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When and Where Is Anything's Possible Releasing?
Watch the Anything's Possible Trailer
Who's in the Cast of Anything's Possible?
The Behind-the-Scenes History of Anything's Possible
What Makes Anything's Possible Different From Other Trans Films
Coming straight from bigender screenwriter Ximena/Alvaro Garcia Lecuona is the 2022 coming-of-age romantic comedy and drama Anything's Possible. Directed by award-winning LGBTQ+ icon Billy Porter, the film follows the humorous, delicate, and passionate love story between cisgender boy Khal and transgender girl Kelsa.
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From the modern drama to the bubbling romance, to the fresh faces of the cast, there's a lot to unpack with Anything's Possible. Here's everything we know about the movie.
Related:'Anything's Possible' Poster Teases a Story from the "Heart and Soul" of Director Billy Porter
When and Where Is Anything's Possible Releasing?
Anything's Possible will be released for streaming on Amazon Prime Video on July 22, 2022. The film was originally intended for a theatrical release, but with a lower budget attempting to compete at the box office, the makers of the film had to review this decision. On May 17, 2022, Porter announced that Anything's Possible would be solely released on streaming.
Watch the Anything's Possible Trailer
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Kelsa is a 17-year-old transgender high school student who's just beginning to explore her world with her new identity. Sparks fly when she and Khal, a popular cisgender boy, partner up in art class to paint each other's portraits. Tension soars as the two of them begin the tentative dance of first conversations, touches, and blossoming romance. Unfortunately, obstacles stand in their way, as Kelsa's friend also vies for Khal and not everyone at their school is accepting of the queer relationship. These trials don't stop Kelsa from chasing after what she wants--Khal, love, and happiness. After all, anything is possible.
Who's in the Cast of Anything's Possible?
Taking lead as Kelsa is Black transgender woman Eva Reign. Anything's Possible is Reign's first major role in a feature-length film. She previously worked as a writer and editor for the NYC queer magazine Them, but she always had the dream to be in the spotlight. According to her interview with Them writer Michael Love Michael, it was her insecurities and fears of acceptance that kept her from chasing the dream until now.
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Playing Kelsa's love interest and ally, Khal, is Abubakr Ali. Ali's acting career is still fairly new, having begun in the early 2010s with short films. In 2020, he starred in the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene as filmmaker Raj Patel. He also joined The Walking Dead universe as Dev for three episodes of 2021's The Walking Dead: World Beyond. On top of being the love interest in a Prime Original Movie, he plays the lead role of Hunter Rose/Grendel in the upcoming Netflix show Grendel, which will be a television series adaptation of the Dark Horse comic of the same name. Grendel is currently in post-production.
Playing Kelsa's mother is the renowned Tony Award-winning actress and singer Renée Elise Goldsberry. Goldsberry is most well-known for first portraying Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton. She has also appeared in various TV shows, including Altered Carbon (Quellcrist Falconer), Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist (Ava Price), and Girls5eva (Wickie Roy). This year, she enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Amelia in the first episode of the upcoming Disney+ Original Series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
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The Behind-the-Scenes History of Anything's Possible
Anything's Possible (originally titled What If?)is Billy Porter's feature-length directorial debut. According to his interview with Variety, the hype for this film is strong, as it does what only a handful of recent LGBTQ+ films have done--focus entirely on pride and queer happiness. Unfortunately, too many films that have turned the lens on queer stories have done so to tell tales of trauma, abuse, rejection, and tragedy. Anything's Possible is the exact opposite of this, and Porter has described it by saying, "This is an aspirational story. It’s almost like a fairytale. We know that. It’s a look at what we can be. That’s what we as artists get to do — look at what we can be and what we should be."
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The film cost $10 million to make and was filmed in just 25 days at the Pittsburgh high school that Porter himself graduated from. While the movie was initially intended to be viewed in theaters, Porter explains how he had no qualms with releasing Anything's Possible on streaming. After all, the 2021 Prime Original Movie Cinderella, in which he played the fairy godmother, experienced a phenomenal success on streaming that otherwise may have suffered had it attempted to compete in theaters. "This (Anything's Possible) will have a similar trajectory," he says. "Eyeballs will be on it because you can watch it from your house."
In Eva Reign's interview with Them magazine, readers got a special insight into the actress's journey to stardom, her transgender identity, and unique personal obstacles. To start, Reign was stunned when she learned she got the lead in the new film. Not only was this a fulfillment of her acting dreams, but it challenged her and her disbelief of what the world could and could not accept in an actress. "Even after I got that call I was telling myself, I’m a Black trans girl — I’m not going to be the lead in a movie. That’s not feasible. I’ll be lucky to play someone’s friend," she explained.
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Reign immediately proved herself capable on set, reportedly killing it with her character's monologue on only the second day of filming. While garnering the praise of Porter, the cast, and the crew, this moment served to represent something even bigger for Reign. All throughout Reign's journey as a trans woman, she has faced scrutiny for the deep, rich timbre in her voice. It was often wrongfully perceived as a form of failure in her transition. It was this voice that commanded the attention of all who witnessed her acting. It was this voice that got her the part of Kelsa, and it was this very voice that Porter described as "powerful," "strong," and "unique." And for Reign, it was this celebration of what had once been criticized as a flaw that emboldened her even further to take control of her role and express it in its full.
Related:'Willow' Casts Talisa Garcia, Making History as First Trans Actress Cast by Lucasfilm
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What Makes Anything's Possible Different From Other Trans Films
This movie doesn't aim to make money off depicting trans people's trauma. It has no interest in touting high the stories of those who have suffered and luring viewers in with shock value. Rather, Anything's Possible is a bold, unafraid, and unwavering celebration of queer identity and love, and that makes it markedly different from other movies that feature trans characters.
Additionally, Anything's Possible has done right what many films with trans characters have failed to do. Kelsa, a Black trans female character, is played by Eva Reign, a Black trans woman. This brings a certain authenticity to the film that would otherwise be missing if the movie's casting had chosen a cisgender person to portray a queer identity.
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Films that did choose cisgender actors, such as Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry (1999), Elle Fanning in 3 Generations (2015), and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013), have now received heavy criticism from the LGBTQ+ community. Films like Anything's Possible that elected to stick with trans actors for trans characters have been highly praised for respecting the LGBTQ+ community and making every effort to represent it appropriately.
If you're seeking this trans representation or simply a story that celebrates trans identity and queer love, Anything's Possible will be streaming for you this summer. Get ready for a picture where you'll smile, cry, and blush at the ups and downs of young love.