"The Inspection" Star Jeremy Pope Revealed His First Queer Tingle, And I Was Definitely Not Expecting That, But It Makes Perfect Sense
Jeremy Pope is earning well-deserved Oscar buzz for his acting in The Inspection. The coming-of-age drama, written and directed by Elegance Bratton, was inspired by Bratton's real-life experiences with homophobia, homelessness, and ultimately joining the US Marine Corps.
"It was emotionally and physically demanding in a way that I don't think I fully expected," Jeremy admitted about his performance. The 30-year-old, who has previously starred in Ryan Murphy–led projects like Pose and Hollywood, found himself as the leading man for this intense flick. "Hearing, 'Is it Oscarworthy?' Fuck that. This film is healing for someone. It was healing for Elegance," he declared.
Keep reading to find out how Jeremy and his costar Gabrielle Union were able to bond on set, why he thinks The Inspection will ultimately save lives, and much more.
Warning: Some spoilers for The Inspection ahead.
1.You and Gabrielle Union play a mother-and-son duo in The Inspection. Their relationship is strained because of your character's sexuality. Did you have a specific bonding moment with Gabrielle offscreen that helped build the chemistry we see onscreen?
Jeremy Pope: Gabrielle slid into my DMs when we were about to start the project — just to confirm, like, "Hey, are you going to do this movie? Are we doing this together?" Even in that DM, there was an understanding, like, 'Let's roll our sleeves up and get into it.' And it was hard. It was triggering for both of us. We had to go to places and find things that were uncomfortable.
This role was a job of service for me. It was a job that ultimately was about protecting Elegance Bratton. He was putting himself on the front line and sharing his truth. By him making this film, as hurtful and as painful as it was, he could walk in this life a little bit lighter. He could have closure.
2.How were you and Gabrielle, who is a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ community, able to go to those places that made you two uncomfortable?
The scenes with my character, French, and his mom, Inez, portray things that have been said to Elegance in his real life. And that's hard. That's hard for him to write, it's hard for him to direct, and it's hard for him to watch. There was a sensitivity Gab and I had to bring when we were crafting those scenes together. We knew that there had to be a longing on both sides.
French and Inez both wanted the same thing, but how that looked was very different. I ultimately do want to believe that French's mother and Elegance's mother in real life wanted to love them but under conditions. That was the pull and the tug.
Gab is about that life in real life: what she stands for with her family and the work they're doing by protecting their family and their [trans] daughter. She understands that 10 toes down; she understands what it means to show up and listen. That's what we had to do for Elegance, outside of our characters. It brought a nuanced understanding.
3.In real life, you've had the opposite experience when you opened up about your sexuality to your parents. What was the biggest challenge for you playing this character?
A lot of the experiences in this film felt very shared. Being Black and queer, there is a way in which you feel like you have to exist and navigate in this world. The one thing that I didn't have a direct experience with is the fact that Elegance was homeless for so long. It wasn't that he didn't have a couch or he didn't have somewhere to go for a couple of months; it was a year of being homeless. I thought about what that life was like, how he was surviving in that way, and being in a place where he was so desperate for resources, protection, and a community that he joined the Marines.
For Elegance to be that raw and vulnerable in his storytelling was unique, and it's ultimately what I felt when reading the script. I did this project to protect him. I knew that by Elegance telling his truth, it would come at a cost. By being so vulnerable, he was inviting the world and film critics to have an opinion on his truth, whether good or bad.
4.What are your thoughts on the Oscar buzz around the film?
Hearing, "Is it Oscarworthy?" Fuck that. This film is healing for someone. It was healing for Elegance. He put himself on the front line. And what happens when you do that is people can line up behind you and go, "Me, too."
5.There are a lot of emotional and physically exhausting moments in this film. What did you learn about yourself playing this role?
It was emotionally and physically demanding in a way that I don't think I fully expected. It was hard going to a place that just felt sad and heavy. The ending of French's story — and seeing Elegance where he's at now in his life — taught me that I'm going to be okay. For so many years, it has been such a scary feeling to be a Black queer actor, and what it means to step in that truth and tell those stories. I have certain friends and colleagues who, years ago, told me, "Don't share that part because you won't work, and you won't be successful."
