Jeremy Pope On How His “Most Demanding” Role In ‘The Inspection’ Helped Him Connect More With His Blackness And Queerness
Two-time Tony nominee Jeremy Pope was immediately drawn to the semi-autobiographical story of Ellis French, who joins the Marines thinking that if he dies in combat, at least he’s worth more as a Black gay man in uniform than one who dies on the streets. Though Jeremy had stints on Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood and Steven Canals’ Pose, those performances did not prepare him for the emotional and grueling shoot of The Inspection, from writer/director Elegance Bratton. But his responsibility to his director and to Ellis allowed Pope to give a performance he hopes will inspire other Black queer youths as much as the role inspired him.