Eva Reign to Star in Billy Porter’s Trans Teen Rom-Com
What If?, Billy Porter‘s directorial debut for Orion Pictures, officially has a leading lady.
Written by Alvaro García Lecuona and based on a heartwarming viral Reddit post from 2018, What If? is a “modern coming-of-age story” that follows Kelsa (Reign), a transgender high school senior who catches the eye of her classmate Khal (Ali). Galvanized by a positive response to an internet post he made about his crush, Khal embarks on an unexpected senior-year relationship with Kelsa.
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The role of Kelsa was originally set to be portrayed by Yasmin Finney, a 17-year-old Black, trans actress from Manchester, England, but the production was unable to secure a work visa for her due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Reign’s previous on-screen credits include the queer comedy web series Sideways Smile, Tourmaline’s experimental film Salacia, and a Pride 2019 commercial for Pantene. Her storytelling as an actress, writer, and filmmaker revolves around her identity as a Black, trans woman.
Following a summer fellowship with Condé Nast’s LGBTQ platform Them, Reign became assistant editor of the publication and currently serves as a columnist. She is also a film fellow with New York City’s Queer|Art, a nonprofit serving a diverse and vibrant community of LGBTQ artists across generations and disciplines.
What If? began filming in Porter’s hometown of Pittsburgh, PA this summer. Currently, there is no official release date.
Orion Pictures is exclusively dedicated to underrepresented voices and authentic storytelling in film with a focus on developing, producing, and acquiring feature films that amplify underserved voices, both in front of and behind the camera.
Photos Courtesy of Social Media
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