How Billy Porter's 'Queerness' Became His 'Superpower'

Award-winning star Billy Porter just opened up about how much now he saw his queerness as a superpower.

The actor won the Primetime Emmy Award in 2019 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The win earned him the title of the first gay black man to win an award or get nominated for any lead acting category in the Emmys.

He is set to release his directional debut, "Anything's Possible," which will focus on a young trans girl. The project was shot in Porter's hometown, Pittsburgh, as a love letter to the town.

In a recent interview, the 52-year-old revealed his new stance on what he described as his "queerness." According to the actor, despite people calling his orientation a "liability," he now saw it as a superpower.

Fresh out of winning the Achievement Award at the recently held 2022 OutFest Film festival, Porter has much to say about how he got so far. The award is yet again another highlight of the actor's career in the industry.

While talking to Francesca Amiker from the "Daily Pop" on E! News, the 52-year-old revealed that he was previously told by friends and foes alike that his "queerness" would only serve to deter him from achieving his goals.

"Everybody told me that my queerness would be my liability, both allies and haters alike because that was the world that we were in," he said. "And it was my liability for decades, and now it's my superpower. And that is redemptive."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20WlagB4vFU

The coming-of-age film is the actor's directional debut and was shot in his hometown in Pittsburgh. It's set to be released on Prime Video on July 22. The 52-year-old shared, "This movie is a romantic comedy celebrating transness and trans joy, and I am just so grateful to be here and be a part of that."

Porter is currently an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy winner and just an Oscar away from reaching EGOT status. The award is something the director hopes to win using the original soundtrack of the film. "I wrote five new pop songs that made it onto the album and in the film. So let's speak it into existence. Oscars Best Song, c'mon," he said.

During a red carpet interview with People Magazine at the OutFest Film festival, Porter talked about the award night and his reaction after getting the award. The Emmy winner described the night as "very exciting" and humbling."

While talking about his trans coming of age film, Porter revealed that the story's authenticity drew him to it. He said, "It's all of the joy and the hope and the love and the authenticity, all of it. It's really necessary. And I'm grateful to be able to be at the helm of something so special and revolutionary in its simplicity."

The star further revealed that the movie was filmed in his hometown, Pittsburgh, to serve as a "love letter" to the location. "It's a love letter to Pittsburgh," he explained. "Many people don't really realize that Pittsburgh is actually the place to be. It hasn't been a steel town in over 50 years. There's a lot of industry there. There's a lot of s--- there that is transformative and amazing. So this was a love letter to my hometown."

One takeaway Porter wanted the film's audience to go home with was a changed perception of the constraints of love and who could be loved. The actor told People, "Love is love. Period."

During the night, after receiving his Annual Achievement Award, the 52-year-old gave an empowering speech that talked about important issues ranging from civil rights to his opinion on politics and empowerment.

He said, "As you can see, I came with an agenda; I do have an agenda," he said. "I do have an agenda, yes, and I'm proud of it! And I own that s---! The agenda is love; the agenda is humanity; the agenda is peace; the agenda is joy! That's the agenda!"