Billy Porter will play the Fairy Godmother in the new version of ‘Cinderella’ as "genderless".
The 50-year-old actor is to star alongside chart-topping pop star Camila Cabello – who is set to appear as the titular Disney princess – in the much-anticipated changed adaptation of the folk tale, and the ‘Pose’ star has insisted that "magic has no gender" as he revealed the nickname for his alter ego.
Billy – who is famous for breaking fashion rules by wearing women’s clothes on the red carpet – told ‘CBS News’: "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. 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."
The ‘Pose’ star believes the "new generation" is "ready" for Fab G’s arrival, but he feels there are still some adults who won’t get it and won’t want to.
He said: "I think the new generation is really ready. The kids are ready. It’s the grown-ups that are slowing stuff down."
Billy became the first openly gay black man to win an Emmy last year, and he was thrilled to receive the "representation" that others before him have never had, but he insisted he doesn’t spend to much time getting caught up in it all, as it can get "really heady".
He said: "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.
"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."
The fashionista – who won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for ‘Pose’ – recently admitted "doors" have opened for him and people "listen" to him now he’s won and been shortlisted for prestigious prizes.
He said: "Yes, doors open to little black sissy boys when they have awards. Doors open, people listen, and your life does change a little bit."
Billy Porter’s Fairy Godmother in Cinderella will be ‘genderless’
