OUR NEXT GUEST IS AN EMMY, GRAMMY, AND TONY AWARD-WINNING
ACTOR AND SINGER, AND ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE ON PLANET
EARTH.
THE INCOMPARABLE, BILLY PORTER!
HOW ARE YOU, BILLY?
>> HI!
>> James: HUH ARE YOU?
I'M VERY GOOD.
SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
SO HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> James: I AM FEELING BETTER JUST SEEING YOUR FACE ACROSS
WHATEVER VIDEO CONFERENCING APP WE'RE USING RIGHT NOW.
I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE.
YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WE LOVE THE SHOW.
I WANT TO KNOW THIS, BILLY, WHAT IS BILLY PORTER'S LOCKDOWN
FASHION?
>> MY LOCKDOWN FASHION HAS BEEN A LOT OF SWEAT PANTS, A LOT OF
T-SHIRTS, A LOT OF SHIRTS.
I HAVE BEEN TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK FROM THE FASHION
THING.
>> James: SURE.
WHEN I SHOW UP TO THESE THINGS, IT'S ONLY WAIST-UP, SO
I'M USUALLY IN MY SWIMSUIT OR IN MY DRAWERS BELOW.
>> James: WELL, THAT'S CERTAINLY GIVING THE AUDIENCE AT
HOME A WONDERFUL VISUAL IMAGE.
IT'S PRIDE MONTH AT THE MOMENT.
HOW'S YOUR PRIDE BEEN THIS YEAR?
>> FIRST OF ALL, PRIDE IS NOT CANCELED.
EVERYTHING HAS MOVED TO BEING ONLINE.
>> James: THE VIRTUAL PRIDE.
THE VIRTUAL PRIDE.
I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A SINGLE FOR A WHILE CALLED FINALLY READY
WHICH DROPS ON FRIDAY WITH THE SHAPE SHIFTERS, WHO ARE FROM
ENGLAND, IT'S DANCE MUSIC.
AND I JUST WANTED TO INJECT SOMETHING REALLY POSITIVE INTO
THE WORLD AT THIS TIME, AND DANCE MUSIC IS SO JOYFUL AND
SORT OF HEALING, AND IT'S A SONG THAT'S FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF,
YOU KNOW, BEING A BLACK TBAI MAN OF A CERTAIN AGE -- 50 -- HAVING
LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO ESEE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE GAY
MARRIAGE HAPPEN, NOT UNDERSTANDING HOW -- LIKE WHAT
LOVE WAS REALLY ABOUT, WHAT REAL INTIMACY WAS ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE MARRIAGE EQUALITY THING HAS REALLY
CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE FOR US, AND, YOU KNOW, OUR LOVE MATTERS.
IT MATTERS.
AND THIS SONG IS ABOUT FIGURING OUT THAT I AM FINALLY READY TO
EXPERIENCE FULLY WHAT REAL LOVE IS, AND IT'S JUST VERY EXCITING.
I HAVE BEEN HERE WITH MY HUSBAND ON LOCKDOWN FOR THREE MONTHS.
WE'VE SPENT MORE TIME WITH EACH OTHER IN THREE MONTHS THAN WE
HAVE IN, YOU KNOW, SIX YEARS.
IT'S BEEN GREAT.
IT'S BEEN AMAZING.
>> James: NOW, YOU RECENTLY WROTE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LETTER,
AND I WOULD URGE ANYONE TO TRY TO FIND THIS ONLINE, I THINK IT
WAS FOR MAGAZINE.
YOU WROTE A LETTER TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF.
>> YES.
>> James: WHAT TO YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN BACK THEN?
>> UM, I JUST WISH THAT I COULD HAVE SEEN IMAGES OF MYSELF
REFLECTED BACK.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, RECENTLY WITHIN THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO,
WE REALLY HAVE STARTED TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT
REPRESENTATION.
REPRESENTATION IN THE MAINSTREAM AND HOW POWERFUL THAT IS FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE MARGIN TO SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED BACK SO
THAT THEY CAN SIMPLY UNDERSTAND, WE CAN SIMPLY UNDERSTAND THAT
IT'S GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE LIKE US
IN THE WORLD, AND WHILE WE MIGHT NOT BE IN A POSITION AT 12 YEARS
OLD TO FEEL VALIDATED IN THAT WAY, THAT THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD
OUT THERE WAITING FOR US THAT'S READY AND WILLING AND ABLE TO
EMBRACE US FOR THE HUMAN BEINGS THAT WE ARE.
