‘IT’S NOT AN EASY GIG, BEING A DRAG QUEEN’
Hollywood embracing the culture and art as more films strive for authenticity
When RuPaul’s Drag Race launched on Logo a decade ago, it was watched by so few people that the inaugural run was later lovingly dubbed The Lost Season. But as the years went on, its popularity grew and its influence spread over other parts of the entertainment industry — from a sketch on Saturday Night Live, to seeing the queens who had come through the competition guest star on scripted television shows including Playing House and Room 104, to having drag performers become integral talent on the big screen.
“It’s this whole new economy and business that has come out of this show — and an economy and a business that are shining a light on artists that are heroes,” Drag Race executive producer Randy Barbato said. “It’s not an easy gig, being a drag queen.”
Recent films such as A Star Is Born and Can You Ever Forgive Me? showcased the artistry with scene-stealing moments set in drag clubs, while projects such as Netflix’s Dumplin’, Fox’s version of Rent and Snapchat’s docuseries Growing Up Is a Drag celebrated both the performance aspect of drag, as well as some deeper aspects — the heart and soul of the people behind the personas. “Part of what’s awesome about drag is it’s just one part of their lives — and it’s a magical part of their lives,” says Patty Ivins, executive producer of Growing Up Is a Drag, of her teenage subjects. “It’s an amazing coming-of-age story with a fresh way to look at it. They ’re just reinventing what it is to be a 16-year-old boy and they created the freedom to do that — they created their own rules.” The idea of drag being a valuable part of storytelling is hardly new, but hiring real drag queens to tell their own stories or to take on layered scripted characters is a modern advancement. The 1994 Australian movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert — a global hit — introduced drag performing to many in the audience, while the 1995 film To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar thrust drag queens into the spotlight with a story about three who get stranded in a small town in the middle of a road trip. But its main stars (Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo) — as with the stars of Priscilla — were actors without prior drag experience, let alone genuine drag personas. Recent films and TV tend to come down more on the side of authenticity.
“In my experience in past television shows or films, drag … a lot of times is a punchline — it’s a man running around in a wig,” says D.J. (Shangela) Pierce, who appeared on multiple seasons of Drag Race and played the drag bar MC and owner in A Star Is Born.
But Pierce says Bradley Cooper, who co-wrote, produced, directed and starred in A Star Is Born, wanted to bring as much truth of the real-life drag world into the pivotal setting in which his character Jack first meets Ally (Lady Gaga) in the film.
“The way it was written and the way they allowed us to add little pieces of sugar and spice to it made it feel very authentic, and it was just a slice of life,” Pierce says. “Jackson Maine (Cooper) just happens to pop into a drag bar, and there are people who would not be weirdedout by that, and he was one of those people. And that made (it) a very inclusive message.”
A Star Is Born also featured Drag Race alum Willam Belli, while Fox’s live version of Rent cast Valentina in the role of Angel Dumott Schunard, and Dumplin’ featured Joshua Allan Eads, a.k.a. Ginger Minj, among others.
“I’m bringing a lot of my expertise ... and working really closely with the makeup team and the wardrobe team in making this Angel a little more glam with textiles and making the elements of drag sparkle,” Valentina says.
But, by having Valentina, who identifies as gender non-binary, in the role, the conversation is also being forwarded in ways that would not have been possible a few years ago, let alone when Rent was first performed in the mid-1990s. “It really reflects the time about how not everybody is cisgendered and we all need to be supportive of people who are different and support them through their journey on this earth, because we’re all here to live an authentic life,” Valentina says.
When adapting Dumplin’ from Julie Murphy’s novel of the same name, writer and producer Kristin Hahn wanted to expand the impact the encounter with the drag world had on protagonist Willowdean (Danielle Macdonald).
The film put out a casting call for real-life drag queens in Atlanta, where the project was being shot, and found a lot of talent to populate the special Dolly Parton night at the drag bar that Willowdean attends — “One of the backup singers was a real Dolly Parton impersonator,” she says. Eads was cast as Candee Disch, a comedic partner to Lee, who was played by Harold Perrineau.
Being able to offer a fuller look at the diversity in drag and inspire acceptance of all was key for Hahn. “The message of the movie is really about loving and embracing all kinds of beauty — there is not just one standard,” she says. “And I think that’s something that drag really teaches us because it celebrates what it is to be female.”