Billy Porteris ready to “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” his way onto the big screen!
The Emmy-winningPoseactor, 50, confirmed on Saturday during a panel at the20thNew YorkerFestivalthat he will play the Fairy Godmother in Sony’s upcoming live-actionCinderellamovie.
Deadlinereported on Friday that Broadway veteran (and the voice ofFrozen‘s Queen Elsa)Idina Menzelwas in talks to join the cast as well, playing Evelyn, the evil stepmother.
Though plot details haven’t been released, the story is reportedly a modernre-imagining of the classic fairytalein which an orphaned girl becomes a princess. Cabello’s Cuban and Mexican roots will likely play a part in the modern aspect of the story, andThe Hollywood Reportersaid she will also be involved with the film’s music.
Santiago Felipe/Getty; Walt Disney Pictures/Courtesy Everett
Porter — who originated (and won a Tony for) the role of Lola inKinky Bootson Broadway — recentlymade history when he becamethe first openly gay black man to be nominated for and win best actor in a drama at the2019 Emmy Awards, for his portrayal of Pray Tell in FX’sPose.
And what’s next for the actor and singer, aside from his Fairy Godmother role? “I have a movie withTiffany Haddish,Rose ByrneandSalma Hayek,Like a Boss,” he shared during the panel on Saturday, when he revealed hisCinderellanews. “I have a new album coming out next year. I am directing an episode ofPose.”
“There’s a play that I directed that just debuted in Boston that’s coming to New York,” Porter continued. “I’m a gypsy — the only thing I know how to do is work. I’m ready. I’m ready for all of it.”
Billy Porter.Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images
InPose,Porter’s character Pray Tell is the outspoken, outrageous emcee of the New York City house balls the 1980s-set show centers on. The series features the largest cast of transgender actors and LGBTQ actors in television history.
Billy Porter at the 20th New Yorker Festival.
In the press room afterhis Emmy win last month, Porter told reporters that representation in media has “the power to create empathy.”
“I feel like physical representation are the only things that create change. It’s when we are available, that we have the power to create empathy. Through the way we tell stories,” he said. “I think being black, I know that being black and gay and out, and being in this position.”
The actor added that he hopes “young queer people of all colors canlook at me and know that they can.”
source: people.com
