in the 1980s, the industry was only looking for three types of African American actors — “James Earl Jones, the patriarch. Denzel Washington, the sex symbol, or genius clown, Eddie Murphy.”in New York City. Yet he persevered., despite an early deal with A&M Records.
The music industry was “hugely, violently homophobic. It just was never about the music,” Porter said. “It was about trying to fix myself so other people would feel comfortable around me.”So, “Where am I fitting in?” he asked himself. “I became a character actor to hide behind little weight and work so I could eat,” Porter explained in a wide-ranging interview.
Things got so bad that he filed for bankruptcy and had no apartment or health insurance for 13 years, he recalled. Then came his stage role as Belize in the 2011 revival of“But the calling in my life is where I am now,” he said about his role as Pray Tell in the FX drama“We must speak life into ourselves, even when everyone around us is doing the opposite,” he said, echoing his Emmy acceptance speech that spoke of empowerment.
“This is what a real man looks like too!” he said, standing to showcase his reliably fabulous platform heels and aInterviewer Rachel Syme, who writes a fashion and style column for The New Yorker, fondly recalled Porter’s tuxedo dress that sparked a social media frenzy at the Academy Awards in February and the side-brimmed hat he wore last month to the Emmy’s.Subscribe to