Jeremy Pope reflects on The Inspection’s lack of Oscar nominations: ‘I already feel valuable’
Exclusive: "As artists, we get to dictate our greatness - I want to be in a space of being grateful for what I already have” says Pose star as he talks coming out as gay and his new military drama
Stanley Kubrick may have memorably captured life in a marine boot camp in 1987 movie Full Metal Jacket – the screaming, the shouting, the terrible food, the arduous, muddy physicality – but so did Katy Perry’s 2012 ‘Part of Me’ video.
That actor, Jeremy Pope, whose new army-themed movie The Inspection has instantly joined FMJ and POM’s ranks, responds enthusiastically to both references (“I’m a Katy fan!”) shows he’s a man after our own hearts.
Directed by Elegance Bratton, who joined the marines in his 20s after being homeless for 10 years, The Inspection – “made in 19 days, mid-pandemic” – follows Ellis French [below]: a gay Black man recruited by the military in ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’-era America.
Despite never formally disclosing his sexuality – doing so would get him kicked out – Ellis becomes aroused in the communal showers. And then, becomes a target of relentless, violent homophobia. Slowly, however, he takes ownership of his identity, and comes out in subtle but unmistakable ways. Through the fabulous application of war paint, for example.
His character arc prompts Jeremy to reflect on his own coming out journey. (He identifies as a gay man.) “If I wanted to have longevity as an artist – in love, self-worth, self-respect – I had to stop being a version of myself people wanted me to be. Start living my life for who I am,” he shares, Zooming with Attitude from New York. “I think that’s the story we watch Ellis go on.”
The 30-year-old rose to fame in TV mega-hits Pose and Hollywood, both created by Ryan Murphy. Ryan has made space for marginalised communities,” explains Orlando-born Jeremy. “He’s brought a predominantly white industry closer to Black and brown stories. Hate it or love it, it is what people can do when given an opportunity. That’s what he gave me with Hollywood. I didn’t have any TV or film credits. That led to my first Emmy nomination and awareness to who Jeremy Pope is, what he does. I’m very grateful to him.”
He cites Murphy as one of a slew of collaborators who, like Elegance, have helped him tell “nuanced” LGBTQ stories. There’s also Tyrell Alvin McCraney, co-writer of 2016’s world-shifting Black gay romance Moonlight, who later cast Jeremy in his play Choir Boy. Then there’s “[Pose‘s] Janet Mock, Gabrielle Union – allies who are putting themselves on the frontline. Using the gift of storytelling to provide a narrative that can start necessary conversations and remind people they’re not alone.”
Indeed, Bring It On legend Gabrielle almost steals the show in The Inspection as Ellis’s god-fearing, homophobic mother. And in just a handful of scenes, to boot. She’s not the only familiar face: Looking heartthrob Raúl Castillo plays Rosales, a marine instructor and Ellis’ bootcamp crush. They share a shower scene full of “miscued signals. French, who’s lacking any type of love, thinks someone offering him support and respect, in his brain, it becomes transactional. ‘If you care for me, that must mean you want something from me.’”
“If you identified as a straight, cis man in this space, you could get away with slapping each other on the butt”
Jeremy Pope on The Inspection’s locker room scenes
It turns out Rosales, in another sensitive and moving performance from Castillo, is better than that. “They’re able to articulate and communicate.”
The director is depicting how “if you identified as a straight, cis man in this space, you could get away with slapping each on the butt,” says Jeremy. “Or pulling on each other’s dicks. That ‘locker room banter’. But, because of how he identified, and people clocking him, he had to move in such a different way. Really out of safety, just trying to stay alive.”
Indeed, one frustrating, if brilliantly disciplined aspect of the movie is its absence of sex scenes. Viewers may project homoeroticism onto what they’re seeing – our protagonist certainly does, via stylised dream sequences – but Ellis’s reality is decidedly not bawdy soldier porn territory. And it rings true. For LGBTQs, one imagines, life in the army remains often sexless by necessity.
Jeremy says such conversations focused on Ellis “fantasising about different men in that space. [We talked] about what that’s like. I know, as a gay man, walking into the gym, the locker room, you must navigate a specific way. You often wonder: ‘Is everyone thinking the same way? Or have I put that on myself because of how I identify?’ Not wanting to get clocked. Really, a fear for my safety.”
There’s a seriousness to The Inspection which, bolstered by sharp cinematography and affecting performances, makes it an ideal candidate for awards. As such, Pope was Golden Globe-nominated. Black Reel Awards and Independent Spirit Awards are pending. And yet, eyebrows were raised when the film failed to receive any Oscar nominations last month.
Attitude asks Jeremy if he’d like to comment on what many are calling a glaring omission. After a pause, he gives the following response. “I think it’s interesting. I can only speak from a personal standpoint. People have said to me, or you read articles about being ‘snubbed’, or whatever. But I just don’t believe that’s possible. Because, for me, what’s meant for me has never passed me by. I know that wholeheartedly. The universe, God, whoever you chose to believe, has shown me time and time again. And sometimes people will project things on to you. To make you want things. Or to believe you should have things, because they say you should have them.”
“So, you make it to the end of the race, and something doesn’t happen,” he furthermore adds. “But I feel fulfilled with what we were able to do with The Inspection. […] The fact I’ve been able to go to New York and Toronto Film Festivals, nominated for a Globe… These things have been firsts for me. I just want to be in a space of being grateful for what I already have.”
He’s currently exploring similar themes elsewhere in his role as the late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, in director Kwame Kwei-Armah’s upcoming film The Collaboration. (It started life as a stage play also looking at pop art icon Andy Warhol.) “You never know what your art is going to do,” opines Jeremy. “I believe in my heart that The Inspection is a seed that’s been planted.”
Still, he admits to being “very much present when the Oscar nominations came out. I remember feeling: ‘OK.’ I was still very grateful for what I already have. I really think, as artists, we get to dictate our greatness – I really want to take that power. And it’s hard. Because sometimes these institutions will make you feel like you want something to deem your work or give you value. But I already feel so valuable. If anything, I hope [this conversation] brings awareness to our film.”
And after that inspiring statement of self-worth, we think a spin of the following song’s in order!