Bianca Del Rio: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ was life-changing for me’

Bianca Del Rio hardly needs an introduction. She’s the queen that pipped Adore Delano and Courtney Act to the title of ‘America’s Next Drag Superstar’ on season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race, building a legion of devoted followers across the globe in the process. Obviously madness has ensued, but Bianca took some time out of her hectic travelling (and tucking) schedule to chat about her experiences since winning, her role as ‘mother hen’ on the show, and her amazing-sounding feature film Hurricane Bianca.

What have the last few months been like?
“Overwhelming, but in a very good way. You kind of go from anonymity to all of a sudden everyone knows you. But I’m just grateful that this is happening for me at this point in my life – being 38 rather than being 20 – because it’s so hard to get a grasp on what happens to you.”

Compared to some of the other contestants on the show, you’re a real drag veteran. Do you think that changed your reaction to winning?
“Yeah, I respect and appreciate it more. Over the 18 years that I’ve done drag, I’ve had extreme highs and extreme lows, but I think it’s all been beneficial in the end. And now I have this huge platform at a time when drag has become so mainstream. Whereas years ago, that really wasn’t the case. There were a handful of girls that I knew – Lady Bunny, Coco Peru, Varla Jean Merman, Jackie Beat – that worked before Drag Race, and still do to this day. But as far as being mainstream and in someone’s home on a weekly basis, that really didn’t exist before Drag Race.”

This season of Drag Race was the most-watched and most covered in the media. How did you deal with all of the attention?
“Prior to the show, I didn’t have Twitter, an Instagram account or a Facebook fanpage. I was working in New York and New Orleans, where I’m from, and I was pretty set. So now, with 139,000 followers on Instagram, this is insane to me. With Adore and Courtney, from both doing Idol and having a certain fame before the show, I think they were a little more accustomed to it. But I find myself adapting to sitting in an airport tweeting and Instagramming.”

That must be a lot to get your head around.
“I’m old-school – we used to take pictures, drop them off, then get the film developed. This is life-changing for me, but I do really appreciate the benefits that come with it. You get to chat with people from all over the country; I even have people that tweet me from Brazil. That’s the impact of the show. It’s six seasons in and it’s hotter than ever.”

On the show, you came off as this mother hen figure who was looking out for people – especially Adore. Were you surprised that this side of yourself came out, especially in front of the cameras?
“I had my initial thoughts about how I’d come off on the show before going in. But truly, after the first hour you’re there, you kind of forget about the cameras. You’re watching it week-to-week, but we’re doing it day-to-day. In the midst of it, you’re doing 14-hour days of filming and you’re just in the zone. We filmed it last summer, so for us to revisit [when it aired] this February was like, ‘Wow, that happened? I don’t even remember saying that’. You’re just trying to do the challenges to the best of your ability, because Ru’s never going to ask, ‘Who’s your best friend?’ or ‘Who are you looking out for?’. It’s about whether you’ve done the challenge. You know, I had two corsets so sure, I helped out Adore. I didn’t realise that I was like Mother Teresa all of a sudden. It was just natural instinct.”

What’s it like behind the scenes? 
“Truthfully, it all happens in order, in the way you watch the show, with very few re-takes. Because time is money. That’s why some of it is so intense – because it just happens in the moment. Now granted, in Untucked when you’re watching someone get upset after two words, it might not happen that quickly in real life as we might have been sitting there for three hours. But that’s what we signed up for. It’s a reality show for Christ’s sake. I would be an asshole if I said, ‘Oh, it’s the editing’. C’mon, I knew what I was getting into. If I was going to cry they were going to use it, if I was an asshole they were going to use it and if I’d killed someone they would have used it!”

You’re the first ‘comedy queen’ to win the show – do you think that’s very significant?
“In past seasons, I think the term ‘comedy queen’ was kind of used in a negative way, or used because a person was different. I’ve never felt subject to a label, but I do more stand-up than most queens do, because that’s just my personality. To be in a room and make a comment or say something funny is something I do naturally. One of the reasons why I never thought that I would audition for the show was I never really saw them feature someone like me; I thought they wouldn’t get me, it’s not what they want. They want an underdog, they want someone who’s struggled and they want someone who has a sad family life. All of that’s a part of the show, but it was never a part of my life. I didn’t have that to offer.”

Were you aware that many of your rivals had this kind of ‘story’?
“While filming, actually I wasn’t really aware of everyone else’s life stories. I only knew what they were telling me. As I was watching the show back and saw Laganja struggling with her family, or Adore breaking down, it came as a surprise. So as I was watching it back I was thinking, ‘Oh well, I didn’t have that drama’, but obviously it didn’t matter that much.”

How weird is it watching the show back eight months after you’d filmed it?
“Let’s be honest, watching myself in general is hard for me. Watching it in a bar in New York City on a Monday night with 100 people cheering you on is pretty intense. When I was there filming I didn’t drink alcohol; I thought why bother? But I remember on the flight home after the show, I asked the stewardess if I could have a large bottle of wine. On that flight, five-and-half hours back to New York City, I just thought to myself, ‘Make peace with it. What I said is what I said, and what I did is what I did, got to let it go. They’re going to do with it whatever they want’. I made peace with it.”

You’ve recently been working on a feature film called Hurricane Bianca. What can you tell me about it?
“I’m not sure many people know this, but in America there’s a loophole in the law where it’s still legal to be fired for being gay in 29 states. Once you’re outed, this can happen, you can actually get fired. Basically the story is about a teacher, played by me, who gets outed and fired for being gay in a small, closed-minded town. I decide to seek revenge on the town by returning as Bianca Del Rio. A lot of drama ensues – partly because the people in the town have no idea it’s me! It’s a fun movie, but it’s about a serious subject, which I don’t think many people are aware of.”

Bianca Del Rio plays four sold-out shows at London’s Black Cap on July 8, 9, 10 and 15. She will also be a special judge at Porn Idol at London’s G-A-Y @ Heaven on July 17.