Jeremy Pope

“Okay, Devil in a Blue Dress. This film speaks to me because my first real job was this show called Hollywood that I shot with Ryan Murphy for Netflix, and this film, set in the, I think it's like late '40s, '50s, felt very identical to the experience that my character Archie was about to go on. So this became like such an inspiration and like a point of reference. Love the film, love the way that it's shot, the cinematography is incredible, Denzel is incredible, Carl Franklin's incredible. So boom, booyakasha.”

“This is a spiritual pick. Paris is Burning. This film is the foundation of so much of the love in the community and the people, the ancestors, the ones that have paved the way, that have beat the face and have walked the walks and categories for us, all the doors, all the houses. That makes me very excited that I now own Paris is Burning.”

“This is a respect pick. Some things you pick just out of respect. And I remember seeing Do the Right Thing years ago and really understanding and learning about who Spike was and the type of filmmaker that he, he, he is and he continues to be. And it's, and it's bold and it's daring and it's provocative and it's funny. Finding the levity in sometimes very traumatic situations is so, so special and nice to feel. So shout out to Do the Right Thing.”

“One Night in Miami. This was the first, I think this was my first like big studio film, and it was the first film that I didn't audition for and I got the part. Regina called. Regina my mom had met at my first Tony Awards here in New York City and they really hit it off. So Regina just felt like family and she called me and wanted me to come on to do this project. So you just don't say no to Regina, Regina King. So I did play Jackie Wilson. I'm there and she just walked up to me and she was like, "Do your thing." And I want to tell you the chill on my body and the sweat dripping down my back because the way I interpreted "do your thing" was, okay, you're going to do a split, three pirouettes, get up, grab the mic, go to the right, hype up the crowd, go to the left, and like I kind of blacked out. And blacked out to the point where I did sprain my ankle because I hadn't rehearsed any of the things that I went off and did. But the beautiful thing about all of that is it did make it to the film, 'cause sometimes you be doing crazy shit and it don't make it to the film. So shout out to Regina for keeping my "do your thing" in the film. But yes.”

“I was asked to close my eyes and pick a film. So let's get wild, you know what I'm saying? Like front, back, side to side, drop it low, pick it up fast then slow. Okay, The Philadelphia Story, directed by George Cukor. Hepburn, iconic, classic. Shout out to old Hollywood. This feels full circle. This feels full circle for...”

“Marlon Riggs. Could get emotional thinking about it. Tongues Untied, that film changed me. It changed me because his approach, their approach to the filmmaking, the film, it's theatrical, it's visceral, it's evocative. There's like this snap section that's super important. But a film that challenges expression, freedom of expression. This film is important to me because I got to watch multifaceted Black men express the nuance of being a Black queer man, and for it to be expressed in movement and dance. The sound design is actually insane. I wonder who, I got to find out who, who, how, when, where, how they did that, but they did that. And there's so much more to unpack. See, that's the thing, you unpack new, new shit.”