Jeremy Popefound himself in the kind of nightmare scenario most queer actors in Hollywood are warned about.
The Orlando-borndouble Tony nomineeof Broadway’sChoir BoyandAin’t Too Proudhad begun work on a new film.
The actor, 30, proceeds to use they/them pronouns to disguise which filmmaker he’s talking about.
Jeremy Pope and Raúl Castillo star in A24 film ‘The Inspection.'.Patti Perret/A24
“I began to defend my position and feel unsafe in this creative environment.
And then I go, f— that!
I don’t have to be here.
Jeremy Pope stars as Ellis French in ‘The Inspection.'.A24
I don’t have to do that.
That’s not why I’m an artist.
You’re not my tribe.
“Once you’re gay, you could only play gay,” Pope says.
If he doesn’t like a script or doesn’t appreciate a situation, he can turn it down.
As his career trajectory proves, better things await.
“It was one of those things where it means something to someone when you lead a studio movie.
“But life had to go, ‘No, Jeremy.
You do the things that are specific to you, and that speak to your heart.'”
Pope was to fly to Mississippi and film the movie over the course of 19 days.
This was the kind of story that, as he would say, spoke to his heart.
Pope first came out to his parents as a response toChoir Boy.
The role also marked his first big job in New York.
“There was a lot of personal work that was happening during that season,” he admits.
“My duvet cover is in L.A., but me?
I am everywhere else,” Pope jokes.
Bratton also knew writer Janet Mock, with whom Pope worked onHollywoodandPose.
“I mean, who gets nominated for two Tonys for different parts in the same year?
I just never heard of anything like that before.”
“And he’s so eloquent,” Bratton continues.
“He’s also very good-looking.
His agent passed [the script] to him.
We had a meeting after he read it, and we knew it had to be him.
Pope wanted to protect Bratton and his story.
“You don’t get to backtrack and say ‘just kidding’ or ‘that wasn’t true.'”
The strength of the movie became everything that went unsaid.
Pope would say, “To find what isn’t on the page.”
Some of that came directly from his relationship with Bratton.
They didn’t have to over-explain.
They instinctually knew what each other was talking about thanks to their shared experiences.
Some of that came from the construction of the scenes.
I think that there are two different processes that get to the same result,” Bratton explains.
What is he looking at when it’s happening?
What do those looks mean?”
He hears himself going too far along a tangent.
“I don’t wanna make it too intellectual and artsy.
At the end of the day, it’s Black gayRocky,” he jokes.
“Sammy was the ultimate performer,” Pope continues.
That film, titledScandalous!, is now another lesson for Pope.
The project was announced in July 2020 with Mock attached to write, direct, and executive produce.
He still believes in the kinds of stories that connect to his heart.
The Inspectionis playing in select theaters.
