“Magic has no gender.”
Billy Porter has revealed that he will be playing the Fairy Godmother as “genderless” in the new live-action Cinderella remake.
In an interview with CBS, the Pose star – who will be the first man to portray the iconic character – said: “It hit me when I was on the set last week, how profound it is that I am playing the Fairy Godmother — they call it the Fab G. Magic has no gender.
“We are presenting this character as genderless — at least that’s how I’m playing it. And it’s really powerful.”
Porter continued to say that this version of Cinderella will be “a classic fairytale for a new generation” and opined that the “new generation is really ready, the kids are ready” and that it’s “the grownups that are slowing stuff down.”
Last year, Porter made history when he became the first openly gay black male to win a Primetime Emmy Award for a leading role. He won for his critically-acclaimed performance as Pray Tell in Pose, the show’s resident emcee in the Ball scene.
The star, who now only needs an Academy Award to complete an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), said the historic win represents “something that I, as a young man, never had” and called it the “greatest news”.
He added: “That’s where I have to leave it though so that I can continue to do the work.”
Porter will star alongside Camila Cabello in the new adaptation of Cinderella, which is said to be a modern reimagining of the iconic fairytale. Kay Cannon, who helmed Blockers and the Pitch Perfect series, has signed on as lead writer.
The project stemmed from an idea from late-night talk show host James Corden, who is set to produce alongside his Fulwell 73 partner Leo Pearlman. The film has no release date, but it’s reportedly being fast-tracked for production.
Watch Billy Porter’s interview with CBS below.
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