“Boris [Johnson] is always an easy target. Those jokes write themselves!” says Bianca Del Rio. “The garden party fiasco, which honestly kills me. Only a man like him would go there and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know it was a party!’ Really queen?” We’re chatting with Bianca about her new world tour, Unsanitized, which sees the beloved insult comic reflect on the horrors of COVID, modern drag and the various scandals of the country she’s in at the time.
“You know there’s going to be some Prince Andrew jokes at the show,” Bianca says of her UK material. “No one is safe. I do find it awfully convenient that the Queen got COVID after she paid 12 million… Let’s just call it, let’s just call it. There’s always a joke in something and I’m a firm believer in, ‘You have to laugh because you’re going to die anyway and you might as well die laughing.’”
Since conquering the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2014, Bianca has ruled various corners of the entertainment industry. In addition to Unsanitized, the self-described “clown in a gown” has headlined two beloved comedies, Hurricane Bianca and its sequel – with a third on the way! – published a book and made her West End debut in the critically-acclaimed musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. She also made herstory as the first drag entertainer to headline Wembley Arena (no biggie!).
Ahead of Unsanitized’s UK debut (you can buy tickets here!), Bianca caught up with GAY TIMES to discuss the hilarious new show, what’s currently missing from mainstream drag and why Madonna’s Instagram feed is “the gift that keeps on giving”. Remember: no one is safe.
Bianca Del Rio! How are you?
I’m well! I’m about to hit the road and I’ve got to sell tickets, that’s why we’re chatting!
Where are you at the moment? Are you at home in Palm Springs?
Yes, I just got home! I was in Los Angeles doing Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. We ended on Sunday and I am here at home packing to head back on the road next week to start Unsanitized, which starts in Canada, then Latin America then all over the UK and Europe. Then, we’ll be announcing Australia and Asia and Poland and Amsterdam and Tel Aviv, which takes me all the way into September. I’m planning for the long haul at the moment! I’m enjoying the sunshine at home with my dogs for a couple of days.
Congratulations on finishing the US leg of Jamie. What was it like bringing this quintessentially British show to the States and sharing this incredible experience with the cast?
It’s just amazing on every level. I’m very lucky to get these amazing opportunities, but I have to give much credit to the director Johnny B who reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, I want you to play this part!’ about three years ago. I immediately was thrown into thinking, ‘What? How? Who? What?’ I hadn’t done theatre in years! I guess drag is considered somewhat theatrical, but as far as being part of a company and being part of a show, I had a lot of questions. I was a little concerned whether I wanted to do it or not, thinking, ‘Do I want to stop my life to do a show on the West End?’ Johnny B said, ‘I refuse to take no for an answer.’ How do you say no to a show in the West End? You get this amazing chance to work with an amazing talented group of people, so I couldn’t say no! So, to be a part of it and to go back to it again has just been unbelievable. To be a part of a company that is so gifted and talented, and generous… Mr Layton Williams is one of the most generous performers you could ever work with. It was magic, and to see this group of people that, majority of them had never been to America, much less come to Los Angeles, was surreal. It was that moment of, ‘Oh my god, here they are, some of them 18/19, some of them under 30, that had never experienced America on this level.’ Then on a serious note, what’s great about the story is that it can pretty much fit anywhere. Even though it is British, the story and the message is there for all to see. I was very happy and honoured, honestly, to share it with people in America. Also, all of my cheap friends who couldn’t come to London to see it had an opportunity to finally see the show!
Let’s talk about Unsanitized, which I’m very excited about! You launched the show last year in the US, right?
Yes! As soon as we had the opportunity to get on the road we did. Things lifted in America and we hit the ground running. We had a great turnout! I had no idea what to expect coming out of the pandemic – well, we’re still in the pandemic – I was unsure of what people were interested in. Had the world forgotten about me? All of those fears like, ‘Am I ever going to work again?’ I think we were all in that same boat, but the reaction was amazing and it was nice to be back out amongst people again. Obviously, we were wearing masks and following COVID rules and protocols and all that madness. We followed and successfully got through that huge chunk of tour of America. It was great to be back on the road and find some sense of normality. Well, I’ve given up on normality in general, this is our new version of normality. We had a great time and from that we went into the musical and now I’m ready to hit the ground running again. As I said, we start in Canada next week. We go from Canada to Brazil which is gonna be… I’ve packed furs and bikinis because that’s basically what my life is going to be! I’m just ready for the long haul, I’m ready to get out there and do it. That’s been the amazing thing about my career, my journey so to speak, is getting to go out and see people. It’s the one thing I love the most, I love a live audience. I’ve been very grateful for this being my fifth world tour, it’s surreal to get back out and do it again.
You tend to adapt your material based on the country you’re in and the shit/controversies they’re dealing with…
Oh god, yes! You know there’s going to be some Prince Andrew jokes at the show. It’s one of those things where… So much happens. For instance, what was going on in the world in September of last year in America is not so relevant to what’s going to happen in May in the UK. There’s always something, whether its something newsworthy, something celebrity related, whether it’s pop culture related or something I experienced at the fucking airport hours before I get there! All of that works its way into the show, for sure. And no one is safe! Remember that. No one is safe. I do find it awfully convenient that the Queen got COVID after she paid 12 million… Let’s just call it, let’s just call it. There’s always a joke in something and I’m a firm believer in, ‘You have to laugh because you’re going to die anyway, so you might as well die laughing.’
