Jeremy Pope can do it all.
The groundbreaking gay actor has made his mark in the entertainment industry from the stage to the screen. After all, he became only the sixth person in Tony Award history to be nominated in two separate acting categories in the same year. In 2019, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Play for Choir Boy and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Ain't Too Proud.
He's also become a notable collaborator with Ryan Murphy over the years. Pope's groundbreaking role in Pose first put him on the map, and he later earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in Murphy's hit Netflix miniseries Hollywood. Earlier this year, Pope reunited with Murphy in the popular FX show The Beauty.
Let's also not forget that he earned widespread praise and a Golden Globe Award nomination for portraying a gay Marine in the A24 semi-autobiographical drama The Inspection, served as a co-producer on the hit Broadway revival Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and constantly goes viral for his bold, gender-fluid red-carpet fashion.
Now, Pope is bringing all of his passions together in a liberating new collaboration with ViiV Healthcare on their "PrEP Wisdom" campaign. The talented star is using his platform and pulling inspiration from real-life, trailblazing queer icons to erase any stigmas on conversations surrounding sexual wellness.
"I'm so happy I can lend my voice to sexual health. ViiV Healthcare's ultimate goal is to find a cure for HIV. When we talk about our community, we talk about resilience and creativity, but there's also this inherit memory of loss. It's important for us to honor the people who have come before us and using our voices to make people know what's available to them," Pope tells Out.
Aside from just acting as a spokesperson, he brought his signature eye for fashion to the project. Pope personally styled the outfits for the campaign's photo shoots, intentionally choosing pieces that pay tribute to legendary queer icons and liberators who were lost to HIV, such as Keith Haring, Sylvester, Marsha P. Johnson, and Willi Smith.
"We have to remove stigma around talking about sexual health. Sexual health is health! It's about caring for yourself. This is an opportunity to self-love. I'm advocating and encouraging our community to ask those questions and talk to your healthcare provider. I want our community to have longevity and feel healthy. If I can be the vessel and possibly change someone's life for the better, what a gift that is."
Even if just one person watches Pope's campaign and decides to step the next step navigating sexual wellness, then his work is done. The star hopes to champion more queer voices at a pivotal time in LGBTQ+ history.
"Shame thrives in silence. The more openly and compassionately we can talk about sexual health, the less power shame has. It's about bringing visibility and transparency to this conversation. Only 25% of people who are eligible to take PrEP are taking it, so we need to talk about these things. I'll always be an advocate and champion for that."
Fans can follow Jeremy Pope on Instagram here and learn more about PrEP Wisdom here.
