Billy Porter "never in a millions years" imagined he would have a sex scene.
The 49-year-old actor has opened up about this week’s episode of ‘Pose’, which saw Billy’s character, Pray Tell, enjoy a sex scene with Ricky Wintour (Dyllón Burnside), following his diagnosis with HIV.
Speaking at a TV Critics Association panel, Billy said: "Listen here! I got that contract and that contract said ‘nudity clause’ and I literally sat and went, ‘Child, they don’t want to see my black ass’ … and I signed it never thinking in a million years that anybody would call me on it.
"But these bitches wrote a script that I had to show my ass. I have spent my entire career never having been the object of anyone’s affection in anything until now."
The ‘Kinky Boots’ star also insisted he will have to take a Valium before viewing the episode himself to calm his "frayed nerves".
He added: "I had my first romantic kiss in anything ever in my life last season in episode eight. So to be turning 50 on September 21 and having a very loving, connected sex scene is blowing my mind. My nerves are frayed. I’m gonna take a Valium and watch it tonight."
And the show’s creator, Steven Canals, insisted he thought the scene would be important for their audience who could "finally feel seen".
He told Out magazine: "Thinking about this scene between Pray Tell and Ricky, I couldn’t not think about all of the young boys, whether black or brown or any shade or any race or ethnicity, who would be coming in to watch our show, who would finally feel seen and who would feel like their experience and their way of loving has value.
"And so that really was the impetus to say, ‘Yeah, I want to see these two gay black men make love.’ And you know, just the revolutionary act of having two gay, black actors playing gay black men who also happen to be HIV-positive, in a loving relationship. To me that just felt so important."
Billy Porter never imagined he would have sex scene
