Emmy Nominee Jeremy Pope Visits Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge- Watch Now!

Welcome, everyone, and thank you for joining me and my very special guest

You know him from his two electrifying Tony-nominated performances from last season in Terrell McCraney's

choir boy and from the Temptations Musical, Ain't Too Proud. And now he is nominated for a Best Actor Emmy for his brilliant breakout television performance

as gay screenwriter Archie Coleman in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series Hollywood. Please say hello to one of Broadway world's favorites, Jeremy Pope

I'll tell you something, aren't you? I'm going to change the way they make movies in this town

I'm going to make sure that people like us aren't on the outside looking in anymore

What do you mean people like us? Folks who aren't white. You ain't white

Asian. Yeah. You should have me. My whole life I feel like I've been living in a really convincing costume

Yeah. But you could pass. That ain't like being black. You sound like my girlfriend

Hold up. You dating a sister? Well, it's got to be tough, though

Can't go out together. Some places they don't mind. The world's changing. Maybe

But it ain't changing fast. So, Dick Sammons. I think he knows

That's what? That I'm black. He doesn't already know? I never met anybody in person

I mailed in my script. He called me on the telephone. I told him, golly, Mr. Samuels

I'm just over the moon. You liked my script. You did not do that. Golly, Mr. Samuze

I did. I did. Well, I hate to break it to you, Buster, but..

I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure he's going to find out pretty soon. First off, how are you and where are you

I'm so good. I woke up and I'm so good. I'm in L.A. right now

Quarantine. Still in the house, but all as well. How are you doing? Where are you

So I'm in Hell's Kitchen. Okay. I'm just a few blocks away from Broadway. You know, this is the new now, my friend. This is what we're living in

This is the norm. This is it. You know, I was going to ask you, this is our, we're entering our 100

76 day since the New York theater shut down. I mean, when you look, think of that number, Jeremy

Does it seem like sometimes it seems like last week and sometimes it seems like six months ago

It feels like that number is incorrect. To me, it feels like day 812, maybe 813

It's been a journey. I think everyone's kind of gone on a journey with, you know, with the pandemic, the highs, the lows, then back up high and then back low

this is the new norm. We are trying to make it work and find the joy in it

A lot of good has come from this. Also a lot of bad. But I also believe that we don't lead

this thing the same way we came in it. So whatever that looks like, we are on the ride for it

Yeah. You know, how have you been handling it and dealing with the pandemic as it continues to go on

You know, I've been like, I've been just taking time for myself and my mental. I think, you know

a lot of us, most of us are home doing things from home. So you really have

have time to deal with yourself and kind of unpack those things that you would maybe, quote

unquote, too busy for. For me, I, you know, in the past year, year and a half, I was working so

much so a lot of personal things I just wasn't finding space and time for it because I just

I didn't have any room for it. But it's been challenging, but also really nice to have some

time to myself creatively, emotionally, and just connect and align, realign myself for, you know

how I want to move forward. I think the thing that makes me feel a little bit at ease and less anxiety about it is

like we're all in the same feeling versus like I'm not making a choice to like take a time out

So it feels like we're all kind of, you know, taking space and time and, you know, doing the safe

thing, staying home. And, you know, so it's been a journey. But ultimately, I think my spirits are a little bit better

And if anything, I'm excited to, you know, get back to a norm of working

art and theater, like I missed that so, so much. And there was a time where, like, I was like, I don't know if I could do another show

Like, it was one of those because I was so tired, but now, like, being away from it and you miss it

My heart really, really misses it and misses working with people. So I'm, like, looking forward to that whenever that day comes, you know

Yeah, beautifully put. Well, I want to congratulate you, my friend, on your Emmy nomination for Best Actor, for your

spectacular performance as gay screenwriter Archie Coleman in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series

Hollywood. Thank you. All of us in the Broadway community are so proud of you

Thank you. And we're so rooting for you. I mean, it's such a glorious series

How did you come about to get cast in Hollywood? You know, it's been, it's all been a blessing

