Billy Porter Responds To Criticism Over His New Role As James Baldwin

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 02: Billy Porter attends NBC's "Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love" Birthday Special at Avalon Hollywood & Bardot on March 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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A short time ago, it was announced that Billy Porter will be portraying James Baldwin in an upcoming biopic. 

However, since the news broke about Porter’s latest role, the Pose actor has been receiving a lot of criticism on social media. Billy Porter broke his silence about the criticism during his recent appearance on The Tamron Hall Show. 

“First and foremost, the internet has created a space where it’s made people think that their opinion matters at all. It doesn’t. I am 53 years old and I’ve dedicated my life to my art and my craft. Question me at your own peril,” he said. 

Porter added, “It’s alright. Call me whatever you want, arrogant… I’ve worked hard for this. And my mantra- and I say it all the time: ‘I do not now, nor will I ever, adjudicate my life or humanity in sound bites on social media.’ I’m going to focus on the work, that’s all I can do. People have been doubting me my whole life. This ain’t nothing new. None of it is new, it’s OK.” 

The biopic is currently in the writing stages and Porter spoke about manifesting the role and how Byron Allen, the executive producer of the film, proposed the idea to him. There are no further details on the film, but stay tuned and we will keep you posted with updates.