
Billy Porter is ecstatic he was able to become the character that he needed to exist when he was younger, and credits Cinderella for making that magic happen.
Speaking to ABC Audio, Porter gushed about playing the Fairy Godmother — since renamed to Fab G — in the Amazon Prime Video film, adding that it allowed him to become closer to his idol, Whitney Houston.
“As a black, queer man on this planet growing up in the 70s and 80s, there wasn’t anything to really identify with. The thing I identified with the most was Whitney Houston,” the Pose star explained. “By the time I was a teenager, I wanted to be the male Whitney Houston.”
Houston famously played the Fairy Godmother in the 1997 TV musical Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.
“Imagine getting this part all these years later… I’m playing the Whitney Houston part!” Porter exclaimed, “I could die and go to heaven today.”
As for becoming a character he needed to see on television when he was younger, Porter, who turns 52 this month, is thankful that he is able to let queer, Black boys see themselves represented on screen. He also admitted that he was unable to become that person when he first started in Hollywood, telling ABC Audio, “I was trying to fit in the masculinity box, so that I could eat, right? There was never a possibility for anything that looked like this [movie.]”
Continued the Emmy winner, “As far as Cinderella is concerned? That looks like me! As far as Billy Porter in the world and the way that I resonate right now, it didn’t exist [before.]”
Cinderella, also starring Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel and Pierce Brosnan, premieres on Amazon Prime Video this Friday.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Judge rules Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband owes her $2.6 million for “unlawfully” negotiating deals for her
December 1, 2023
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock in early 2020; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty…
Music notes: Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo and more
December 1, 2023
Bowen Yang has nothing but nice words to say about Ariana Grande. The Saturday Night Live cast…
‘Home Alone’ star Macaulay Culkin honored during Walk of Fame ceremony
December 1, 2023
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesMacaulay Culkin received a Walk of Fame star this week. The actor, 43, who…
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joins ‘RoboForce: The Animated Series’
December 1, 2023
The Nacelle Company; ABC/Paula LoboDwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions is…
Stephen Colbert getting back to ‘The Late Show Monday’ following appendix surgery
December 1, 2023
CBS/Mary Ellen MatthewsABC Audio has confirmed Stephen Colbert will be back behind the desk at The…
“Doja who?” was Dionne Warwick’s reaction to her song being sampled in “Paint the Town Red”
December 1, 2023
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversalDoja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" became her second number one a few months…
Jodie Foster on the how “amazing” it is acting in her 60s, mentoring and Marvel movies
December 1, 2023
Elyse Jankowski/FilmMagicJodie Foster's first Oscar nomination came at just 14 years old for her…
Reality Roundup: Rachel Leviss gets a podcast, ’90 Day Fiancé’ couple has a baby and more
December 1, 2023
Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here's a look at what happened in the world of reality…