Billy Porter
Billy Porter
Billy Porteris a Broadway performer, pop singer, film and television actor and vocal coach. He graduated from the Musical Theatre Program at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School's School of Drama and achieved fame performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionStage Actor
Date of Birth21 September 1969
CityPittsburgh, PA
CountryUnited States of America
jobs careers connections
When you're at the beginning of your career, there are a lot of, "I don't care about this," jobs that you take because it's about building your resume and building connections. There are so many factors that don't have anything to do with choosing for the material.
ego narcissistic bank-accounts
How can you be of service to something other than your own ego and bank account, in a business that's inherently narcissistic?
new-york believe thinking
I'm not a person who believes that Broadway is the only place. I think there's lots of work that goes on outside of Broadway and outside of New York that's better than anything Broadway has ever seen. But, it's historically the place. It's one of the centers of the universe, in many ways.
fashion passionate
I've always been passionate about fashion.
play trying way
I had something nobody else could do - I sang in a way that separated me - and, when you're trying to get noticed, you play your trump card.
empowering hopeful being-positive
For me, life is about being positive and hopeful, choosing to be joyful, choosing to be encouraging, choosing to be empowering.
I do 'sissy with a heart of gold' really well.
drag played realness
I always said if I played a drag queen, I'd want to create a template with the realness they talk about in 'Paris Is Burning.'
cast people revival
People don't see me in traditional roles; I'm not getting cast in the revival of 'Company' as Bobby.
insular people saw supposed understand
When you grow up in the church, the only translation in that insular world that people understand is preaching. You're supposed to be a minister. So I was going down that path, and then I saw the Tonys.
eight fall idol love sort twice wait
Many movie stars or American Idol contestants sort of fall into theater... and say, 'Oh, yeah, I would love to do theater.' And then they get here and say, 'Oh, wait a minute, this actually is a craft!' It's not just show up one day and do it. It's show up eight times a week, twice on Wednesdays and twice on Saturdays.
america anybody choice gay nature refuse true
Just by the nature of making the choice to be true to who I am, I'm political. Sometimes that's all you need to do: Show up and be black, gay and Christian in America and actually say it out loud. And refuse to let anything or anybody take that away from you.
time trenches
I don't in any way disparage any time I've had in the trenches because it really has made me the artist I am today.
tried
For years I tried to put myself in a box, and it frustrated me, so I had to let go and let the universe take its course.