June 9, 2021
Out 'Hollywood' Star Jeremy Pope Signed to Play Gay Marine
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Jeremy Pope, the out Broadway actor and star of the film "One Night in Miami" and the Ryan Murphy series "Hollywood," has signed on to Elegance Bratton's narrative feature debut, "The Inspection," Deadline reports.
Detailing Bratton's "autobiographical tale," Deadline reports that "plot details are few, but Pope... a dual Emmy and Tony nom, will play a young gay man who enlists in the Marines" in order to please his mother, played by Gabrielle Union (a famously supportive mom in real life).
"Bratton is coming off Spirit Award and Outfest honors for his feature documentary 'Pier Kids,' which explores the lives of the Black, homeless queer and trans youth who call the Christopher Street Pier in New York City their home," notes the outlet.
As Deadline recalled, Bratton himself once lived at the Christopher Street Pier for 10 years, at the age of 16.
Pope is the sixth person in Tony Award history to be nominated in two categories for separate performances in the same year, having received nominations for "Choir Boy" and 2019's "Ain't Too Proud." The latter performance earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
Pope appeared in a recurring role in the recently-concluded third and final season of "Pose." He was also praised for his portrayal of soul singer Jackie Wilson in 2020's "One Night in Miami...," and was nominated for an Emmy for his turn in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series "Hollywood," an alternate-history drama in which Pope played a gay screenwriter in a serious relationship with Rock Hudson.
Deadline also reported that "Effie T. Brown ('Dear White People,' 'Real Women Have Curves') will produce and co-finance" "The Inspection." Brown praised Bratton, saying in a statement that the filmmaker "brings authenticity, heart and a fresh perspective to this compelling autobiographical story. ... We are thrilled to have Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union on board to bring it to life."
Union and her husband, former NBA star Dwyane Wade, made headlines last year when they publicly and unwaveringly supported their transgender daughter, Zaya, who – as EDGE previously reported – has become a "social media sensation and an LGBTQ fashion icon" in her own right.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
