

Mya Taylor: Yeah, I guess you could say that they did start happening right after Sundance. Sundance was when everything pretty much took off.

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez: For me, I'm being very, very smart about everything I'm doing and I'm very, very slow about everything I'm doing right now. It sounds weird to say that. So I want to let everything soak in slowly for me so by the time I get to my next project or do the next venture in life, I'm more prepared and not so nervous like I would've been. I don't expect great things like this in my life to happen.

"Tangerine" opens in limited release this week. Check out its website to see when it opens throughout the country.