As Black and queer people, we're often taught we have to be something other than ourselves to be successful.
There's a myth that, if you're Black, in order to be successful, then you have to talk a certain way or can't wear your hair a certain way. Or if you're gay, you can't be flamboyant. It's all these things that we're told to do that most times don't align with who we are. This film was an affirmation for me to continue to do the work and tell stories in this way, and to be as vulnerable as I had to be.
I pray [The Inspection] will save someone's life, to know that they're gonna be okay too. I've never seen a military film like this, one that centers on a Black queer man, and it's not about him going to the Marines and all of a sudden he can do 20 pushups instead of two pushups. French found self-love and self-acceptance in a way he didn't expect. I think that is the happy ending: French learning that he is enough, and he has always been enough.
6.Pose was such an incredible show that featured the stories of Black and brown LGBTQ people in a way that I've never seen before on TV. Do you think Blanca and your character, Chris, would still be together today?
I hope they would still be in love and support each other. Christopher loved Blanca for her soul and her heart. He had an understanding that he was there to listen and learn from her. So that would be my hope, if we fast-forward from the '80s, '90s, and into 2022, that Chris and Blanca would be happy and successful, whatever that means for them.
7.As an actor who has played queer characters onscreen, how important is it for you to embrace those roles? Are you ever worried about being pigeonholed by casting directors?
I was very fortunate to be a part of a show that was so groundbreaking and eye-opening for so many people. I never want to run from something I know best. That just doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel like it's a part of why God gave me these gifts. I believe you should talk about and share what you know.
I've found that the more I've stepped into my truth in loving and supportive spaces, with creatives that respect me for my art and who I am — however you see me first, whether you see my Blackness or my queerness — I feel like all of my dreams can happen and will happen. It's such a beautiful affirmation for little Jeremy, who had moments of doubt and, for so many years, hid and felt like I didn't want to share this piece of myself because of safety reasons or because I didn't want to lose out on an opportunity. The only opportunity you're really losing is the ability to be free.
8.What do you hope Black queer actors can take away from seeing your work?
I hope that through my work, and through being in projects like Hollywood, Pose, and now The Inspection, this can be tangible for others out there. I think about what it would have meant if I had a show like Hollywood or Pose when I was younger to watch and see, Oh, I can be an openly queer actor. There are roles for me that are not just about playing the gay best friend or the gay character that doesn't get to explore their troubles and their conflict. I just really love it when I can be a part of stories that make proper space for me, and for us.
9.How does it feel to be the first Black man to be Tony-nominated for separate performances in the same year?
Being double dominated was just an affirmation to continue on this path. My dreams have been surpassed. It was also a reminder that this is all happening because I'm standing in my truth. And I'm saying no to the things that don't serve me and aren't a part of my journey.
My whole journey has just been a blessing, and it's a gift. I know how hard it is to be a creative. It's really tough. I spent many years in New York City grinding, trying to prove to my parents that none of this is in vain and that I'm gonna be someone. When you hear so many noes, you start to wear that no, and you start to feel that no. When you walk into a room and you're giving your best interpretation of whatever the director tells you and it's still, "No, thank you," or you never even get a callback ... you start to feel like "I'm the no," and who I am, what I bring into a room, isn't enough. You start to compare yourself to things that you will never be.
Who helped you to unlearn those false beliefs?
Tarell [Alvin McCraney]. Choir Boy was written by Tarell long before the success of Moonlight. Tarell and I were deep in the play in 2012. He was the person that allowed me to see a strong, Black queer man and to believe I'm going to be that, because he is love and he is joy. From there on, I decided I'm not going to be fearful. I'm not going to be scared because I'm not seeing the visual representation of myself in Hollywood, or on the stage at the time.
Who I was in 2012, when I first performed Choir Boy off-Broadway for 100-seat theaters, was very different than who I was performing it on Broadway in later years. I was [eventually] able to lift my head up and stand in my queerness. I wasn't out when I first did Choir Boy. So that was its own journey. God gave me that project for it to serve in a specific way.
