The more details revealed about Kay Cannon’s upcoming Cinderella musical, the more intriguing it is, from Camila Cabello portraying the princess to Idina Menzel starring as the wicked stepmother. Now, Pose star Billy Porter has shared how his version of the fairy godmother will be different from previous portrayals of the character.
“It hit me when I was on set last week how profound it is that I am playing the fairy godmother, [whom the movie calls] the Fab G,” Porter told CBS News of his role in the upcoming film. “Magic has no gender. We are presenting this character as genderless, at least that’s how I’m playing it. And it’s really powerful.”
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Porter is used to breaking barriers: He became the first gay Black man to win the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 2019 Emmys, taking home the prize for his role in Ryan Murphy’s drag ball-focused series Pose.
“This is a classic, this is a classic fairytale for a new generation,” continued to CBS News. “I think that the new generation is really ready. The kids are ready. It’s the grownups that are slowing stuff down.”
Cinderella’s fairy godmother has been portrayed by multiple stars over the years. Whitney Houston appeared as Cinderella’s magical helper in the 1997 musical, in which Brandy played the titular character. The film continues to be celebrated for its diverse casting. Most recently, Helena Bonham Carter portrayed the character on the big screen in Disney’s 2015 live-action version.
Cinderella just started filming in London. Last year, Porter told E! News that this version of the fairytale was “Cinderella for the #MeToo era.” Though it’s unclear what that means — a plot description for the film has yet to be released — it seems this movie will buck the set standards of previous adaptations of the story, likely in more ways than just with Porter’s Fab G.