Jeremy Pope gave our performance of the year in indie drama The Inspection, the story of one gay man’s harrowing and healing journey through boot camp to become a U.S. Marine.⁠ ⁠ Physically and emotionally demanding, the role—his first lead in a feature film—pushed Pope in new ways, and the actor has previously spoken about the intense process of preparing for it.⁠ ⁠ But, in a new cover story interview with Variety, Pope reveals that one of his biggest challenges came before The Inspection training even started. First, he had to step away from a major studio film—one with a director who doubted him simply because he was gay. #linkinbio, if you're interested in reading more.