Ivory Aquino | |
|---|---|
 At the 2017 San Francisco Trans March | |
| Alma mater | Berklee College of Music |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Notable credit | When We Rise |
Ivory Aquino is an American actress. She is known for portraying transgender activist Cecilia Chung in the 2017 miniseries When We Rise . [1] [2]
Aquino was born in the Philippines. She knew from a very young age that she was transgender, stating in a 2017 interview, "As soon as I was born, I was always a girl; I was just assigned differently at birth." [1] In her mid-teens, she started hormone therapy. [1] [3] She was often bullied at school, but her parents were supportive of her transition. [1]
As a teenager, Aquino moved to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music, which she graduated from summa cum laude . [1] [4] She enrolled to study singing, thinking that there would be no acting roles for a transgender Filipina. But after having gender confirmation surgery, Aquino decided to pursue her childhood dream of being an actor. [2] [3]
In 2015, Aquino performed the role of Juliet in a production of Romeo and Juliet in New York City with The Drilling Company's Bryant Park Presents. [1] [2] Other stage roles she has played include Desdemona in Othello , Mark Antony in Julius Caesar , and Isabella in Measure for Measure , all with The Drilling Company's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot on the Lower East Side of New York. [5] [6] [4]
Aquino was cast in the role of transgender activist Cecilia Chung for the 2017 docudrama miniseries, When We Rise . At the time she auditioned, she had played mostly cisgender roles, and was not open about being trans, as "There never was a reason to talk about it." [7] [8] Aquino made sure to let series writer Dustin Black know that she was transgender, which helped her secure the part, as Black was specifically looking for trans actresses. [2] [7] [8] She publicly came out as transgender during a January 2017 press conference for the series. [7]
Aquino met with Chung in person to prepare for her part on When We Rise. They became friends; Aquino considers Chung to be a mentor and "older sister" figure in her life. [9]
Aquino plays a minor but important character named Cassie in the FBI: Most Wanted season 1 episode "Silkworm" in 2020. [10]
In January 2022, Aquino was cast as Alysia Yeoh in the unreleased superhero film Batgirl , set in the DC Extended Universe. [11]
Aquino has spoken out in support of trans children and transgender rights, criticizing the Donald Trump administration's overturn of federal protection for transgender students. [12] [13]
Aquino lives in New York City, where she enjoys spending time with her Shih Tzu dog Chewybear. [7] [13] She is the niece of former President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino. [3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Fever and the Fret | Lea | |
| 2019 | Lingua Franca | Lea | |
| 2020 | Lapsis | Jo | |
| 2025 | Concessions | Linda Chung | [14] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | When We Rise | Cecilia Chung | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | When They See Us | Ms. Baqri | Episode: "Part Three" |
| 2019 | Tales of the City | Doctor Perez | Episode: "Happy Now" |
| 2019-2020 | New Amsterdam | Inmate Fran Meale | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | FBI: Most Wanted | Cassie | Episode: "Silkworm" |
| 2021 | Blue Bloods | Ashley Roberts | Episode: "Guardian Angels" |
| 2022 | City on a Hill | Lourdes Mendoza | 2 episodes |
