William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor, singer, writer, and director. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, and he achieved fame performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor.
Why is Billy Porter the fairy godmother?
Billy Porter plays a “genderless” version of the fairy godmother called Fab G. He told Insider the inspiration behind the choice: “Magic has no gender.” The actor said the role was a “dream” because it was played by his childhood idol, Whitney Houston.
Porter told Insider that he was so excited about getting the role of the Fairy Godmother in the upcoming remake of “Cinderella” that he ran around the house screaming.
Porter said that Fab G was “a dream role” that he never knew he had because his childhood idol, Whitney Houston, had previously had the same role in the 1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein version of the tale.