FILM
The Making of “Port Authority”
Leyna Bloom, Christopher “Afrika” Quarles discuss roles in fi lm
BY GARY M. KRAMER
Leyna Bloom makes an
auspicious fi lm debut
as Wye, a New York kiki
ballroom dancer, in writer/
director Danielle Lessovitz’s
gritty and absorbing drama, “Port
Authority.” Wye catches the eye of
Paul (Fionn Whitehead) a fresh-offthe
bus 20-year-old. Their budding
romance is sweet, but it hits a snag
when he learns she is trans.
Although “Port Authority” is
Paul’s story, Bloom commands the
screen in her scenes — especially
when she is performing. And given
the warm, family atmosphere Wye
has in her house run by Mother
McQueen (a divine Christopher
“Afrika” Quarles), one can see why
Paul wants to be a part of this
world.
Bloom and Quarles recently
spoke with Gay City News about
making “Port Authority.”
KRAMER: What decisions did
you make about Wye’s character?
BLOOM: Wye is a person that is
a combination of a lot of female fi gures
I’ve been in contact with and
inspired by in my life. Wye is a person
who is loyal to her family and
her community, and to who she is
as a person living in this world. She
knows what she wants and where
she wants to go. When she befriends
Paul, she stands up for him and
wants him to feel welcome. When
they have trouble, she stays true to
who she is. She’s a very strong woman
who wants everyone to be seen
and heard and respected equally.
KRAMER: I like that she does
not come across as a stereotype.
What thoughts did you have
about that?
BLOOM: Danielle Lessovitz
did not want her to be another sex
worker or drug addict or in an abusive
relationship. She wanted her
to be free from those stereotypes
and be this person that we want
to see in society, and not the negative
connotations that are associated
with the lives of trans people
and trans bodies. It was important
to tell that story; it humanizes our
Leyna Bloom and Fionn Whitehead in “Port Authority.”
experiences.
KRAMER: You get to “walk”
in the fi lm. What can you say
about performing the ballroom
scenes?
BLOOM: I was a trained dancer
before I joined the ballroom scene.
Dance is a tradition in my family.
For me, being a performer in the
ballroom scene goes hand in hand
with what I want to do. Like most
Black and brown bodies, we are
not allowed to be in that spotlight
so we create moments where we
can in other ways.
KRAMER: Afrika, you don’t
really get to walk much in the
fi lm. How much ballroom experience
do you have?
QUARLES: Laughs. I’ve been in
ballroom since 2008, but I wasn’t
seen until I moved to New York in
2010. I walked runway, but in ballroom,
my role was like you see in
the fi lm — I was the parental fi gure.
I am a mother in a house, and
also parent to children, similar to
the movie.
KRAMER: Leyna, what do
you think Wye sees in Paul, and
what observations do you have
about their relationship, which
involves her having to trust and
deal with truth and lies?
BLOOM: They have an attraction,
and she tries to fi gure out
what draws her to this person. She
just felt he was different and stood
out, and she trusted him, and vice
COURTESY OF MOMENTUM PICTURES
versa. They found this level where
Paul felt lost, and Wye had had that
same experience. She allows him
to understand that he’s not alone,
and they fi nd their own way. What
do you think, Afrika?
QUARLES: Their interaction
was so rare and so natural. There
was a sense of curiosity for Wye.
This person is interesting. The
same goes for Paul. He saw a light
shining around Wye and wanted
to know more, which drives him to
go into this place. I’m connected in
some way. It was true.
KRAMER: I like the scene between
Wye and Paul on the fi re
escape. Do you think Wye is a
role model for Paul?
BLOOM: Here are two people
who dealt with trauma. One person
has healed, and one is learning
how to heal. Paul is coming
from a different environment. And
he wants to know how does she
choose right from wrong? He’s
stuck and trying to grow, and he
is fi nally around someone who has
fi gured it out. Paul learns he can
be safe with Wye.
KRAMER: Afrika, you shine in
a scene where Mother McQueen
talks with Paul about Wye. What
observations do you have about
a white boy wanting to join the
ballroom scene?
QUARLES: Being the parent,
you have to think broader and
wider than how the children are
going to feel. They are protecting
something that is theirs. This is a
space they created, and normally,
you see Black and brown, so when
someone from another color comes
in, they stand out. But as a parent,
even though we know this, we
can’t think this way. It’s still a person
and they need to be embraced
no matter the color. Sometimes
people need others to fi nd a family
of friends, and that was something
I loved about my character, Mother
McQueen was still able to console
him, and guide him and help him
understand.
KRAMER: “Port Authority”
is very much about the ideas of
home and family. Can you talk
about this theme?
BLOOM: For me, family is really
where you can literally, and
organically, be yourself. You can
get help fi guring out who you are
through that process and how we
can all develop and grow from each
other. Family in today’s society is a
new way to navigate yourself and
your identity, especially if you are
queer or trans and a person of color.
The relationships I’ve built with
my chosen family have taken me
to places I couldn’t go with my immediate
family. There are groups
and communities in society that
are being neglected, and you fi nd
community to fi ght things in society
and you can redefi ne things in
every way possible. I received that
from the ballroom scene. Sometimes
our own immediate families
don’t have the tools, resources, or
capacity to express that type of
love.
QUARLES: It’s a place where
we can literally be comfortable. We
don’t have to wear multiple skins.
Sometimes you do, because people
come to this scene broken, some
don’t come broken, but this scene is
a place where you can fi nd the confi
dence that people may have taken
away from you. We are a community
built off involving and protecting.
PORT AUTHORITY | Directed by
Danielle Lessovitz | In theaters May
28, and on Digital and on Demand
June 1. Distributed by Momentum
Pictures
JUNE 3 - JUNE 16, 2 36 021 | GayCityNews.com
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