10.You play Jean-Michel Basquiat in The Collaboration, which is heading to Broadway. What was the most surprising thing you learned about Basquiat in preparation for the part?
Basquiat was a very gentle soul who had a clear connection from heart and mind to canvas. His canvas often reflected where he was mentally and emotionally.
11.Has there ever been a funny or awkward moment that happened to you onstage?
My mama passed out during my Broadway debut — on opening night! I don’t know what's awkward or, now, funnier than that.
12.What's a role fans would be surprised to learn that you auditioned for but didn't get?
Empire. Jamal Lyons. Yeah, I tested with Lee Daniels. I really thought I was about to get that job. I was thinking, I'm about to sing, I'll be the middle son..., and I didn't get it. That was a hard one. That was a hard no to hear, and Lee knows it was a hard no. We're very cool now and it's all good. But yeah, that was a journey that I thought I was gonna go on but didn't go on.
13.Who's an actor you would love to work with next?
The first person that came to my head is Martin Lawrence. The show Martin itself is just great. And it was such a moment for me to watch it in my household. The second person would be Whoopi Goldberg. I just think she's just such a titan and such a light. I gave you two answers, but those are the two people that came to my mind this morning.
14.Name a celebrity that left you starstruck?
Beyoncé! Beyoncé and Rihanna. I mean, good night.
15.Speaking of Rihanna, did she personally call you to participate in her Savage X Fenty show?
Rihanna had her people call my people [smiles].
16.Who is your queer icon?
I love Janet Mock. I was able to work with her on Hollywood, and we were such good friends. She has been such a light in my life, so she would be my queer icon.
17.Who or what gave you your first queer tingle?
This is an odd answer, but I'll explain: Whitney Houston. When I saw A Preacher's Wife, she just spoke to me in a different way. It was like, Mother. It was giving that. Like house mother, you know what I mean? If I was in a [ballroom] house, I'd want Whitney Houston to be the one helping me to live my truth.
18.What's your hidden talent?
I play a lot of very serious roles, but I'm actually a clown. I can't take much too seriously in real life. A lot of my friends that know me are like, 'Why are you always being so dramatic onscreen?' They know my personality as cutting up. I definitely like to cut up and have a good time.
19.What's something you've always wanted to learn how to do?
Pottery. I think that's so lit. I know it takes time and practice. I'd love to learn how to do that well.
20.I love how you aren't afraid to take risks on the red carpet. Your 2021 Met Gala look was literally my favorite of that year. I also appreciated the inspiration behind it. What or who inspires you fashion-wise?
I gravitate toward tailored suits and enjoy playing with menswear and womenswear. I like to wear the unexpected. Fashion is an opportunity to express different versions of yourself.
21.Not only are you a talented actor, but you're also an incredible musician. What does it mean for you to see other openly Black queer artists, like Lil Nas X, Saucy Santana, and Steve Lacy, having mainstream success?
22.What's your guilty pleasure?
I spend way too much money on candles and things that smell good. I love colognes and sprays. I've mixed about six or seven different smells to get [the scent] right. That's definitely my guilty pleasure: going to Bath & Body Works and spending too much money.
23.What's the last thing you googled?
Fox
This Empire gift of Terrence Howard because someone was asking me how I feel this morning after doing press, and I wanted to send that image of him lying in the bed, tired.
24.What's your go-to dessert?
Sweet potato pie or Junior's cheesecake — for the fans out there who are reading!
25.What's your ideal first date?
My love language is quality time. I'm always interested in getting to know someone for where they are in their journey. I'm all in on asking questions like, "Where's your soul? How is your heart?" That would be an ideal first date. Something very intimate.
26.What's one thing you wish more people knew about you?
Mystery is sexy.
27.You're only 30 years old and you've already been nominated for Tony, Emmy, and Grammy awards. Tell me, are you going for the EGOT?
Well, I don’t know…is the EGOT coming for me?
Thanks for chatting with us, Jeremy! Be sure to check out The Inspection in theaters now and On Demand starting Dec. 22!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