>> James: YOU TALK IN THE LETTER ABOUT HOW OFTEN PEOPLE --
I DON'T THINK YOUR TALENT WAS EVER IN DOUBT WHEN IT COMES TO
PERFORMING.
>> YOU'RE VERY KIND, THANK YOU.
>> James: DID YOU FEEL -- YOU TALK IN THE LETTER ABOUT HOW
PEOPLE SAY WE THINK YOU'RE GREAT BUT YOU'RE NOT A LEADING MAN,
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE THIS, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE THAT.
>> YES.
>> James: HOW DID YOU KEEP SUCH A SORT OF STRONG FEELING
WITHIN YOU THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS WERE POSSIBLE?
>> YOU KNOW, I JUST -- THERE WAS NO PLAN B, AND I SPEAK ABOUT
THIS ALL THE TIME IN SHOW BUSINESSNESS, THERE WAS NO PLAN
B.
THE ONLY THING I HAD WAS MY ART.
THE ONLY THING I HAD TO HOLD ON TO THAT WAS CONSISTENT IN MY
LIFE WAS MY RELATIONSHIP TO MY ART AND THE JOY THAT THAT GAVE
ME, EVEN INSIDE OF THERE NOT BEING WORK FOR ME.
YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE WASN'T WORK FOR ME, I WENT TO GRADUATE
SCHOOL, I LEARNED HOW TO WRITE, I STARTED WRITING SCRIPTS AND
SCREEN PLACE AND EXCAVATING DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEING
CREATIVE, AND THE CREATIVITY, THE ART WAS ALWAYS THE THING
THAT KEPT ME FOCUSED AND KEPT ME MOVING FORWARD.
THAT'S ALL I CAN -- THAT'S ALL I CAN ATTRIBUTE IT TO, FOR REAL.
>> James: THERE'S A REAL LESSON THERE THAT, IF YOU DON'T
GIVE UP, YOU CAN'T FAIL, AND I THINK THAT'S IT.
YOU KNOW, AND LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU'RE IN THE NEW SEASON OF "THE
TWILIGHT ZONE" WHICH IS ON CBS ALL ACCESS.
I'M LOVING THESE NEW SEASONS.
WAS "THE TWILIGHT ZONE" SOMETHING YOU WATCHED WHEN YOU
WERE GROWING UP?
>> YEAH, I GREW UP WITH "THE TWILIGHT ZONE."
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, THERE WERE THREE STATIONS, FOX CAME
LATER, AND THEY ALL WENT OFF THE AIR AT 1:00 OR 2:00, SO WHEN I
FOUND MYSELF UP LATE AT NIGHT, THE LAST THING THAT WOULD COME
ON WAS "THE TWILIGHT ZONE."
AND I WAS SO DRAWN TO IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, GROWING UP IN
THE PENTECOSTAL CHURCH, GROWING UP WITH RELIGION, GROWING UP
WITH THE BIBLE -- THE BIBLE IS VERY MUCH ABOUT TEACHING PEOPLE
MORALS THROUGH PARABLE, AND I FIND THAT "THE TWILIGHT ZONE" IS
PARALLEL IN HOW IT TELLS STORIES.
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKELY ABOUT PARABLE.
IT'S REALLY ABOUT METAPHOR FOR HOW WE CAN LIVE OUR LIVES AND
THE CHOICES THAT WE MAKE OR DON'T MAKE.
AND, SO, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF "THE TWILIGHT ZONE," AND WHAT
I LOVE ABOUT THE REDO WITH JORDAN IS THAT THERE ARE BLACK
PEOPLE IN IT, THERE ARE BLACK PEOPLE IN IT NOW.
THERE ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR WHO ARE NOW TELLING THE STORY, AND
IT REFLECTS WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY GREAT.
IT'S REALLY, REALLY WONDERFUL, AND I'M SO HONORED TO BE A PART
OF IT.
I PLAY A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, FORTUNE-TELLER KIND OF
CHARACTER.
>> James: YOU'RE FANTASTIC IN IT.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A CLIP FROM "THE TWILIGHT ZONE."
THE ENTIRE SECOND SEASON IS AVAILABLE ON CBS ALL ACCESS THIS
THURSDAY.
>> ARE YOU A PSYCHIC?
I'M KEY.
HARRY.
WELCOME HARRY.
CAN YOU HELP ME?
OH, I MOST CERTAINLY CAN.
DO WE HAVE PSYCHIC-CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY?
( LAUGHTER ) >> YOU AIN'T MY CLIENT...
YET.
>> James: OH, IT'S SO GOOD!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
>> IT'S SPOOKY!
I GET TO BE SPOOKY!
>> James: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE!
BILLY PORTER, EVERYBODY!