Billy Porter has received the next-highest honor a performer can receive after Emmy, Grammy, and Tony awards — a wax figure at Madame Tussauds!
In exclusive footage shared with Out, Porter shared just how excited he was to be "getting waxed" at the iconic wax figure museum.
Designers and sculptors are shown in the video outfitting Porter and taking his measurements, highlighting just how grueling of a process making a lifelike wax figure is. Porter says that the process took around 9-10 hours overall to complete.
But when being shown a case of fake eyeballs, the singer still manages to keep things lighthearted, quipping, "The eyes are freaking me out."
Porter's statue was unveiled today at Madame Tussauds New York, a city that the performer has deep ties to. Porter began his career on Broadway in 1994, rising to fame in 2013 through his role as the performer and drag queen Lola in Kinky Boots.
The unveiling comes just ahead of New York City's annual Pride March, of which Porter will serve as the Grand Marshal this year. Madame Tussauds New York is an official sponsor of NYC Pride 2023.
"The thing I like about New York is that the life is on the pavement," Porter says in the video. "All you have to do is walk outside and immerse yourself. And you will find it."
The wax figure captures Porter’s 2020 Grammys red carpet look, complete with a working replica of the revolving hat that obscured and then revealed his face. His turquoise pantsuit is accompanied by diamond and silver accessories and bold chrome eyeshadow.
"My management team called, and they were like, 'You have to call us right away!' And I was like, 'What, what, what?'" Porter shares, adding in a booming voice, "And they were like 'Madame Tussauds has called!'"
