The actor spoke to ET about portraying the renowned author and civil rights icon in a new film.
Emmy, GRAMMY and Tony Award winner Billy Porter may soon have a chance at an Oscar with an upcoming biopic about renowned author and civil rights icon James Baldwin. The Pose star is not only set to portray Baldwin, but he has also been tapped to co-write the upcoming film alongside Dan McCabe.
For Porter, it's an opportunity to pay tribute to someone who he could look up to while growing up and making his way into the industry. "I stand on James Baldwin's shoulders," Porter said while speaking to ET's Denny Directo during P&G and iHeartMedia's Can't Cancel Pride 2023 – The Future Starts Now, where he performed his newest single, "Baby Was a Dancer."
"He was an African American, queer man at a time when there weren't many images, when there wasn't much representation for a person like me," Porter continued. He then added, "So, I get to carry on that specific legacy, and that's very special to me."
Born in Harlem, New York, Baldwin became one of American literature's most influential voices during the 1950s and the decades that followed thanks to his many essays and novels, including Go Tell It On the Mountain, If Beale Street Could Talk, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning film by director Barry Jenkins, and Giovanni’s Room. He also became a social and civil rights activist, working alongside Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
First announced in April 2023, the untitled project from Allen Media Group Motion Pictures (AMGMP) will be adapted from David Leeming’s 1994 book, James Baldwin: A Biography, with Byron Allen, Carolyn Folks, Jennifer Lucas, Matthew Signer and Chris Charalambous serving as executive producers with Porter and D.J. Gugenheim of Incognegro Productions onboard as producers.
At the time, Porter said, "As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness I find myself, like James Baldwin said, 'in a rage all the time.' I am because James was… I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come."
Soon after the biopic was announced, Porter spoke out about the criticism surrounding his involvement in the project. "I am 53 years old and I've dedicated my life to my art and my craft. Question me at your own peril," he said during an appearance on the Tamron Hall show, noting that "I’m going to focus on the work -- that’s all I can do. People have been doubting me my whole life. This ain’t nothing new. None of it is new."
Porter then explained, "James Baldwin and his work and what he represented in the world, everything, he’s one of the first people who I saw who looked like me, who represented me in the fullness: Black, queer, and present. I’m alive because I was able to see him in my early 20s."
Of course, while it's too early to know if Porter will find himself completing an EGOT, the actor acknowledged the possibility while speaking to ET. "We'll see. I'm just gonna do the work, darling," he said, before adding with a laugh, "Hopefully it will be good enough."
RELATED CONTENT:
