Billy Porter is totally fine with not playing a straight character ever again.
In a recent interview with Attitude, the Emmy- and Tony-winning acting legend and fashion icon was asked to weigh in on the debate about whether queer actors should be the only ones taking on queer roles, and the need for more balance when it comes to the opportunities LGBTQ+ actors get as opposed to their straight counterparts.
"I do believe in an across-the-board way that queer roles, at this point in the game, should only be for queer actors," he said. "The only reason why I feel that way so strongly is because queer people playing straight roles is not the same. We don't get the same thought; we don't get the same opportunities in that way. It's imbalanced. I think the conversation is more, for me, about balance."
He continued:
"I personally don't care whether I play a straight character or not ever in my life again. That conversation is rooted and based in this idea that playing straight is 'better.' That's not true. It's not better, it's just different."
This weekend, Porter makes his debut as the genderless fairy godparent Fab G alongside pop starlet Camila Cabello in Kay Cannon's modern retelling of the classic Cinderella fairytale for Amazon.
"Magic has no gender," Porter said in a 2020 CBS News interview when talking about his excitement for the role. "We are presenting this character as genderless. At least that's how I'm playing it. And it's really powerful."
On how the next generation is already more than ready to see kind of representation in their favorite media, he continued:
"You know, this is a classic fairy tale for a new generation, and I think that the new generation is really ready. You know, the kids are ready. It's the grown-ups that are slowing stuff down."
Cinderella is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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