Ryan, Hollywood came to me the week of the Tonys last year

And if anyone's familiar with how crazy that week is, you're doing press, you're like almost to the finish line

of just getting to the Tonys. We're doing rehearsals for the Tonys

I was doing two performances, so I was just juggling my time doing choir boy and too proud

also performing in the show eight times a week. And my audition came in for, or my agent sent me an audition for Hollywood

Can you make the self-tape? And I'm like, what are you trying to do to me? Like, I have zero time

I'm trying to sleep and make sure my, you know, be on Boko Rest. So it was the Sunday before the Tonys and I whipped up a tape really quick

Like, didn't have time to overthink it or anything. I was just like, I just got to get this out of the way so my agents can leave me alone, really

And I can get to my day off. And then the next day, I got a call that Ryan Murphy wanted to offer me at this part in Hollywood

But again, we didn't know what it was because I hadn't read a script. The sides, you know, the audition that they gave me, the sides were dummy sides

So it had nothing to do with Hollywood. Obviously, I knew who Ryan was, but I didn't know what Archie, who Archie was, what this part was going to be for the story

So I ended up having to call out of the Saturday show before the Tony's, one to rest, but also to meet Ryan Murphy to go say, what is it you want me to do

And he told me, and I got really excited about it. And he was like, don't tell anyone

So I was at the Tony Awards that Sunday with my family and like two rows behind me is Darren Chris

he's like, hey man, we should work together. And I'm just like, yeah, we should

Oh, you couldn't even tell him. I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything at the time

But that kind of is how the journey began with Ryan Murphy

And later on, weeks later, he ended up sending me a script. So I got to see what it is

He wanted me to say yes to. Okay. I also want to give a big shout out to Janet Mock

who was one of the writers, producers, and directors on your show

I mean, she had your back from the very first day. Talk about the conversations you had with her about the role and everything else and how she protected you

For sure. Well, the thing about what we were creating is all of our scripts were not completed when we started

So a lot of the stories were being built in real time

So we were filming them and shooting them at the same time, sometimes doing multiple episodes. So it's different than theater where you know what you're creating, what story you're telling

and you really, like, unpack that. but Janet was my backbone was in the room and having those conversations for my character specifically for a gay black man I wanted to make sure that I had all of the necessary language to articulate what it is we were trying to say

Being that it was a fantasy world, there still needed to be elements of realism of what we experience

what we did experience. So Janet was that, being that she was a producer, so she had that power, being that she was a writer, so she had that

had that leverage and also that she was directing me in two of the most ambitious episodes of the series

So I had to trust her. I had to lean into what she was saying

There was a scene where I talk about the white people and how Archie is feeling in a moment

And I wanted to make sure that that was the correct language

to articulate what it is we were trying to say and where we were trying to go

Being that I didn't know where Archie was. I didn't know Archie was going to get to a happy ending

I just knew what I had in front of me. So Janet became that. I love Janice

She's such a phenomenal person, human being, such a phenomenal director. Everything she does, she really just pays attention to detail

So it makes it easier for you to kind of fall back and trust. You know, so I love Janet so much

I'm so grateful to have had her in my corner during that season where, you know, this is my TV debut

So I wanted to do. I wanted it to feel good and look good, and she really made it safe

and you know, such a safe space to create and to try

Yeah, I want to talk about Archie Coleman seems to be the perfect melding of actor and material

He's such a beautifully written character. What did the role of Archie mean to you personally

Well, the thing about Archie is I knew that, you know, if we're talking fantasy rhyme

if we're talking in the 40s, this character had to be so grounded in who he was

because he's a black man trying to occupy a space in Hollywood

which Hollywood wasn't making pictures and art for people of color at the time

And then also he was an openly gay man. So I knew like essentially those are two strikes already

when you're walking into a room just based off of what people perceive how the times were moving and shifting

So I began to like find people that were pillars for that demographic being James Baldwin

was such a big inspiration for me and building Archie just because he, I knew that Archie

was going to open doors for so many others behind him. Like that was his goal

It was never about Archie and Archie's success. But it was about what if I could write a picture where people could see black people

fully and understand that like we want to be a part of this entertainment industry but we want to

be a part of storytelling that we have greater stories to tell that we are worthy that we are enough

and i knew that that was his mission um so that felt very um important and special because i i also know

like how seeing that how if you know if we had seen an archie coleman in the 40s yeah

maybe we wouldn't have had to wait till 2018 to see jordan peel when the awesome

for a screenwriting for Get Out. So it's kind of one of those things where, like

wow, it would have been a beautiful thing to know that that could have existed in the 40s

