Billy Porter Pledges To Play Fairy Godmother As ‘Genderless’ In ‘Cinderella’ Remake

Broadway performer Billy Porter has pledged to play the Fairy Godmother as “genderless” in the upcoming remake of “Cinderella,” hailing the project as a “a classic fairytale for a new generation.”

Porter, famous for sporting flashy gowns at red carpet pre-shows, said that “Magic has no gender,” which therefore makes the Fairy Godmother genderless, even though she has been explicitly female in almost every iteration.

“It hit me when I was on the set last week, how profound it is that I am playing the Fairy Godmother – they call it the Fab G,” Porter told CBS News on Monday. “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,” he said, adding this Cinderella is going to be “a classic fairytale for a new generation.”

“I think the new generation is really ready. The kids are ready. It’s the grownups that are slowing stuff down,” he added.

Billy Porter broke new ground last year when he became the first openly gay black man to win an Emmy for a leading role. Regarding this feat, Porter said he was most proud of helping to bring about representation.

“I’m an artist. When you’re inside of something, as an artist, the outside stuff… has to fall away. Because if you think about it too much, it’s really heady,” said Porter. “I represent something that I, as a young man, never had. That’s the greatest news. That’s where I have to leave it though so that I can continue to do the work.”

Porter has worn several “gender-bending” outfits to red carpet pre-shows, a trend he began after playing Lola in Broadway’s “Kinky Boots.” He claims that wearing such feminine clothing made him feel more masculine than ever before.

“Playing that role made me feel grounded and more powerful,” he said. “Putting on those heels, putting on those dresses, putting on those wigs, made me feel more powerful, grounded and – dare I say – masculine, than I’ve ever felt in my whole life. It never occurred to me, though, in that process that I would carry that energy into my own life by challenging gender norms and gender stereotypes with my clothing. That came two years after I left the show.”

Now, red carpet photographers and at-home spectators alike wait for Porter to arrive at awards shows and premiers. For the Tonys, the star wore a vibrant red gown made out of the curtains used for the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots.”

“This idea that pants are strong and dresses are weak – I’m not interested in that conversation anymore,” he later added. “So, hopefully, I can be at the forefront of having a new conversation.”

LGBTQ representation in children’s entertainment has been on the uptick this past decade, beginning in 2014 on the Disney show “Good Luck Charlie,” which featured a lesbian mom couple. In 2019, the PBS television show “Arthur” made waves when a beloved character came out as gay by marrying his male partner. That was later followed by the Disney show “Andi Mack” featuring the first teenage gay couple on the network, which was then followed by the “Rocko’s Modern Life” reboot featuring a transgender storyline.

Disney will also be breaking new ground this Friday with the release of “Onward” – the studio’s first animated movie to feature an openly LGBTQ character.