THE LIMITLESS LIFE OF LEYNA BLOOM, PART 2

Was it the collaborative energy and storytelling that drew you to acting?

Absolutely. I want to reach into places in the world and pull emotions out that have been lost or have been sensationalized in a way that is engaged to the white space. And I want to bring it back to where it belongs and remind people this is where the heritage was rooted from. This is the blueprint. So, it’s imperative for me to attach myself to roles where I am taking back. I’m someone that is constantly being killed and murdered, so this is an opportunity for me to put the gun in my hand and say, “You will not kill me.”

This is an opportunity for me to put on a princess gown because we don’t often see trans women or Filipino or African women in gowns that are royal. And who we are right now, we have a Black biracial princess in the British power who does not want to be a princess in that power. So that’s how we change and give the words new meaning. I think that’s what it’s about at the end of the day. We’re in a time where we can take words, we can create ideas, and we can give them new meanings. And the people that are in the position of power can bring something different to the table.

That’s so important. Not to just occupy those spaces and get there, but flip the script, turn the table, flip it upside down, take the gun in your hand, don’t wear the princess dress, wear it, whatever. But you’re right, it’s about dismantling those old paradigms and building something that’s a new narrative where it’s not always from the white gaze or white male gaze. When we talk about Hollywood, acting, beauty, fashion, those traditionally sit in Westernized, Eurocentric beauty ideals, right? So, it’s really important, not just to get there and get through those doors and to those tables and spaces, but to take command and take control.

Yeah, and also watch who’s in that space before we got there and understand who they are and understand what is going on with them, because I often see a lot of people in these positions of power that have these spaces that do not want to give up the power. You have to understand, why don’t you want to share your power? Your way of educating is from the past. Why are you not hiring people to present things differently from today and tomorrow? In order to be relevant in society today, you must hire people and be around people that are talking about what’s happening right now.

And that’s what the campaign I did with Levi’s is about, you know what I mean? We are in a moment right now, where we’re talking about things like this, because it’s happening today. So, fashion needs to be representing what’s happening today, what’s happening tomorrow. And we need to see that. We need to not be afraid of it. We need to really sit down and talk about it and understand that this is what people are talking about. These are tokens of power that give people honor. And I think that’s what it’s about, and those people in those positions of power have to be able to say, “I need to shut up and I need to listen.”

Well, a lot of that I’m thinking comes from fear, right? Fear of change, fear of losing power, fear of what happens when people who don’t look like me come into this space, will I become irrelevant? Will I be erased? When so many people have just been fighting to not be erased, right? So how do we fight fear? Is it as simple as saying, we fight fear with love?

At the end of the day, if it’s not working for society, then it must be dismantled. If it’s not working for the collective, it has to be dismantled. If it doesn’t represent what the buyers are looking like, live like, and breathe like then what is the conversation we’re having here? You know what I mean? We have to stop lying to the people in society that are spending their hard-earned money, also which is a battle to come into your spaces to buy garments and clothing to decorate ourselves. To have a certain identity, but if you’re not really representing that type of person, then what are we doing? There’s a disconnect here. And those brands will not be able to survive for the future.

What about roles you take and that you’re interested in? Not just the role, but the production, who’s behind the camera, who’s doing costumes. Do you feel like the sets and productions in Hollywood need to move in the same direction of inclusivity?

Absolutely. I mean, when I did Port Authority, I noticed that I was the only trans woman of color in that space. So, I immediately hired a script consultant. I immediately hired an acting coach. I immediately hired someone to speak up for me when I was not in those spaces to speak up for myself. So, I think it’s a collective, it’s a collective of education. I think it’s all about how we teach each other, how we respond to how we’re learning. We’re not living in that time where there’s this hierarchy in the room and everyone has to pay attention. There are people coming in from all different walks of life that have a level of expertise and they have mastered that, and they have a place to be in that room.

So, I think it’s imperative that if you look around and you see faces that look just like you, then there’s a problem. If you look around and you see different walks of life, different hair textures, different accents, different ways of wearing clothes, then you are in a place where there is progress, there’s ideas. There’s a responsibility in that space that is being taken. And everyone in that room has a purpose to be there, because we’ve all come from different walks of life. And all our ideas are there congregating together, and in this pool of information, there’s not just one type of vision, there’s so many different visions to pull from and we can put all visions together and create a nuance that the world is dying to taste.

