“My thing is did they cast Billy Porter as Baldwin bc of star power? To have a name attached? Bc the life of Baldwin as a film is enough of a draw at the box office in the indie market you’re shooting for anyway… like you could have cast a newish actor, why Billy?,” said another.

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Another user penned: “Love Billy Porter, but the casting director is really gonna have to help him tone it down for this role…”

However, some were a bit more hopeful that the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy-winning actor has what it takes do a phenomenal job.

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“Billy Porter as James Baldwin is kind of difficult to imagine for me but he’s talented so I’m open to surprises,” said one user.

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“Billy Porter is perfect for this role omfg,” said another.

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Wrote one user: “Of course, Twitter is negative per usual. I give good spirits to the Legend Billy Porter as he embarks on this new acting endeavor.”

Baldwin’s life and career was most recently centered in the 2016 Oscar-nominated and BAFTA Award-winning documentary, I Am Not Your Negro.