Condragulations are in order as “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 13 winner Symone prepares to hit the silver screen in “Stop! That! Train!” opposite RuPaul herself.
“Not many girls can say that. It feels great. It’s a dream,” she told TheWrap of calling Ru a co-star. “I’ve been in this game relatively six years, and that’s not that long of a time in the grand scheme, so to have this happen fairly quickly after the show, it’s amazing.”
Symone stars alongside fellow “Drag Race” royalty Jujubee, Ginger Minj, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Marcia Marcia Marcia (aka Marty Lauter), Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Monét X Change and Latrice Royale in the disaster comedy that marks the first film in the extended Runiverse. And the cast really did learn that their movie was hitting theaters during production.
“How cool and amazing that us as drag queens and queer people are being featured in a theatrical release for the whole country, not just specific places. Everyone’s gonna be able to watch this. How far we’ve come as drag as our subculture in queer culture in this moment, it’s really amazing,” Symone shared. “Any little step that a few of us take, it’s a greater step for all of us … if a few of us get through the door, that means we crack it open for everybody.”
While Symone famously won four maxi challenges on her season — including an overacting challenge in the flag factory — director Adam Shankman made it clear on set that they were making a real movie.
“He was very intentional in saying we are actresses, you’re acting in a film. We’ve had the ‘Drag Race’ acting challenges where we’re encouraged to do more or go out there full-throttle. It’s like, no, you’re actresses, you are playing women in this film, for lack of a better word,” she explained. “They just encouraged us to go smaller and really engross ourselves in these characters. You’re playing for the camera here. And also, anytime we did something that maybe wasn’t on the page, they were very happy to let us play. It was just a really cool, fast, fun experience. They trusted us all a lot, and we got a lot of ad-libs into the film.”
Ultimately, Symone is proud to be bringing some queer joy to the big screen this Pride Month with other LGBTQ+ icons like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rachel Bloom, Raven-Symoné, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Matt Rogers and even Charo!
“Just simply because of the times we’re in, I think the film is such a great, joyous, fun, funny experience, and you come out feeling excited and happy. Like, ‘Oh my God, that’s the thing I needed. I needed to laugh,’” she concluded. “‘Drag Race’ in and of itself is such a cultural phenomenon. We’ve gotten to the place that this is something that the world is ready to see and is hungry for. As contestants, we’ve become stars in our own right, so it’s the time and the place and the universe aligning.”
“Stop! That! Train!” crashes into theaters on June 12.