That’s a good word and thing to keep in mind, “nuance”. You know, I am hearing some friends and family in the AAPI community feel a bit challenged to speak out right now. How can people who aren’t traditionally used to speaking up, but are infuriated, hurt or fearful use their voice? Find our justice voice? What’s that first step?

I mean, I wasn’t always like this. You know what I mean? I was very in that same mindset. I was in that very same place of saying, I have ideas, I have courage. I’m trying to find how to reposition it. I’m trying to find what works for me. We have to always understand that the blueprint in front of us is not always the end result. We have to create something that’s different for us that we can see that we can tackle, that we can be in charge of.

There are certain people in society that are born to do certain things. We need to stop trying to think that everyone has to be a soldier of love or soldier of political power, soldier of change. We have to understand that there’s certain people in society that just want to just master what they’re mastering and be the best at that. And just really be respected because of that. We need to respect other people and different pathways that other people are going on. I can only do what I’m doing, you can only do what you’re doing. Regardless of how we look and where we come from, we’re bringing something already new to the table. We need to understand that not everyone is going to walk down the yellow brick road, you’ve got to go out and make your own yellow brick road. You know what I mean? You got to go out there and find your own lion, your own tin man, your own wizard of Oz, or be all that in one.

Don’t be like anyone else, be you. If that’s not who you are in your nature, that’s not part of your cultural ideas of who you are as a person, that is fine, and I respect that. And you are still allowed in these spaces, and you can still do a part, and you still do your job, and you still get paid what you deserve. But we need to just stop apologizing saying, “I can’t do this, or “It’s not me,” we just live and be us and know that when it’s time for us to stand up and do our part, we’re going to just be there front and center to do that.

You’re so right, everybody has a role, right? And it’s doing the best you can at what you’re comfortable with. Thank you for saying that. I think it’s important.

Everyone has a purpose, and everyone has a place, and it’s like the sea, it’s like this ecosystem, everyone is doing their part. And if nothing is taken out of the ecosystem, then it’s the message of the ecosystem. So, we need to all just master what we’re born here to master and be the best people we can possibly be in that field. And we need to stop giving power to this cool new trend or having to be a certain look or we have to be a certain style to be cool. No, we’re all cool. We all have different ideas. We have all different lives to live. And we all have different things that are inspiring us, and everyone needs to be in the position where they’re all being celebrated for who they are and where they are in the world.

I think for me, I was comparing myself to another girl. I was like, “Oh, you have the same body type,” or “Oh, our hair textures are the same, so we are probably going to have the same career.” No, I could have a twin sister that looks just like me, but our lives will go in different directions and has every right to do that. And I love that. I love that I learned the lesson that I just have to find what works for me and say, “Hey, this is a great opportunity. I don’t think it’s going to be good for me but let me introduce you to someone that is going to really enjoy this opportunity and take it to where it needs to go.”

Right. Absolutely. Aligning with your decisions and being able to understand that “no” is super powerful. I mean, that’s only going to make you stronger, but that’s also the kind of attitude and leadership that’s going to change an industry like Hollywood, because if you’re constantly chasing, then you’re just feeding the same machine, right?

Yeah, conquer it, you’ve got to conquer it.

Conquering it, that’s it. You’re not just participating. You’re conquering.

Yeah. Period. I mean, we’re in a time right now when social media put everyone on the same level. One day you’re this way, one day you’re that way. One day you got this job, one day you got this job. It’s just, everyone has the same opportunity to be great. And they’ve just got to use what’s inside them to push it out to say, “Hey, me too, I’m here also. I did something different over here.” And some people will gravitate towards that, and some people will appreciate that. There’s a person somewhere in the world that is living the same ideas, that feels that same way, that feels those vibrations and wants to be a part of that, and that’s what you need to be worried about.

As the world continues to open, what gives you hope? What makes you hopeful now?

