‘Pose’ Cast Then & Now: Billy Porter, Angelica Ross, & More

                                                                                                          By:
                                                                                                          July 16, 2021 11:06AM EDT

                                                                                                          ‘Pose’ may have left it all on the ballroom floor, but the spirit of the groundbreaking season lives on, so look back at how the cast changed over the course of three seasons.

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                                                                                                          ‘Pose’ Cast Then & Now: See Billy Porter, Angelica Ross, & More

                                                                                                          ‘Pose’ Cast Then & Now: See Billy Porter, Angelica Ross, & More

                                                                                                          The category is… whatever the category is, ‘Pose’ earned 10s, 10s, 10s across the board.The FX drama series, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals, captured the New York City ballroom scene of the 1980s to 1990s. Over the course of three seasons, ‘Pose’ dramatized the underground LGBTQIA+ culture that paved the way for such mainstream media like Madonna’s “Vogue,” and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’ Starring Billy Porter as Pray Tell, Indya Moore as Angel Vasquez-Evangelista, Dominique Jackson as Elektra Evangelista, Evan Peters as Stan Bowes and Kate Mara as Patty Bowes, the series earned critical acclaim since its debut in 2018. Billy won the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2019, and the series was awarded the GLAAD Media Awards’ Outstanding Drama Series honor the following year. Though the curtain has fallen on ‘Pose,’ take a look back at the cast from Season 1 to today.

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                                                                                                          Billy Porter

                                                                                                          Billy Porter
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Billy Porter, seen on the right attending the ‘Pose’ FYC Drive-In Screening and Panel in June 2021, played emcee Pray Tell in the series. “Whether it’s on the street, whether it’s online, people have been very moved and changed by [‘Pose’],” Billy told HollywoodLife in 2019. “What a gift it is to have lived long enough to see this day, to be in this position where, I really can do what I want and I don’t care. It’s not about what anybody thinks about me. Anybody’s opinion of me is not my business. It’s freeing.”

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                                                                                                          Angelica Ross

                                                                                                          Angelica Ross
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Angelica Ross, seen on the right attending the final season premiere at NYC’s Lincoln Center in April 2021, portrayed Candy Johnson-Ferocity, the founder of the House of Ferocity. Her story highlighted the often-ignored dangers that the LGBTQIA+ community faced during the 1980s and 1990s – and still face to this day.

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                                                                                                          Indya Moore

                                                                                                          Indya Moore
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Indya Moore, seen here on the right attending the show’s third and final season premiere at the Lincoln Center in 2021, portrayed Angel Vasquez-Evangelista. Angel’s journey was an emotional one over the three seasons of ‘Pose.’

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                                                                                                          Dyllon Burnside

                                                                                                          Dyllon Burnside
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Dyllón Burnside, attending the show’s third season premiere at the Lincoln Center (right), played Ricky Evangelista. In 2020, Dyllón spoke with HollywoodLife after the Emmy nominations snubbed the transgender actresses on the show. “I think the outcry we’ve heard from the public who is disappointed in the nominations as they stand is because this show has done so much to create a space for fans and create visibility for trans and femme folks. And, to the folks that those causes are important to, myself included, it feels like a personal slight.”

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                                                                                                          Angel Bismark Curiel

                                                                                                          Angel Bismark Curiel
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Angel Bismark Curiel, seen on the right attending the final season premiere in April 2021, portrayed  Esteban “Lil Papi” Martinez-Evangelista over the course of three seasons. His character’s story was deeply tied to Angel’s, providing a heart to the ballroom.

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                                                                                                          Hailie Sahar

                                                                                                          Hailie Sahar
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Hailie Sahar, seen on the right attending the 2021 season premiere in New York City, portrayed Lulu Evangelista, the founder of the House of Ferocity alongside Candy (Angelica Ross.) For more information about “House” culture, especially in terms of drag families and ballroom performers, consult 1968’s ‘The Queen’ and acquaint yourself with Ms. Crystal LaBeija.

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                                                                                                          Ryan Jamaal Swain

                                                                                                          Ryan Jamaal Swain
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Ryan Jamaal Swain, seen on the right attending the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2019, portrayed Damon Richards-Evangelista, the first member of the House of Evangelista. Sadly, he left the show before the third season to grieve the loss of his sister.

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                                                                                                          Kate Mara

                                                                                                          Kate Mara
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Kate Mara, seen on the right attending FX’s FX’s ‘A Teacher’ FYC drive-in screening and panel at the Rose Bowl in June 2021, portrayed Patty Bowes, the wife of Evan Peters’ character, Stan. She and Evan only appeared in the first season.

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                                                                                                          Evan Peters

                                                                                                          Evan Peters
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Evan Peters, seen on the right attending the 2019 Giffoni Film Festival on Salerno, Italy, portrayed Stan Bowes, a yuppie struggling with his sexual identity in Season 1. His story concluded at the end of the first season.

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                                                                                                          James Van Der Beek

                                                                                                          James Van Der Beek
                                                                                                          Everett Collection/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          James Van Der Beek, seen the right attending the ‘Bad Hair’ film premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, played Matt Bromley. James’ character was your typical Donald Trump-like figure, the boss of Evan’s Stan Bowes. James only appeared in the first season.

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