Jeremy Pope gave our performance of the year in indie drama The Inspection, the story of one gay man’s harrowing and healing journey through boot camp to become a U.S. Marine.
Physically and emotionally demanding, the role—his first lead in a feature film—pushed Pope in new ways, and the actor has previously spoken about the intense process of preparing for it.
But, in a new cover story interview with Variety, Pope reveals that one of his biggest challenges came before The Inspection training even started. First, he had to step away from a major studio film—one with a director who doubted him simply because he was gay.
Related: The best queer movies of 2022: Revisiting our favorite performances, romances, and more
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As Pope shares, taking the part in the blockbuster in question was largely a strategic play:
“Even though I didn’t love the script, it meant something,” the actor says. “But it was one of those things that would get me in the conversations, get me in front of directors and people at studios. As people know, that is currency and helps where the comma on your check goes and the opportunities you’re given.”
While Pope avoids giving any further details about the film itself, one can infer that he would’ve been playing straight, possibly opposite a female love interest. Though he was already cast in the part, it turns out the unnamed director was hesitant about whether or not Pope could have believable chemistry with her, which definitely reeks of latent homophobia.
“I got into an interesting conversation with the director where he basically said I didn’t have the ability to connect with a female character because I was gay,” he reveals. “In the moment, I was negotiating how to defend myself. But at the end of the day, that spoke so much more to where he was at and his journey in life versus who I am or what I know I bring to a project.”
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The project had already been filming for three days, but Pope says the interaction solidified his decision to bow out. “I can’t be in an environment that doesn’t support and pour into me the way I’m going to support and pour into it.”
“I had to say ‘eff that energy’ because it’s going to take too much from me,” Pope shares.
While walking away was no doubt a tough call, the actor got some news just a few hours later that changed everything: Filmmaker Elegance Bratton would be moving forward on production for The Inspection with indie studio A24, and they wanted to start a conversation with him about the lead role.
“It was like I had to be tested to really know my worth and affirm myself,” says Pope. “This is exactly where I’m supposed to be. So it was just I had to go through that and understand my worth and my existence and how I want to show up in this business and what I’m willing to tolerate and not tolerate. So I think, like I said, life has to do life’s thing.”
Well, we’re very glad life did it’s thing for Pope, and brought him to The Inspection at just the right time.
Since working on the film, Pope returned to the theater world to star in the play The Collaboration, playing famed neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michael Basquiat opposite Paul Bettany‘s Andy Warhol. The show currently runs on Broadway through the end of January, and is set to be adapted into a motion picture from director Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Related: Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany reimagine Basquiat and Warhol in ‘The Collaboration’
Pope is also attached to play Sammy Davis Jr. in a film all about the legendary actor’s controversial romance with Kim Novak called Scandalous!, which will be directed by Janet Mock, who previously worked with Pope on TV dramas Pope and Hollywood.
Pope’s cover story with Variety ends in an anecdote about the actor feeling anxious at The Inspection‘s film festival premiere, to which the journalist asserted he needs to do something lighter next—possibly even a romantic comedy.
Jeremy Pope leading a big studio rom-com? That makes sense with our fantasy.
The Inspection is currently rentable through VOD/digital platforms like AppleTV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube TV. The Collaboration continues its run at NYC’s Samuel J Friedman Theatre through the end of January.
DCguy
Another person who mentions anti LGBTQ bigotry but refuses to name names.
Kangol2
I agree but I think it’s because he wants to have a career in Hollywood, which is homophobic, misogynistic and racist, and he knows he won’t if he says too much.
bachy
Now that Pope’s star is rising, why give the aszhole director and his film any attention? That being said it does sound like a horribly degrading experience. Curiously, directors never seem to experience hesitancy about “believable chemistry” when casting straight actors in gay roles. It’s considered “brave.”
Paris in Santiago
David O. Russell, the film Amsterdam.
dbmcvey
Because he wants to keep working. It’s easy to judge when you have no stakes.
Kangol2
He’s excellent in The Inspection and deserves award nominations and recognition. He’s also dreamily beautiful. The Collaboration is a very toned down version of the Basquiat-Warhol friendship/relationship/artistic partnership, but it’s very entertaining and worth seeing if you like either or both of the artists and want to see a Broadway show.
lykeitiz
He was so good in “Pose”, and it sounds like great casting to put him in something as Sammy Davis, Jr.
dbmcvey
I understand why he doesn’t name names, but I think it’s too bad.
Kangol2
It was David O. Russell, in Amsterdam, which bombed at the box office. It’s an over-the-top mess, and not in a good way. The circumstances were horrible and homophobic, but it’s clear that Pope made the correct decision to get as far away from that film as possible.
Doug
I saw “The Inspection” this week and thought it was a really great film. This is yet another gay-themed production that played theaters for a couple of weeks and then has disappeared to video-on-demand. It’s really disappointing it hasn’t received more recognition. I thought Jeremy Pope gave a really moving performance.
Kangol2
I agree. No one in Hollywood or the media was willing to give it the push it needed. Thankfully it’s available on streaming, I think.
Mark Smith
I wonder whether many people got “The Inspection” confused with “Devotion.”
Simba
Ator de um unico papel: ser gay.