That regardless in the times when we are all drowning, we honestly just have to keep on swimming. That’s one thing. I’m used to being in situations where I’m like, “What am I going to do?” And I just survive. And I just wake up the next day and I just say, “I’m not going to say no to myself, even though they’re going to say no to me. And I can’t go here and go there. I’m going to make the most out of the space that I’m in, and I’m going to be the best person in this space. So, when I’m ready to walk out the door, whenever I’m ready, not when they’re ready, then I will be in charge of that moment.” I think that gives me power knowing that where I go, I have a choice, and no one is not making the choices for me. We have to be locked up with ourselves to really understand our magic, to understand where we have come from.

One thing that gives me power is the fact that my ancestors are breathing through me. There are people that have paved the way on both sides of where I come from that had to sacrifice a lot for me to be here, and their dreams and their possibilities are breathing through me. And when it’s my time and when I’m ready, not when they’re ready, to come up and stand up and do my part, it’s a moment that I’ve worked hard for, and I’m ready for it. You know what I mean? So, I think we need to constantly love ourselves, and I think that is the root to anything inside the world is just loving yourself, understanding your uniqueness and your values, understanding where you come from with those values, and take it out in the world and change it.

You have so many ideas, and you’re such a creative force. How do you not get locked into one thing? It seems like things just roll for you. Or do you ever feel stuck?

I don’t limit myself. I don’t limit my potential. I don’t limit my artistry. I don’t limit my creativity. I have all these elements of power inside me to help people and help change the world. Why would I just limit it? I’m constantly always trying to learn and do things differently instead of not pressing play on that YouTube video. Let me just listen to it for 10 minutes and just learn. Maybe I might learn something.

I was always in the library as a child, and I was looking at so many different books on so many different floors of the library. I wanted to not limit my experience, because I knew when I was walking out that library, when I was walking out that door, people are going to say, “No, you can’t be here. No, you can’t be that.” But I was not going to say no to myself.

You cannot limit yourself; you are always growing, you’re always evolving. Who I am today is not who I’m going to be five years from today. The foods that I eat, the people that I talk to, the conversation I’m having, they’re going to evolve. And that’s all human evolution is about is to always evolve to be the best person you can be. I just never want to say no to myself. I want to always say yes, because it’s not what you say yes to, it’s what you say no to that builds character in all aspects. So, it’s just a balance. Finding that balance and working with that balance and just always giving myself a chance that the world won’t give me.

I am obsessed with this image of little Leyna walking, feasting, absorbing everything in that library, because the second you opened those doors, you knew the reality of a world that would say no. That’s so incredibly powerful. I’ve never thought of it that way before and that is my privilege showing. That’s so important that one side of those doors is reality, and the other side is the power you have to not be limited and still thrive, despite what the world is saying to you.

Know that you’re not alone, also. There are people out there that also think like that, that also really are planting seeds in that way also. The ballroom community, for example, that is a huge mecca of ideas, of possibilities, of potential that I wanted to surround myself with. So, I can be inspired, because these are people that are not limiting themselves. They are creating things. They’re bringing imagination and things that society tells us that we cannot have. We are bringing it to life on a daily basis. We’re constantly inspired. It gives us the juice to just keep going. So, know that there’s people around the world that also think like this and you’re not alone. You’ve just got to be vulnerable with yourself, and go out in the world and just say, “I’m just going to do me today and best of luck with everybody else. But I’m going to shine.” That’s what it’s about. You got to be walking magic.

Walking magic. Well, you are walking magic. Thank you for inspiring us all, blessing us all with your positivity. It’s important for all people to hear, not just young people. Just all people.

You never know who’s watching you. That’s one thing I’ve always noticed. There are people right now that might not have the courage to say it, but they feel something. It’s part of them, because they can feel it in themselves. Seeing me allows them to just be themselves and that is power to me. That’s real power. That’s nothing about money. That’s nothing about class. It isn’t about how many followers you have. That’s about you just living your truth, and somebody is inspired by just that. That is real power.

