Billy Porter's Pose character Pray Tell's fate was decided in season 2: Makers

Pose series-finale was quite heartbreaking for fans who have been watching since the series' inception. The show’s third and final season ended on June 6 with some sad revelations for the show’s fans. In the finale, Billy Porter's character, Pray Tell, lost his battle to HIV/AIDS. While the tragic end came as a shock for many viewers, co-creator and executive producer Steven Canals, in an interview with PEOPLE revealed that it was something that had been conceptualized for a while.

Steven Canals revealed in the interview that Pray Tell’s death was something that he decided on during the second season of the show. He revealed that he wanted the show to be “real” and said that it would have been like lying if they didn’t show the true reality of the characters. According to Canals, the show wouldn’t have been the same if they showed the characters suffer from HIV/AIDS and not show their sufferings.

In the interview, he said that the makers wanted people to fully understand what happened to the queer and trans-Black and brown people in New York in the '80s and '90s. Canals also revealed that Pray Tell's wasn’t the only conclusion he had decided way back. He revealed that the fate of Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista, played by Mj Rodriguez, was decided earlier as he had decided from the onset that Blanca was going to live. 

Billy Porter’s HIV status

Pray Tell's AIDS-related death comes soon after actor Billy Porter revealed his own real-life battle with HIV. Last month, the Emmy winning actor decided to open up for the first time about his disease after being diagnosed with it for 14 years. The actor said that he chose to keep it secret due to shame and fear of being marginalized. However, during the latest interview, Canals told PEOPLE that Porter had disclosed the status of his disease with him way before Pose happened. He said that it was never an issue as they didn’t speak about it openly until the final season where the actor chose to break his silence.

A bit about Pose

Pose is an American drama series based on New York City's African American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming drag ball culture scene in the 1980s and 90s. The show revolved around the lives of dancers and models who compete for trophies and recognition in their underground culture. Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, the series premiered on June 3, 2018. Apart from Billy Porter, Pose cast includes the likes of Kate Mara, Evan Peters, James Van Der Beek, Indya Moore, Charlayne Woodard, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Hailie Sahar, Dyllón Burnside, Angel Bismark Curiel, and Sandra Bernhard.

IMAGE: POSE FX'S INSTAGRAM