I don't think I've ever been as nervously excited for an interview as I was for this one with RuPaul. I've been a fan of Ru's for some time now, watching Drag Race through university and being introduced to a whole new world that I'd never thought much about up until that point. Drag Queens were a constant enigma to me, but now I feel that viewers of the show can be transported into that world without having to don the makeup and dresses themselves. It's fun and exciting, compelling and controversial television. There's heart and passion driven into every episode, and we're given glimpses into the lives of some of the bravest reality stars and stage performers that have ever been on TV.
What I'm trying to say is I'm a huge fan, and there's always the worry that when speaking to one of your favourite celebrities, they won't be what you expected. I can confirm Ru is everything and more. I giggled after being called 'darling' and did a little dance inside whenever I heard that incredible laugh.
Now Ru is fronting a brand new show - Good Work on E! It's a celebration of all things plastic surgery - I'll let Ru tell you more after the jump - presented alongside Dr. Terry Dubrow and Sandra Vergara. Find out all about that, Drag Race and more below...
Hi RuPaul, how are you?
Fantastic.
How's your head?
I haven't had any complaints! Actually, the truth is there have been several complaints...
Haha, we won't tell anybody! Well, we're here to talk about Good Work, coming to E! on May 5 in the UK, what can you tell us about the show and what to expect?
Oh it is a celebration of all things beauty, and all things that celebrate beauty and making yourself look Hollywood gorgeous, because the truth is we live longer today, and if you really wanna be competitive and vital in the work force, in marriage, in every aspect of life, you have to take care of yourself, and plastic surgery has come out of the closet and Good Work is here to welcome it with open arms.
I know you've been very clear that show is celebratory of plastic surgery.
Oh absolutely, because really the consumer wants to be informed, especially since it's out in the open now. The consumer needs someone to guide them in the right direction, and that's what Good Work does.
What was it that drew you to a show about plastic surgery?
Oh I'm obsessed with plastic surgery, I'm obsessed with all the things that you can do to your human body to actually make it look better. You know, being a master illusionist for years, I've been privy to so many secrets that most people don't know about, and if they knew about them I'm sure they would do them, and that's the purpose that Good Work serves, you know? We celebrate all things beauty-oriented, not just plastic surgery but even techniques to do with just makeup that you already have.
How is working with Dr. Terry Dubrow and Sandra Vergara on the series?
Oh my God, it is so much fun, I gotta tell you. These are the conversations I would be having even if there wasn't a camera present. If I go to lunch with someone, it only takes about five minutes before we start talking about plastic surgery! (Ru breaks into that famous laughter the fans love so much)
And you know, we of course live in a Christian-Judeo culture where being vain is looked down upon, but that is really fading away, because like I said we live longer and you've gotta take care of yourself. We don't have those same rules when it comes to your house or your car - you put a new roof on your house, you put new tyres on your car - but somehow people have a stigma around fixing up your body.
What can you tell us about the celebrity guests on the series?
Well, we have lots of people who are brave enough to say, 'Yes, I've had work done', like Brandi Glanville from the Beverly Hills housewives. She's very forthright with what she's had done, and I say bravo!
Americans have seen some of the show already, how have you found the response?
It has been great, we were a little worried that people would think we were bodyshaming or that we were mean. We are not mean at all and we do not shame anyone's body, so the response has been lovely and I'm happy about that because, above all the show is informative and it's really a consumer-advocacy show, because we are steering people in the right direction towards 'Good Work'.
Moving onto your show RuPaul's Drag Race, you're about halfway through season seven in the States, how proud are you of the show and everything you've achieved through it?
I'm very proud of it because we've been able to launch the careers of almost 100 drag queens! (laughs) And they are travelling the world right now, terrorising clubs and towns and villages around the world, and that's the thing I'm the most proud of because, through the show my own legacy - which, you know I've been in showbusiness for many, many years - my own legacy is carried on through these girls. And on top of all that, I have so much fun, they crack me up. They are so inventive, and so courageous that it's the best job I could ever have.
And the show has so much heart with backstories for the queens and that sort of thing...
Absolutely, it's inherent in anyone who is that courageous, who decides to dance to the beat of a different drummer - anybody who's had the courage to do that also has so much heart and so much strength that the audience can draw from.
What would you say are some of your favourite lip-sync battles throughout the seasons?
Oh definitely Roxxxy Andrews and Alyssa Edwards when they did 'Whip My Hair', and when Roxxxy Andrews (here's that amazing laugh again) took her wig off... to reveal... ANOTHER WIG! And then, and then, Alyssa Edwards does that thing where I think she jumps up, spins and lands in a split?! (In her lip-sync battle against Coco Montrese) Crazy!
There's so many good ones. And also when Jujubee and Raven lip-synced for All Stars and they did Robyn, 'Dancing On My Own'. Oh my God, it's just brilliant.
What about some of your favourite runway looks?
Well of course my favourite runway looks are my own! (laughs) So you know, I'm not even focusing on what the girls are doing, I'm focusing on my own!
When they all did Ru!
Yeah! (laughs) Right! I have so much fun doing that, and Good Work is the same kind of fun in a different way. They're both things I am obsessed with and interested with. In terms of plastic surgery and procedures that one can do, it's always changing.
In fact, Dr. Dubrow invited me into the operating room a couple of weeks ago while he performed a face lift on someone, and some of the things I knew about those procedures had already been made obselete. He updated me on what people are doing and that's why I think the show is so informative. There are new advances in not just cosmetic procedures, but in beauty products and everything it takes to look good, those advances are being made daily and it's such an exciting frontier.
So the show then is not just an entertainment show, but educational too?
Oh it's so informative, because like I said, if you wanna stay in the work force way past 65 you have to do the work to look good. Let's face it we are a superficial culture - you can go to Oxford, you can go to Harvard - but if you look good, we all know it, you're gonna get special treatment in this world. It's sad, but it's true.
So what's next for you, do you get to catch a break?
Oh no, no no no no no, there's no breaks! It's working! In fact, we film a new episode of Good Work tomorrow (Weds, April 29). The show is up to the moment because we're looking at what's happening right now, so no, I work work work. And I'm actually gonna be coming to the UK at the end of May I believe to present Drag Race on truTV!
Good Work premieres Tuesday 5th May at 10pm on E!
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