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RuPaul’s Drag Racehad come a long way since its premiere in 2009, growing over the past decade into one of the most successful reality competition franchises in television history.
Currentlynominated for eight 2022 Emmys, including outstanding reality competition program — an award the show has won for the past four consecutive years — the series has expanded well beyond its signature offering, with multiple spin-offs, a growing number of international versions and even a live Vegas show.
But executive producer Randy Barbato, who co-founded the show’s production company World of Wonder, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive conversation that this is just the beginning.
“We’ve just gotten started withRuPaul’s Drag Race,” Barbato says. “We’re on a mission; we aren’t just making a show to entertain, but we’re here to spread the message of the power of drag. So no, I don’t see an end in sight.”
“And I’ll tell you, I say that taking my cues from our leader becauseRuPaulhas just gotten started, too,” Barbato adds of the show’s host, head judge and fellow executive producer. “Ru pushes everyone to do our best. And all these years in, he’s still as involved as ever, connecting with our queens, pushing them to evolve and learning from them himself. It’s really pretty special.”
Below, the prolific and acclaimed filmmaker — who helped helm the 2021 movieThe Eyes of Tammy Faye— opens up Race’s future, its success and the legacy the show aims to leave behind.
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PEOPLE: How has it felt to watchDrag Racegrow into what it is today?Randy Barbato:It has truly been humbling to watch the growth ofDrag Race— and also incredibly rewarding. So many of the people who worked on the show in the beginning are still working on the show today, and what we all have in common is that we’re huge fans of our queens. To be able to work on a show that actually has a tangible impact on the artists it features is sort of, it’s like a dream. I can’t imagine a better job to have than the one I do.
That’s a great point about having a tangible impact on the artists, because unlike many other competition reality shows, it really seems like so manyDrag Racecontestants — regardless of whether they win or not — have become huge stars.I love so many of the other competition reality shows, so I’m not dissing them, but there is a difference here because our show focuses on artists who have for so long been either ignored or marginalized. And you’re right — everyone who comes throughDrag Racewinds up a winner. So many different opportunities are awarded them having come through theRuPaul’s Drag Racestable, whether it be to showcase their individual brands or even create awareness for causes they care about.
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What’s interesting as a longtime viewer is that these queens have often expanded their talents to beyond the world of drag.Exactly. TakeShangela, for example, who went fromDrag Raceto starring inA Star Is BornalongsideLady Gaga, and is now one of the stars of HBO’sWe’re Here, which has also been Emmy-nominated. OrTrixie Mattel, who has her own series on Discovery+ as well as a makeup line, a recording career and aNew York Timesbest-selling book [with fellowDrag Racealum Katya Zamolodchikova].
There’s Ginger Minj, who’s been in a number of movies like Netflix’sDumplin’and is going to be featured inHocus Pocus 2withBette Midler,Sarah Jessica ParkerandKathy Najimy. Bianca Del Rio starred on the West End inEveryone’s Talking About Jamie;Gigi Goodemodeled in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show on Amazon Prime, as didShea Couleé— who just announcedshe’s going to be in the new Marvel series for Disney+,Ironheart.
And that’s just to name a few!Right, I could go go!
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So why do you think the show has catapulted so many of these queens into the spotlight?What’s really happening here is, for so long, the entertainment industry didn’t even recognize drag as an art form, let alone a force within Hollywood. And I do thing we are watching that course be corrected. AndRuPaul’s Drag Racecontributes to that, of course, but it’s really the talent of the queens. These are incredibly talented, versatile artists who have been ignored for so long, and now they’ve arrived. Believe me, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
The “B squad” joins the “winning” queens.VH1
What do you look for when it comes to casting a queen on the show? RuPaul cheekily talks about measuring their ‘charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent’ — is that what you’re trying to find when you put together a cast?The No. 1 thing we look for is authenticity. The success ofDrag Raceis really a combination of the talented artistry of our queens, and then, the heart and authenticity they show during the competition. Our viewers come to watch the spectacle but they stay because they fall in love with these characters. To be a drag queen is sort of like being a marine. It is a hard life, and those people who make that decision to do that, they have a story to tell. At the end of the day, we love the hair and the heels and the spectacle — and we push ourselves every year to surprise the audience and deliver extravaganza — but at the heart, we are storytellers and the queens that are featured on this show have stories to tell. So when we’re putting together the cast every season, it is that combination of, “Do they deliver on stage?” and “Are they open enough that they’re going to share who they are with us?”
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Season 14 was notable for featuring five transgender contestants, some of whom came on the show openly trans and others who came out during filming, while the show aired and after filming ended. Did you realize it was going to be such a milestone season going in?Not at all, but that was so exciting. A lot of that unfolded while we were shooting and, as you said, during airing and afterwards — and it was a joy.
VH1
They’ve been asked?We’ve talked to them and their folks. They know we’re fan, we know they’re fans, and it’s just never quite worked out timing wise. But that will work out one day.
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You’ve known RuPaul for nearly 40 years now. He’s talked in the past aboutthe trust he feels with you and how it’s allowed him the freedom to be himself at all times. What’s your working relationship with him like?Our working relationship with RuPaul is deep. It feels like a kind of destiny. You know, Ru came fully baked. Many of the things he says now, he’s been saying for the past 35 years. So I’ve always had a sort of blind faith in his guidance and his beliefs.
What’s he like as a producer?He’s an excellent producer and he really understands television in a way people probably underestimate. He’s very hands-on with all the details ofRuPaul’s Drag Race.
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Let’s talkAll Stars 7, the show’sfirst season to feature all previous winners. Some of the queens have mentioned on social media that they were critiqued throughout the season, but we as viewers never saw any negative feedback, only positive ones. What was behind the decision to edit that out?WithAll Stars, we always give ourselves some creative leeway to reinvent it every season. And when we talked about doing an all-stars, all-winners season, we approached it wanting to celebrate these legends. So it was important the show reflected that.
Would we be wrong to expect another all-winners season ofAll Stars?You should always expect the unexpected when it comes toAll Stars. We intend to do many iterations coming forward.All Starsfor us is the opportunity to celebrate the icons, to give former contestants a chance to reinvent themselves, to create redemption opportunities. It’s always going to shift and the format will always shift.
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Previous seasons ofRuPaul’s Drag RaceandRuPaul’s Drag Race All Starsare now streaming on Paramount+, while international version of the franchise can be found onWOW Presents Plus. The current season ofRuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Raceis airing Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on VH1.
source: people.com
