Billy Porter is a multitalent of the stage and screen, who has been on a serious rise over the past few years. After starring in FX’s Pose and taking home the Emmy Award for playing the role of Pray Tell, now Porter is further expanding his career by making his directorial debut in Amazon’s new romantic comedy Anything’s Possible. The movie stars actress Eva Reign, who recently explained the importance of Porter’s movie embracing trans joy.
Anything’s Possible focuses on trans teenager Kelsa, as she navigates high school and her first real boyfriend. Eva Reign is the one bringing the movie’s protagonist to life, and I had the privilege of speaking with both the young actress and Billy Porter himself prior to its release. As you can see in the video above, I asked Reign about the experience of bringing this story of young trans joy to life, where she touched on the importance of representation. As she told me,
I think we need to see a lot more stories like this. Because we see trans people on screen, not always in starring roles. Not always playing the main character of their own lives. And we’ve really seen a shift in that through Pose and through other projects like that. And I think that this film really shows a story that has always existed in the everyday world. We just haven’t really seen it on screen. We haven’t seen a Black trans girl just falling in love and having a good time throughout her dating life. So I hope this helps show people that love is possible and also that love doesn’t have to be complicated just because someone is trans.
There you have it. While the film industry has taken some major steps forward in regards to transgender representation, there’s still plenty of work to do. So often these onscreen tales are about drama and overcoming struggles. And as such, Anything’s Possible brings something fresh, new, and most importantly joyful to the table.
Eva Reign specifically mentioned Pose when speaking about the way the trans community is portrayed on screen. The acclaimed FX series was groundbreaking for the amount of trans talent both behind and in front of the camera. But that period piece also portrayed the difficulty of dating as a trans person in the 1980’s. By comparison, Anything’s Possible is far lighter fare, and shows how far we've come as a society.
Without getting into any spoilers about the new romantic comedy, Anything’s Possible follows Eva Reign’s character Kelsa after the coming out process, and while having power in her identity as a trans woman. She navigates friendship and love like any teenager, albeit with a few unique speed bumps along the way. And while the movie does indeed have some drama, it’s buoyed by a sense of joy throughout the runtime. That includes unconditional love from her mother, played by Hamilton icon Renée Elise Goldsberry.
Anything’s Possible will arrive on Amazon on July 22nd. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
