Billy Porter On Playing Genderless Fairy Godmother In New ‘Cinderella’: “The Kids Are Ready”

Dino-Ray Ramos
·2 min read

Click here to read the full article.

Emmy, Grammy and Tony award-winning actor Billy Porter is continuing to change and challenge perspectives when it comes to gender norms, this time in Kay Cannon’s forthcoming live-action iteration of Cinderella at Sony. The Pose star is set to play the fairy godmother in the feature, and in a recent interview with CBS he said that he plays the character as genderless.

“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,” Porter said in his CBS News interview. “Magic has no gender.”

More from Deadline

He added that playing the role as genderless is “powerful” and that it is going to be “a classic fairytale for a new generation.”

“This is a classic, this is a classic fairytale for a new generation,” he said. “I think that the new generation is really ready. The kids are ready. It’s the grownups that are slowing stuff down.”

Porter made history as the first openly gay black male to win an Emmy for a lead actor role for playing Pray Tell on Pose. He continues to be an outspoken LGBTQ advocate and moving the needle when it comes to representation. Part of this is shown when he steps on to the red carpet when he dons gorgeous gowns and outfits, making a statement for gender fluidity.

In Cinderella, Porter will play Fairy Godmother to Camila Cabello’s title character. Joining them is an all-star cast that includes Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver, Missy Elliott, Idina Menzel, Nicholas Galitzine, Maddie Baillio, Charlotte Spencer, John Mulaney, Romesh Ranganathan as well as James Corden, who will produce the film through his Fullwell73 banner with Leo Pearlman.

The movie is set to open in theaters on February 5, 2021.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.