Jeremy Pope Talks New Images Sequence, Casting ‘Drag Race’ Star Symone – The Hollywood Reporter

Jeremy Pope conquered Broadway (and earned two Tony nominations in the identical yr) for work in Choir Boy and Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Occasions of the Temptations. He earned an Emmy nomination for a starring function in Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, and drew raves final yr for his dramatic work on the big-screen in The Inspection. Together with his newest, the 31-year-old is shifting focus to pictures as a approach to examine a childhood rising up as homosexual with a pastor father who additionally occurred to be knowledgeable bodybuilder. The end result is a photograph sequence known as “Flex (bitch)” that challenges gender norms, finds Pope in drag for the primary time and casts RuPaul’s Drag Race star Symone as a shirtless, masculine man puffing on a cigarette. Days earlier than touring to Miami to debut the sequence at Scope Artwork Present (the place he’ll additionally sit for a dialog with Moonlight scribe Tarell Alvin McCraney), Pope hopped on a name with The Hollywood Reporter to debate the undertaking’s origins, why the sequence gave him a panic assault and what he realized about himself via the method.

The press notes say this sequence began as a self-funded artistic undertaking that remodeled right into a therapeutic journey. The place did the thought come from?

I’ve been performing for lots of my life however once I was first at school in New York, my facet hustle was working as a photographer capturing headshots and portraits. I actually loved it as a result of it allowed me to have a special standpoint, and I received to satisfy and join with folks and spotlight their magnificence and story. After enjoying Basquiat on Broadway and selling The Inspection, I received actually heady and wished to do one thing that was only for me.

I had an thought to go to Florida to shoot a picture that represents what it felt like rising up with a dad who was a pastor and knowledgeable bodybuilder and looking for my very own id in these areas that uphold an excessive type of masculinity or an thought of masculinity. As I started to go on the journey of organizing the shoot, I spotted there have been a whole lot of emotional issues that stored arising inside myself — trauma, triggers, homophobia — that I realized that at the same time as an out Black queer man, I nonetheless had a lot unpacking to do.

How so?

The primary picture I shot, type of my hero picture, is the one in every of me with all the bodybuilders. I’m carrying black thigh-high boots and initially, I wished it to symbolize masc and femme. However once I was capturing, I had a panic assault as a result of I didn’t know any of the lads I used to be capturing with. They name got here from inside my dad’s bodybuilding neighborhood. I started to query what if me carrying these boots made them really feel threatened? How have been they going to really feel? What have been they going to say? What have been they going to do? A whole lot of them didn’t know me as an actor, so I really feel like my credit have been stripped. I didn’t have privilege on this house. I used to be only a Black brother.

From my expertise as a Black particular person, there’s this sort of code; you by no means wish to be clocked. You need to have the ability to journey as straight passing so that you don’t really feel like a menace. There was a time once I was strolling down the road in Harlem in 2013, and I used to be carrying what I believed was a fly denim polka-dotted shirt. Somebody walked by me and punched me within the face however didn’t say something. Once I received up, I used to be so confused. Was it a struggle? Have been they going to steal my cellphone? Nobody got here and defended me. I feel the expertise [of shooting the series] introduced up private trauma and concepts about how I select to determine on the planet. What do I deem masculine or female? What am I terrified of? That’s once I felt like this must be a sequence.

I’m so sorry that occurred to you. With a lot of this impressed by your father, at what level did you inform him that you simply have been doing this? Has he seen the photographs?

If you turn out to be an grownup, or not less than in my expertise, you notice your dad and mom are dad and mom they usually attempting to determine all of it out similar to we’re. For me to search out love and compassion with relations, not simply my dad, however individuals who possibly stroll a special stroll than me, I attempt to keep aligned in my objective. I very a lot have the love, affirmation and assist from my household. I really feel very grateful that I’m in a spot the place I obtain that. However for one thing like this, if I considered it an excessive amount of [their reaction], I might get virtually sick and never wish to do it. He’s been so supportive. Over time he’s developed a lot as he’s seen me go and do what I’ve to do. He’s at all times beloved me unconditionally.

I don’t know the reply to this, however I’m wondering if I weren’t as profitable, what would that assist seem like? Not simply from him, however from folks. It’s simpler for folks to simply accept you in your variations while you’re being nice. But when I used to be simply present, day-to-day, 9 to five, and wasn’t on the quilt, wasn’t doing interviews, would I’ve the identical assist? It’s layered, it’s nuanced, and that goes for Black, brown, white, straight, homosexual.

How did Symone get entangled?

I wished to expertise leaning into my full femme, which is one thing I’ve by no means carried out. I’ll communicate particularly to the Black and brown neighborhood by saying that there’s this hyper unrealistic thought that you could be homosexual, however you continue to must be masc presenting. I carry a lot of that. “Be homosexual, however don’t let ’em know you’re homosexual.” I’ve seen Symone at totally different occasions over time and her power was at all times so particular. I hit her up and stated that I might love to do that along with her if she might type of information me via and discuss her experiences changing into the drag queen that she is. It was such an attention-grabbing expertise to do collectively. We shot our drag sequence first. When it was time for us to get out of drag, she checked out me and held my hand with virtually, like, tears in her eyes saying, “I don’t assume I can do it.”

She didn’t assume she could possibly be photographed outdoors of drag, off-the-clock. It was such an attention-grabbing factor as a result of I really feel extra assured and cozy in my masc, whereas this individual felt the other. However when she noticed me take my beat off, she stated she would do it if I held her hand via it. It was so emotional for us. I hadn’t considered her expertise of feeling really unseen as masc presenting, however then discovering her energy and her magnificence in drag and that’s why she clings onto it and that’s why she’s so fucking good at it. She feels extra highly effective in it. As for me, once I confirmed my dad and my mates, they didn’t acknowledge that it was me in drag.

How did it really feel?

It was freedom. It was liberating to permit myself to serve fish, and that’s what we name it in the neighborhood. That’s why it was layered with us promoting the fish sandwiches for $6.28, which is a nod to the date of June 28, when the primary brick was thrown to start out the Stonewall revolution. It was us paying homage to the drag queens and queer liberation which have allowed us to take up house on this means. Once more, this course of was about flexing, bending issues, altering issues, seeing us in masc after which seeing us in femme.

Again to that panic assault you talked about. How did you get via it?

I spent a whole lot of years normalizing panic assaults; these items that occur in areas the place you are feeling susceptible, sweat’s dripping down your again and also you’re attempting to say the proper factor or not say something in any respect. You’re shifting out of character and never feeling like your self. In having that panic assault, I instantly felt like 8-year-old Jeremy. Every thing I had skilled, all of the excessive moments, have been instantly gone and I used to be fearful and scared. I at all times discuss therapeutic your inside youngster or being conscious of your inside youngster so this was about me taking the time to do this. Creating a photograph sequence is artistic and will be aesthetically pleasing however the basis of it’s some therapeutic shit for me. If something, it made me conscious of this delicate spot that I’ve so I can defend it.

How do you are feeling popping out of this expertise as you’re about to debut it for the world?

I do know a lot extra about myself. I find out about my areas of energy, I do know my areas of weak point, and I’m simply grateful that I’m in a position to have this interview with folks such as you and join and get it out the place folks can see it. Perhaps it should heal or contact somebody’s life. That’s the ability of artwork. I’ve felt that via the music I’ve created. I’ve felt that from the films and tasks I’ve been part of. If one individual can see it and eternally be modified or impacted by it, I’m grateful. I’m grateful to know that by me being seen, by me being a vessel that different folks can be seen, heard, supported, revered and beloved.

Interview edited for size and readability.