John Waters is one of Baltimore’s most famous sons, known for cult classics including Hairspray and Pink Flamingos. Now the legendary director is getting involved in one of the most interesting political races in the city in decades: by endorsing Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson for Mayor of Baltimore.

Mckesson is one of the best-known figures within the Black Lives Matter movement, and has long campaigned against police brutality. His “Mapping Police Violence” initiative collected data on people killed by police violence, and he became known internationally as a spokesperson for many within the city during the Ferguson protests. Although he’s currently trailing in the mayoral race, Mckesson has won plaudits from celebrities (he’s one of only 10 people Beyoncé follows on Twitter) and he’s been invited to the White House to meet President Obama.

Waters came out in support of Mckesson’s campaign in a video released yesterday. The video features Waters sitting in what appears to be his study, sporting a patterned blazer and his famous pencil moustache. After wryly acknowledging that “many candidates wouldn’t want my endorsement”, Waters urges his Baltimore fans to vote for Mckesson and “let somebody younger and more radical than I am have a crack at it”. The director goes on to say, “I like Deray’s surprisingly well-detailed platform, his unmacho but still angry raised fist, and yep, I like his fashion sense too”.

The unusual sight of one of Baltimore’s best-loved figures coming out for the city’s most famous activist caused Twitter to light up in support for Mckesson. While Waters’ endorsement will undoubtedly help consolidate Mckesson with a younger audience, Mckesson still has a long way to go – he’s currently trailing former Mayor Sheila Dixon in the polls.