Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor Billy Porter has been officially immortalized among the wax figures at Madame Tussaud’s New York.
Porter, joined by family friends, met his wax figure on June 20 at an unveiling party at Boom at the Top of The Standard in the Meatpacking District, which will live on in the museum alongside several other celebrity wax figures.
“I can’t believe I have my very own wax figure in Madame Tussauds New York. My likeness is immortalized forever,” said Porter. “To end Pride Month with a bang like this is so memorable.”
The unveiling comes ahead of the annual New York City Pride March, of which Porter will serve as the Grand Marshal this year.
“Madame Tussauds is known around the world. As a Black, queer man in this world, it’s really special to have representation in this space,” said Porter. “Our kids, and adults too, need to see representations of themselves in the world and the kind of positivity I try to spread — the talent, the love, the intention. It’s great, it’s amazing.”
The wax figure pays homage to Porter’s 2020 Grammys red carpet look, complete with a working replica of the revolving hat that reveals the wax Porter’s face. The figure is also wearing bold accessories such as a matching diamond choker and bracelet on his left wrist and a diamond spider bracelet on his right, a sparkly silver handbag, bright blue eye shadow and a chrome manicure.
Porter noted that the process of creating the wax figure was quite an intricate process, with the team at Madame Tussauds working to make sure that every last detail was done well.
“The process is very intricate. Don’t ask me what, it’s intricate, it takes 9-10 hours,” said Porter. “There’s a lot of standing, I had to stand in that position for hours while there’s a lot of measuring. So that was nice to know that that was happening because as you see, they get it right.”
The figure will be on display for museum visitors to explore and take photos with, though when asked if he could have his figure stand in for him in any situation, Porter said “Jury duty.” Porter reiterated that he is proud to help bring representation to this space.
“Representation is the thing that matters most. For myself, I did not have a lot of what being Black and queer in the world was at the time,” Porter told amNewYork Metro. “I’m grateful to be a person that can stand at the intersection now for the people who are coming up, the young people who are coming up, and for the people who are just discovering themselves now.”
For more information on Madame Tussauds, visit madametussauds.com/new-york. You can follow Porter online @theebillyporter on Twitter and Instagram.
