ABOVE: “Pose” star Billy Porter makes an appearance on the latest season of the Jordan Peele reboot of “The Twilight Zone.” (Screenshot from YouTube)
Emmy, Grammy and Tony award-winning actor and “Pose” star Billy Porter joins the cast of Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” for its second season, which dropped on CBS All Access June 25.
In the episode, entitled “The Who of You,” Porter plays mysterious shop owner Keith. After a man named Harry walks into his shop seeking psychic guidance, Keith introduces himself with an even more mystifying greeting.
“‘I see a man pretending to be something he’s not,’” Keith says. “‘Do you even know? Do you know who you are?’” Extending his hand, he continues, “‘You want to find out?’”
Porter was offered the role of Keith and relished the opportunity to play a character that is darker than what he is accustomed to, as he revealed in a “CBS This Morning” interview.
“I don’t really get to be spooky very often,” Porter said. “So, I got to be spooky and mysterious and that was fun.”
Porter also expressed excitement at Peele’s creative involvement in the reboot of the classic series and the implications this has for more inclusive media representation.
“There’s black people in it now, how fun is that?” he said.
Porter made history in 2019 when he became the first openly-gay, black man to receive an Emmy award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, which he won for his role on the FX series “Pose.”
“The Twlight Zone” debuted in April 2019 and serves as a reimagining of the 1959 sci-fi anthology series of the same name, created by Rod Serling. This current incarnation of the show was brought to fruition by Peele, Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez. As a filmmaker, Peele is known for his work in the horror genre, reflected in films such as “Get Out” and “Us.”
Season 2 of “The Twilight Zone” is currently available for streaming on CBS All Access. Watch the trailer for it below.