Had we given someone an opportunity, like, had we made a decision on one movie

it could have changed the world just for other people to see themselves represented

So that felt like a powerful moment. And ultimately, that is what kept me trudging along

as I was getting the scripts in real time, because I didn't know where he was going

I was just like, if I just hold on to this grounded person who wants better for his kids

community, then, like, hopefully I can, you know, take this to the finish line. Yeah

What was it like working in the incredible world that Ryan Murphy creates

And what was it like working with him? Because he's not a man of many words. Not, not at all

Ryan says very little and does a lot. So I worked with Ryan on episode one because he directed episode one

And he really likes to set up the world. He's such a, I call him a genius content creator because he knows exactly what he's

seeing in his head. Yeah. So all the way down to the. the color palette of a wall

He's very specific and people are scared of him in that way

because they want to get it right. They want to do the job correctly the way

that he envisions it. But what I love about Ryan when it comes to actors

in that relationship, once he casts you or he's working with you, he trusts you to do your part

And for me, that is very theater. It's very like you're here to do a job, do your thing on it

That's what he's what he's. it felt like he wasn't, you know, he didn't try to micromanage my performance

If anything, I was like, can you tell me if I'm good? One through ten. You know, just rate it if you would because he would just be like, you're fine, Pope

Like he wouldn't say much. So, you know, I really had to just trust that if something was wrong, he would tell me

But ultimately, it was so special working with him. And then once he finishes directing, he becomes like a fly on the wall

You know that he's in all of the decisions. He's editing, you know, in the editing room

He may not be on set, but you know he's watching. And he occasionally texts me, you know, here or there saying, you know

things about the scenes or what we're working on. But he was really great to me

And he cast some of the, you know, the great people. Like I was, you know, working with Patty LaPont

James, J. Harsons, Joe Mantella. It's like, Paul and Taylor, like just so many great human beings

but also incredible artists. And you put them all in the same room and you're like, okay, now paint

You know, so that was really, really fun to be a part of that process. So I was going to ask you, what was it like working with them

But then there's the newbies you got to work with, too. I mean, talk about your newbie cast

Yeah, well, we kind of split it up. You know, we always talked about, like, how they're the old people

We feel like, divide it. We're like the kids, the cool kids and like the old people

I love the old people, though. They were fun. They were actually more of a hoot than we were. I feel like Patty was like the best

She would be singing, Avita, like, whatever you need Patty to do. But then, like, as soon as it was action, she would, like, lock and roll

I was like, you're crazy. I love it. It was really, really special

I think everyone moved like an ensemble. It was a big ensemble piece

All of us were, you know, we didn't really know where the show was going. So we really had to lean into each other and make the scenes when we had them the best that we had, you know, get them all we had, give them our best

So ultimately, it was really, really special. I have no negative thing to say about anyone or any part of that process

It really was a really special. From the creative to the crew

that's the thing Ryan keeps a small family of people that he works with over and over

So they do build a family. They get each other without having to say things

And there's a special way in which they work. So I was just grateful to kind of enter that space

and feel just protected and feel safe, you know, because you just never know

You just never know. Well, here you did. You went from Broadway

I'd love to talk to stage actors who like then work in TV or film

And this was a big deal for you. I mean, this is your television debut. And you've entered the world of Ryan Murphy

playing one of the leads. Do you remember your first scene that you shot

And what was that day like for you? I do. I was very anxious because what people don't know is

or maybe some people, I don't know, when we first got the scripts for Netflix, Hollywood

there was a lot of nudity and a lot of simulated sex. And, you know, it's one thing

to do it on stage, but it's one thing to have something live on the internet or live on Netflix forever