So, we’ve got the Queen and Prince Andrew. What other UK-specific topics can we expect?
Oh, well Boris [Johnson] is always an easy target. Those jokes write themselves. The garden party fiasco, which honestly kills me. Only a man like him would go there and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know it was a party!’ Really queen? But yeah, I think no one is safe. Piers Morgan is always a hot topic because he is just a bitter queen deep down. But, it’s that type of thing where you get there and just see what’s happening. There is always something happening, no matter where you are. No one is safe and I’m hoping for some good scandals between now and then! There has to! The one thing I really won’t be talking about is Drag Race! Drag queens are falling out of trees at this point. Everywhere you go is a drag queen! So yeah, that’s not on my topic list, I must say.
You always stress the importance of having a cackle, so I wanted to ask: what makes you laugh the most?
What makes me laugh? Well, everything! I’m one of those people where meeting somebody at a restaurant or going to Starbucks, there’s always a joke there. The trick to it is just finding the humour in everything. It’s not necessarily one specific thing, or one specific person. If I really want to laugh I just look at myself in the mirror. Or I sit back and think, ‘Oh god, this is my life. How hysterical this is what I do for a living?!’ It just comes from a place of not taking yourself seriously, it makes your life a little easier. I try to find the humour in everything that happens because if not, I’d be a miserable son of a bitch, let’s be real here. I’m trying to think lately… What’s made me laugh that has really gotten me to a place where I thought it was so funny? I’m trying to think what has made me cackle… Madonna’s Instagram is the gift that keeps on giving. That alone… If you really want to chuckle, have a look at that. That’s the downfall of Madonna, the worst thing she could’ve possibly have done is live – and she’s lived. Everybody else has died; George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston. Madonna is still with us and that is her problem.
I want to talk to you about Hurricane Bianca. I loved the first two and I read a while back the third film will be set in Africa? Obviously COVID has delayed everything, but what is its status at the moment?
CCOVID has delayed a lot. Basically that was the original script that, once again, was written pre-pandemic. At this point I haven’t gotten the new script, but I think a lot has shifted and changed. A lot of people got creative during COVID. It was one of those moments where you have time to rewrite an entire movie. My friend, Matt Kugleman, who directs and writes them, has been working on it and I asked not to be in the loop until I know specifically when we’re ready to do it. We’re hoping to start shooting later this year after the tour because it’s usually all about timing anyway, so we’re hoping to make it happen by the end of the year. Fingers crossed! I don’t know where we stand with the script, so if I say something it could be completely wrong! To be honest, I usually don’t read the script until we’re on set. It changes so madly, and if I get something in my head then I’m fucked. I usually wait until the last minute to learn it or to find out what happens, which is why I end up in some really precarious situations because I didn’t read this shit in advance! But typical me, when I say yes, I just do it anyway. I usually find out on set if I’m sitting on a pond with duck shit or if I’m kissing Katya, which was a tragic event.
Will Hurricane Bianca 3 be the concluding chapter?
I believe the third is our final. According to the last we spoke, it will be the final one, yes. I think we’ve exhausted all measures at that point!
Thanks to RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag has never been so visible; whether that’s on telly, in music, podcasts, films and so forth. But, what would you say is currently missing in mainstream media? What part of drag is not being represented?
Well, I guess I would say what’s missing is talent! I mean that objectively. I can say this because I can give you a list of people who are brilliantly talented that should be out there. I can also give you a list of people who are completely fucking useless. I think it’s sad. Not because of what has happened. Obviously drag and its exposure is amazing, but I think the downfall is there are some really brilliant people that a lot of people don’t know about that I wish had the opportunities or were showcased in the proper ways. But, that’s where live performance comes in and a lot of influential drag performers that came before me are still working. If you get the chance to go see some of the old girls, Sherry Vine, Jackie Beat, Coco Peru, Lady Bunny, it’s important to go and witness because they truly are the best of the best, and there’s a reason why they’ve been working since the 90s. They are truly brilliant performers and I think that is what’s missing – the respect and accolades they deserve. These are people that write, direct, sing, act and do it all on their own. It’s true talent and each one that I name is completely different from the other, which is what I thoroughly enjoy. I think that is missing from the drag scene, is to see the talent rather than dismiss it just because someone is older or someone hasn’t been around or someone hasn’t been on Drag Race. Obviously, Drag Race is a great platform, but do your research and appreciate these people while they’re still around. We don’t know how much longer we’re going to have Bunny, let’s be real! She is on death’s door!
She died on All Stars 4. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Well, exactly! She’s already dead! It would explain her smell. She’s dead inside already, for sure. If she’s not, it’s a gerbil in her ass. But yes, that’s the game there, I say go and witness them and see them. That is what is missing from the drag scene – talent and culture and respect for your elders! I don’t think you should respect them just because they’re old, I think you should go and enjoy it and respect them because they’re brilliant.
Unsanitized runs from 6 May to 30 May in the UK. You can buy tickets here.
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