Young trans folks are getting the cute, coming-of-age, romantic comedy film that they deserve with the release of Amazon Prime Video's Anything's Possible! And it is being helmed by none other than the Emmy- and Tony-winning legend himself, Billy Porter!
Written by Ximena Garcia Lecuona and directed by Porter in his feature-length directorial debut, Anything's Possible (formerly titled What If?) tells the story of a high school student and aspiring zoologist named Kelsa (Eva Reign) as she navigates her first real love and relationship with her classmate Khal (Abubakr Ali) despite her self-doubt and the disapproval from some of her so-called "friends." Co-starring fellow Tony legend Renee Elise Goldsberry as Kelsa's mother, Anything's Possible is filled with lots of heart, romance, and some added drama, and is a worthwhile addition to the canon of cute, modern LGBTQ+ teen films that audiences all over will enjoy.
Out got the chance to speak to Porter, Reign, Ali, at the film's red-carpet world premiere during the opening night of the 2022 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival!
"It started with the screenplay," Porter told Out when asked about bringing a project that is centered on trans joy and love to life. "Ximena [Garcia Lecuona] wrote a screenplay that was about trans joy and coming off of Pose, which is a very important piece of art and work, it was about the trauma and about a group of people choosing joy and choosing love anyway. But in this piece, we start at joy. We start at celebration. We start at respect for humanity period, and that is unfortunately still new. And unfortunately, still revolutionary in its simplicity. But I'm so grateful to be here and be able to be a part of the change."
"It was a major honor," Reign said about working with Porter on his directorial debut. "I feel so grateful that I got to play a part in really helping Billy evolve to the next level. This has been one of his dreams for so, so long. And also this has been one of my dreams also. So I feel like we kind of came together at the perfect time."
"It was a gift, especially with someone who's such a master at what he does," Ali also said about working with an icon like Porter and the environment he created on set for the actors. "At the end of the day, Billy Porter as an actor is a force of nature. And to be around that and to get advice from him was a gift. Billy was a mentor to all of us. On top of that, [he] worked with us as actors. He created spaces where we can really just try things, where we can make ridiculous choices. We can do the stupidest things that make their way into the movie and light up, you know? For me it was a joy to be silly, and to play, and you know, to be a little loose and goofy."
Anything's Possible premieres Friday, July 22 on Amazon Prime Video.
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