So I very anxious I was very anxious for the conversations I was going to have to have with my mother and my father and my grandmother So that was one of my first days was a scene where I supposed to be simulating sex and be naked

And you have the intimacy coordinator there trying to like make you feel safe, but you're also like, this all feels very bizarre

Like I don't know what's happening. Suddenly I can't move my body. Everything feels strange

But again, they made it fun. They made it safe. Ryan's also a person where like he has this joke

where like never never learn your lines because it's going to change on the day

so that was another thing that I had to just kind of it was a big game of improv

where you'd come and feel very prepared for your scene and Ryan be like scratch we're going to do it this way

and you just have to like run with the wind that way so that's ultimately what happened

it ended up being less sex less nudity which my mom is very grateful for

was that scene with Jake Picking who played Rock Hudson? Yes, Rock Hudson

So that was, I think it was my, that was my second day on set, but that was my first day with Jake

So we were like, yeah, it must have been great to work together. Like here you are as Archie

Here's, here he is as Rock Hudson. You're like the newbies and all of this

You're like, let's band together on this and have each other back, right

Honestly, I think that is what, like, created such a beautiful chemistry between me and Jake

is we really had to, like, trust each other on screen and off. Because I remember there would be moments where it was a

close set and they would be, you know, changing camera lens or whatever. And we'd be like, this is a lot

This is a lot. Like, good to meet you. When's your birthday

What sign are you? Like, trying to, like, learn so much about each other in such a short period of time

Yeah. You know, we're both anxious about, you know, just the performance and wanting this to be

really special. And we just made a pack to each other to, like, lean on each other

And if you ever need anything, I'm here for you, you know, he was playing a historical figure

I just came from playing Eddie Kendrick. So I was like, I understand that, like, a few. feeling that pressure of trying to be something for people

but I was like ultimately just like, you've been cast for a reason

Ryan sees the spirit of, you know, Rock Hudson in you, so just lean into that, trust that, you know, that you're enough

you know, like, there was a conversation that we had for each other that ended up just really, you know

he was my rock, if you will. During the process, he really became a safe space like home

It felt like whenever I worked with Jake, you know, I knew we started at the beginning together

so we really understood each other, emotionally, creatively, artistically. We had very similar processes of how we like to work

So it made those scenes in particular very easy to like lean in and to know, like

he had my bad guy, I had his. That's terrific. You know, I wanted the series closes out, of course, at the Oscars

Spoiler alert for anybody who hasn't seen it. Of course, that is such a magical section of this

I mean, I was literally sitting here weeping, watching that, thinking, oh, my God

this isn't real, but what if it was? And of course, your character wins an Oscar

and you give one of the most beautiful speeches about how everyone's life matters

and everyone's voice needs to be heard. How emotionally, how emotional and emotionally

was that for you to film and what it meant to personally? Yeah

You know, I cried a lot. I remember when I read the script

because it just felt very powerful on the page. you know and in preparing for you you know for something like that it was different I prepared for it a bit different because you want it to feel kind of fresh you don't want it to be over rehearsed or whatever so actually for that take but when we were shooting my acceptance speech it was early in the morning I remember and they were waiting for the girls they took much longer to get ready they're waiting for them to get ready I told them I just I would like

like to do it by myself. So I'm actually doing the speech talking to an empty room

But I did that because the words felt like they were for me. Yeah

And I think sometimes, you know, being an artist, you have the highs and lows of it all

But like when Archie is saying, you are enough, you have value

Me saying that however many times we said it, it was like a very real moment for me to like lock in

and trust that feeling to know like you started playing skimple shanks in high school and cats

and now you're in a Ryan Murphy show, giving in, you know, an acceptance speech, if you will

Not real, but like maybe one day it will be. You know, it was one of those things where, like

I really had to lean in and believe that for myself. And it's special, and I knew the power behind those words

and what it was going to do for the audience watching it. I knew what it was going to do for, you know

the characters in our show. Like, it was a very special and precious moment

And it was really fun that the Oscars was so fun to film

because we blocked it like an Oscar. So we had like about eight cameras

and we just ran it for like 45 minutes and we just, you know, they were cheering us on

The extras were so, so phenomenal that day. I remember they were, it felt like a real award show

