Billy Porter’s ‘Anything’s Possible’ celebrates trans joy in teen tale – USA TODAY
If there’s one thing Billy Porter knows how to do, it’s to tell a story.
The Emmy-winning actor is making his directorial debut with the buoyant teen rom-com “Anything’s Possible” (streaming Friday on Amazon Prime Video).
Although the movie marks his first foray into film, Porter has helmed several shows in the theater world, directing Boston productions of “The Purists,” “The Colored Museum” and “Topdog/Underdog.”
“Anything’s Possible” follows Kelsa (Eva Reign), a bright high school senior navigating the complications of dating, friendship and growing up as a transgender girl. Kelsa’s world is turned upside down when Khal (Abubakr Ali), a classmate who is the crush of her best friend Em (Courtnee Carter), falls for her instead.
“I wasn’t looking to direct a teen queer transgender comedy,” Porter says. “I want to direct things that matter. I want to direct things that put positive energy out into the world and work that can be an agent of change.”
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Despite the adolescent drama that ensues after going public with their relationship, Kelsa and Khal find genuine bliss through their blossoming love. Porter says this depiction of queer joy is impactful “because in order to be something, sometimes we have to see it.”
“We have the gift to be able to create spaces that are sometimes aspirational,” Porter says. “How many times did we see a Black president in film and television before we got a Black president?”
Reign, who has her first starring role in “Anything’s Possible,” sees the film’s warm tone as a palate cleanser from sensationalized portrayals of trans life.
“We don’t always get to see our joy shown back at us through art and media, even though that joy exists,” Reign says. “This movie really shows all of us what a more loving world can look like.”
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Porter, who previously starred in TV’s “Pose,” says being part of the trans-inclusive drama opened his eyes to what it means to stand in solidarity with the trans community.
“As a 52-year-old gay man who came out during the AIDS crisis … the ‘T’ in LGBTQ+ for me and my generation embarrassingly was largely absent from the conversation,” Porter says. “Those girls taught me so much, and now I have the tools to hopefully be a conscious, present, visible and necessary ally to the trans community through my work and through my art.”
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The film’s optimism has rubbed off on Reign, who says she almost quit acting because she felt constrained by her early experiences as an actress.
“Growing up in theater, I was told that there wasn’t really a place for me, that I needed to change in some shape or fashion to have a place in the world of acting,” Reign says. “And after doing (this film), I really just feel that so much more is possible in my life.”
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Working with Porter has helped her gain confidence.
“Great art is made through trial and error, and one thing I learned while working with Billy is that the instincts that I have are right and they’re good, and I can really just let myself breathe into characters more,” Reign says. “I don’t have to overthink everything.”
Porter says Reign’s “grounded” and “wise beyond her years” nature made her a perfect fit to play Kelsa.
“We needed to see a person who could guide the audience through this journey in a way that felt safe,” Porter says. “It’s so subtle, but it’s her presence, her calmness that really is magical.”
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Reign says she hopes people walk away from the film reexamining the limitations in their own lives.
“All of us live in a world that tries to place us all in boxes,” Reign says. “We live in a world that tries to tell us what we can’t do or what we should do, and that doesn’t always align with what we feel in our hearts.”
In the end, Porter says he wants viewers to recognize the importance of “respecting everyone’s humanity,” especially the LGBTQ community.
“It’s time for us to see ourselves reflected back to ourselves so that we can empower ourselves,” Porter says. “That’s why I love this piece because it’s about joy, it’s about self-empowerment, it’s about self-love. We teach people how to treat us, and when we see that kind of representation, we can fortify ourselves from the inside out.”
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