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FILM
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The
New Ru
Turning 40, getting vulnerable, RePaul Charles goes out
of drag
By Blase DiStefano
RuPaul Charles says, “I’ve been happy and
I’ve been blessed and I am very lucky and I am
really happy.” Hell, wouldn’t you be if you
had just worked with Stockard Channing, Tammy Faye Bakker,
and Cathy Moriarty, all in different films? The endearing
RuPaul (he uses the “Charles” for his out-of-drag
roles) talked with OutSmartby phone to keep us
up-to-date on his life as an out and out-of-drag actor.
RuPaul: [In an extremely deep voice]: Blase, how are
you, darling?
OutSmart [Trying to duplicate
his deep voice]: I’m fine, how are you?
[Laughs] Where are you at?
I’m in Houston.
[With an over-the-top Southern drawl]: In Houston,Texas.
I didn’t know you could do a deep voice and a Southern
drawl, but I doknow you’re a friggin’
busy man.
Oh, blah, blah, blah...
Well, look—The Truth About
Jane,The Eyes of Tammy Faye,and But
I’m a Cheerleader—aren’t they all
coming out this month?
Yeah. But I did them all like six months ago—now
I’m sitting around filing my nails.
[Laughs] In The Truth About
Jane,you were wonderful, and you’re not in
drag. What about the other two?
I’m also out of drag in Cheerleader.I narrate
The Eyes of Tammy Faye,so I’m out of view....
But I’m in drag as I narrate it.
[Laughs] The original title of
The Truth About Janewas Jane’s Coming
Out Party,which was probably a much better title.
I read in The Advocatethat Stockard Channing
said, “I’m told the film is very moving, we’re
hoping they don’t dick around with the title.”
Well, I suggested that they call the movie No Dick
for Jane.
[Laughs uproariously] And how
was it working with Stockard Channing?
You know, of all the actresses, I have worked with her
more than any other person. It’s so weird. I’ve
done four movies with her, but two of them we had no
scenes together. And of course Greaseis my second-favorite
movie of all time, after The Wizard of Oz.It’s
interesting, how in your life you make dreams and wishes
and how they manifest. Who knew I would be working with
Rizzo [the character Channing played in Grease]this many years later?
And you got to work with Tammy
Faye Bakker!
Oh, she’s fabulous. You know, I am a video archivist.
I have all the campy, fun, incredible videos that have
passed through, for years and years. And this is bound
to be a classic. It’s going to be one of those
that’s going to be in everyone’s collection.
I think it’s going to do really well in theaters,
too. She is a joy and I’ve always loved her. I
lived in Atlanta, Georgia, for 12 years, and she was
a huge icon back then. This was before the scandal broke,
but I’ve always loved her. She’s basically
the Christian Judy Garland.
[Laughs] Tell me a little bit
about her.
Through that whole process—and you’ll see
this in the film—she made a metamorphosis and her
faith was unmoved through this incredibly hard period.
She considers herself Christian, but she’s not
religious at all. She doesn’t align herself with
those people, and that makes sense. I mean through the
course of one’s life, you change, you grow. I’ve
always believed in God and always knew that I was a
child of God’s love, but I never had a problem
doing what I do. That was never a conflict. Ever.
When I was born, my mom was a recovering Catholic, and
she always said that if God is a jealous God, who does
he have to be jealous of? That never sat well with her
and she said that jealousy is a by-product of earthbound
linear thinking, and that’s not of God, that’s
man.
Yeah, I was brought up Catholic
and went to church every Sunday. I remember one time
being in church—and it was all white at the time—and
for the first time ever, a black couple came in. When
other people came in, they genuflected, and when they
looked in the pew and saw that there were black people,
they moved up to a different pew. And when I saw that,
I knew that something was terribly wrong. Eventually,
I became an atheist, but since then I’ve become
more balanced and spiritual. But that was frightening.
Well, it is frightening, and that’s the journey
most of us have to go through. I mean we learn and we
grow, and I think you’re in a much more empowered
place now.
I thank God that that happened,
because it changed my life for the better.
Don’t you think that most atheists are people who
are overzealous God-believers but are basically just
mad at God? Because I think that even if you say, “Oh,
I’m atheist,” it’s still acknowledging
that there is a God.
I never thought of that. I know
I just have a minute to go, so do you have anything
to add?
I just feel really blessed, I mean in a career in show
business. I’ve been at it for 18 years now. And
I’ve only been famous for seven. And it’s
really interesting that I’ve been able to transcend
different mediums. I’m very grateful for it; I
don’t take it for granted. I just want to get closer
to the bone in everything I do. Acting has been fun,
especially the roles out of drag, because I can’t
really fall back on just the way I look. In drag, the
character comes from the outside in, and out of drag,
it’s totally inside out. There’s a lot more
work and I have to be a lot more raw. I’m going
to be 40 in November, and my focus now is peeling away
the layers to get closer. I feel safer to reveal my
emotions and my feelings—I know that God has not
lost my file, that I’m always being taken care
of and it’s safe to do it. In fact it’s more
fun to do it. The shielding myself and protecting my
sweet little heart all these years—I don’t
need to do that anymore...to a degree; but I feel safe
enough to peel it away and reveal myself.
What a nice thing to say before
your 40th birthday.
It’s almost like a timetable that we come to this
planet, and this is about the time when you realize
the self-will and the guarded stuff doesn’t really
serve you anymore. Like an old pair of shoes.
But of everything you’ve
done, just keep in mind that you met Bea Arthur! OK?!
I saw her on your show [on MTV], and that was one of
the best shows. You met Bea Arthur!
[Laughs] Oh my God, you know how significant that is
to me. In fact I had the pleasure of sitting next to
her on a plane from L.A. to New York. I was reading
James St. James’ book, Disco Bloodbath,and she said, what’s that? And I said, well, blah,
blah, blah, blah, get murdered, blah, blah, blah. Well,
she read half the book during the flight and was just
like aghast. She loved it. I adore her. I don’t
think there is a more genius actress alive today.
At press time, But I’m a Cheerleaderwas
scheduled to start at both the Angelika Film Center
and Landmark’s River Oaks Theatre at the end of
July; The Eyes of Tammy Fayeis scheduled to start
at Landmark’s River Oaks Theatre on Aug 11; and The
Truth About Janeis scheduled to air on Lifetime
Television at 8 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 7, with repeat
showings during the month.
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