I was like so excited. Like maybe I actually won something. You know, and it was really special

It was really, really special. You know, we have theater fans watching all around the world today

I mean, they love the journey you've taken. You mentioned, I know that in high school changed everything for you

but I want to give a big shout out to AMDA. I mean, how did you keep that audition secret from your parents

And how did you do that? And how did you tell them you were accepted? I know

So, you know, I drove to this audition and gave my heart out in this audition

and basically told them, like, I need all the scholarship money I can get

because I have to basically build this case to present at the dinner table to my mom

They're like, this is what I want to do. And, you know, my parents are my biggest fans now

My mom in particular, you know, parents can be very scared because how do you deal with a child that's going to go into a business that, you know, is subjective at times

How do you deal with, you know, your kid feeling like they're not good enough

It's hard when you keep getting nose and audition rooms, you start to wear that no and feel like that. Yeah

It's like, no, to you. When it just means, no, you're not right for that specific project

whatever the case. And that is ultimately what parents I think are the scared of, you know

But shout out to Amda because it's, you know, I got in there and was like, I'm ready to work

because I have something to prove to my parents. Ultimately, I got to prove to them that it is possible

And it took me a while to find my stride, you know, in musical theater because I felt like

there was very limited roles for 17-year-old Jeremy at the time with the pop voice that I had

and like just trying to find my lane in which I could really ride out. Yeah. But once I got to senior year or you know, see, you know, and we, I just started running. I started going. I just started trying and plugging where I could. And, you know, I'm very grateful for the tools that they gave me to be a better business to learn what I have to offer and then just to lean into that. And that's, I think, the switch that I made instead of trying to be something else or a version of someone else. I just was like, this is what I do really well. And let me

you know, hone that and then like just bring that into a room. And ultimately that is when I started to hear a little bit more yes

than knows. So grateful to all my teachers and mentors at Amda who like guided me

who, you know, lifted me when I was feeling down and told me there would be a space for me

You know, I'm very grateful to them. How surreal was last season for you

I mean, you only dream about these things. You made two Broadway debuts

I call them two. You made your Broadway debut first in Terrell McCrae

And then you made it as playing Eddie in the Temptations musical, Ain't Too Proud

Then you were nominated for two Tony Awards I think it only happened five other times I mean what as you look back at last season how do you put it all into perspective You know it it was a beautiful year

It was a crazy year. It was the hardest I've ever had to work. And I remember I really, every chance I got

I was like, I want to enjoy this because I know this moment, here we are a year later talking about it

like a thing in the past. And I really wanted to be, you know, connected with my boys and ain't too proud and my family at choir boy and really just like

taking the moments and um just you know I was so grateful for the experience Tony

nom's or not like I just wanted to to to know that I made it that we're here that like our

stories are necessary that people want to hear them because I was a part of two of the biggest

blackest shows I'm brought in the same season you know and like what those shows were

saying who, you know, the creative people behind those shows, it was such a special, special, special moment

And I'm so very grateful for everyone that, like, literally helped me up

during those processes. I was just trying to make it to the finish line

And we did. And I know we changed lives. And we, the messages and the emails

that was kind of the best part about that journey is the messages I would receive

or the people I would meet at the stage door. I love theater because you get to connect in that way

That's one thing I miss with TV and film. It's a different connection. I'm like on Twitter, talking to people around the world

but like to have that live experience and to hear how powerful, you know

the narrative was for someone that night or the healing that theater provided for them that night

Or the entertainment with temptation. Like it was the journey in the ways

It was so, so special. And that's where my heart lies in the theater. I can't wait to get back to theater, you know, because it is a magical place

But yes, last year was insane. insane, insane. But such a beautiful year

Yeah. One of my final questions for you is November is a big deal with this election coming up

with everything that's happening in the country and people raising and lifting their voices for change

Would you just talk about the importance of this election and why people should register and vote

Absolutely. So this is the T. This is the deal. You know, we are experiencing a lot of heartache right now

I also believe that a lot of things have come to the surface and we have to hold ourselves accountable for the change we want to see