It opens a different gateway in our mind, you know what I mean? We are in a world right now where we’re constantly seeing black and white. When you meet somebody, and you feel this energy, color starts to appear in a whole new gateway and your mind starts to open up. You start getting excited about life again. The things that are blurry to you start to see a little bit clearer. You just start to just love yourself a little bit more. That’s the power that we all have as a collective. That’s inside us, that are brought down through our lineage, through history and through where we come from in the world. That gives me power to know that there’s someone that is living a life and they can meet someone like me or someone better, and they can just say, “I’m starting to live for today. Not based on what my parents think, not based on what other people think, but just how I feel in this moment.”

Have you been back to the Philippines?

I have. I go to the Philippines a lot. My mom, like I said, is from General Santos City, but I used to live in Manila. I love the Philippines. I love going back there.

“Welcome back.” That’s what it’s saying. Come back to us. Come back home where you started from, where the seeds are planted. That’s how I felt when I went home. It’s welcome home. Welcome here. Come back here. Me being an Afro Filipina, it’s a whole different thing, because they’re seeing their space has changed, because they don’t often see people like me in those spaces. So, I’m there and it’s just like, “A Filipino could do this? Wow.” I just love it. I love that. I love to be celebrated by my own people. I love that feeling of saying, “You’re just like us.” I’m like, “Yes. We are together. We are brothers and sisters.” It’s not like how it is here. You have to go places like that to really feel home, and family, and food, and richness, and brotherly, sisterly love.

It’s honestly our responsibility. Our culture is living in us and breathing in us. We
need to feed it constantly. Going places in the world and taking our culture to places, that’s our responsibility also. But we also have to remind ourselves where we come from, and we have to go back and plant those seeds so they can all see that and say, “We can do this too.” This earth and this universe, it’s for us to explore. There are people in society that say, “Hey, you can’t go here, you can’t go there.” But we can. We created those spaces. We made the music in those rooms. You know what I mean? It belongs to us. I can’t wait until we get to the place where the world, as a collective, can see that and feel that and know that no matter where they go in the world, that they’re home.

I love that saying. “We made the music in those rooms.” It just really reinforces that we belong. We belong everywhere despite this general sentiment, especially right now, that we don’t. So, it’s so important to reiterate that and remind ourselves that we made the music in those rooms. Not only can you be in that room, you helped build the beauty of that room.

I think the world around us cannot live without us. For so many years, it’s a testament to see that they cannot live without us, with our ideas and our originality, and our culture, and our cultural phenomenon that we bring into these spaces. I think once we, as a collective, come together regardless of where you are in the world, and stand tall, and know there’s going to be hate there’s going to be murder, there’s going to be sacrifice. In order to really get to promised land, to paradise, we have to come together. Right now, everyone is putting up walls and saying, “I have to protect my own. I have to protect my people.”

Yes, do that. But also know that at the end of the day, that’s going to get repetitive. In order for us to get to really changing the world like we have done in the last 10 years, because the world has changed drastically in the last 10 years. But it’s also been death, it’s also been racism and all of these different stigmas in society. But as a collective, people are finding what’s real and what’s not real. That means that the world is opening back up to what’s honest where it originally was before all of this. We’ve got to keep on coming together and that’s why I love New York City. That’s why I love LA. That’s why I love Paris. That’s why I love London. It’s because there’s this energy in this city of these different ideas that are coming together, that are intersectional.

It’s not about identity, or gender, or sexuality. It’s just about possibility of growing together and seeing each other, acknowledging each other. The people that were in a position of power that were eliminating us are no longer here, and they’re dying out and their ideas are no longer relevant in these spaces. I think the next generation, it’s such a responsibility to them. Because the generation before me, they lived it. This generation now, millennials, we’re presenting it. The next generation, like I said, has to conquer it. You have to conquer everything that we have given you. I can’t imagine where they will be. I have faith.

We are in a very sensitive space and time and I’m so happy to see where we’re headed at, because what we’re dealing with right now is only temporary. How we get to five years, 10 years from now, that’s really when the magic is happening. That’s where we can see the seeds and the flowers really blooming. I’m excited to see the new leaders, the heroes, the superheroes, with the superpowers, being developed and learning and getting their armor ready and getting out there and making themselves known. There is so much beautiful music in the world. So much. It’s all playing at the same time. You just got to listen to it.