Patti LuPone joins cast of Pose season 2
Actor Patti LuPone performs onstage during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Kevin Winter/Getty for NARAS)
Pose season 2 has a new cast addition, with New York legend Patti LuPone signing on for a guest role in Ryan Murphy’s queer ballroom series.
The critically-acclaimed TV show, which portrays New York City’s iconic queer ballroom culture as most famously portrayed in the film Paris is Burning, is set to return to FX in June for a second season.
Speaking at a PaleyFest panel on Saturday (March 23), the show’s creators shed light on some details of the upcoming season two, confirming there will be a time-jump.
Madonna “Vogue” release will shape Pose season 2
Creator Ryan Murphy revealed the first episode will be set on the day that Madonna track “Vogue” is released in 1990, two years on from the first season’s 1988 setting.
“Vogue” was inspired by ballroom figures Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza, bringing the aspect of queer culture to mainstream attention with its success.
Alluding to the release of “Vogue,” producer Janet Mock teased that it would have a large impact on the characters and “will spark a lot of new aspirations and dreams for the people within the ball scene.”
Patti LuPone to guest star on Pose season 2
Gypsy and Company star Patti LuPone will also be appearing as a guest star on the upcoming season.
The famous New Yorker and theatre legend’s role was teased by Murphy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy said: “[LuPone] loves the show and we wrote this part, so she’s coming to play with us in a couple of weeks.”
Patti LuPone performs with the cast of ‘War Paint’ onstage during the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty)
Co-creator Steven Canals added that the AIDS crisis, which was already heavily featured during the first season, will come to the fore even more in the second season.
He said: “We’re going to be leaning into what was happening sociopolitically in New York. and so we’re going to be addressing Act Up and access to medical care for individuals who are living with HIV.”
Ryan Murphy teased Madonna link
Speaking to reporters at a Television Critics’ Association panel in 2018, Murphy had teased the possibility of Madonna playing a larger role in season two.
Murphy said that he has “a very good relationship with Madonna thus far,” confirming that she had approved the use of her music on the show.
The TV creator has previously cast Lady Gaga and Stevie Nicks on American Horror Story, but Murphy is not expecting Madonna herself to appear on Pose.
He said: “We haven’t tried to do too much of my typical stunt-casting [on Pose], and I don’t think we will, but I always like to talk to Madonna.”
Indya Moore performs during the FX ‘Pose’ Ball in Harlem on June 2, 2018 in New York City. (Andrew Toth/Getty)
The Pose cast features the most transgender actors of any TV show in recent history, as well as a diverse behind-the-camera crew.
Its first season has won acclaim from critics and viewers alike for its rich portrayal of queerness and inclusion of trans people at every stage of the creative process.
Pose star Billy Porter recently stunned the crowds at the Oscars with an amazing outfit choice.