The only way to do that is to vote and to allow your voice to be heard

It's important that you get educated. You read, you research. There's so much resources out there

We have our phones on us all the time. So like I advise people to just dig deep

Dig deeper within yourself. Understand what it is you feel, what it is you want to see

for yourself, for the communities of people you say that you support, that you believe in

And then you need to like understand the local politics, but also the grander politics of it all

Because that's the thing that I feel like I was disconnected to or I didn't realize when I turned 18

It was all about like, who's your president, who's your vice president? But it's important to understand wherever, you know, state you're voting in, your local politics

Because that is how, you know, those things can affect you more. So we have to go out and vote

We have to. We have to have to go out and vote. I believe in having your opinion, but educating yourself, understanding who you're voting for, what you're voting for, what you're saying

And then let's go out there and make a difference. Let's go out there being together and, like, change the world because it's in our control

It's in our power. I think last year, you know, four years ago, we got a bit lazy. We thought, like, we were good

There's no way. But there is a way. Yeah, when there's good, there's also evil

So I think, you know, a lot of things that come to the surface, we know what we know, we see what we see

call an ace and a spade a spade. So it's up to us to be the change that we want to see

It's up to us to go out and to educate ourselves, to educate our communities, to educate our parents, our grandparents

and really hold each other accountable to go out there and make a difference. So I say vote, rock the vote, let's take back the vote

Beautifully put, you are such an inspiration to so many young people

not just because of your work, but who you are as a human being

and your work ethic and what you give back. What does that mean to you? Because I know a lot of fans

the kids at a stage door for choir boy, and of course people have reached out for you for Hollywood

what that means to you. Yeah. You know, I think I'm very grateful for all the support

I'm grateful for the love. I'm grateful for it all. I think it's one of those things

where as I'm learning, about myself in real time that's happening in real time

The one thing that I can do is tell my story and tell my truth. So if anything, that's what I'm trying to lead with to remind people that they are enough

Sometimes I'm doing that for myself, but there's people out there who need to hear it. I know that there was a time where I needed to hear that

And to know that, you know, the quiet, black, not out yet, Jeremy was like, I don't know how I feel

I don't know how to navigate, but to know that in time you will, and you're going to blossom into something beautiful

and you're going to change the world and whatever field it is that you are part of. And to just, you know, remind people out there to lean into your light

We all have a light in us. And to just try to lean into that, try to shape that and understand that

And then just, like, be of service. If anything, that's what I hope to do is in anything I'm a part of art or not, is just to be of service

and to be a part of something bigger or larger conversation. because there is so much healing and love in our industry

and my gift of being an artist. So if anything, I'm just very grateful that people respond to that

and feel anything from that because that's such a gift. My final question is, what is the biggest takeaway been for you

with being a part of the groundbreaking series, Hollywood? Good question, anything

I think the takeaway for me in the beautiful but chaotic journey of filming Hollywood

it was just trusting myself, trusting my gut, trusting my instincts, finding the people in the room to have the conversation with that you can trust that the Janet Mock's

One person I don't talk about enough, but Alexis Woodall, she runs a lot of rhymes

stuff. She was a great, great person for me in Hollywood. And at the end of the day, it always

came back to like, what is it you feel and you want to do? And it's okay to speak up and trust that

So if anything, I walked away with just a little bit more confidence of like understanding that

like, your voice is just as important as theirs. And to lean into that and to give it your all

I guess. So working with the Darren Chris and the Patty LaPone, we all, I watched everyone do that

They have a gift. They know how to use it and they trust themselves. They ask all the hard questions

They give the material. And then there's a point where like, okay, now you do what you need to do and soar

And that's what I felt like Janet Mock and Ryan and Alexis allowed me to do was sore

But I was only able to soar because I trusted myself and I trusted the people I was with

So that was the takeaway as I make, you know, strides into other projects and other things

Well, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for dropping by Broadway World today

And I mean, like I said, You soared beyond in your television debut

I mean, congratulations on the Emmy nomination, your continued success. I hope we get you back on Broadway sooner than later

But whatever you do, we adore you, my friend. Everybody, stay safe and we'll see you soon

Take care