Stop! That! Train! might just be the most star-studded film of the year.
Directed by Adam Shankman — the man who brought us Hairspray, Step Up and A Walk To Remember — and produced by the team behind RuPaul’s Drag Race, this campy disaster flick sees Drag Race legends Ginger Minj (Tess) and Jujubee (DeeDee) lead an iconic cast of celebrity cameos.
This includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lisa Rinna, Nicole Richie, Raven-Symoné, Chris Parnell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Joel McHale, Matt Rogers and, of course, RuPaul as President Judy Gagwell, who must help Tess and DeeDee stop a disaster happening on a train.
Ginger Minj & Jujubee reveal what it was like working with RuPaul
While Ginger and Jujubee have collectively appeared on 17 seasons of Drag Race-related shows — in addition to roles in RuPaul’s Netflix series AJ and the Queen — the duo admitted to PEDESTRIAN.TV that it never gets less nerve-wracking filming a scene with the icon.
“Let me tell you this: RuPaul has an energy that is magnetic. She is somebody that even if you haven’t seen her in the same room, you feel her,” Jujubee gushed.
“So for me, it doesn’t matter that I’m co-starring with her; she will always be mother to me, and she will always be RuPaul, and I will always be really nervous around her.”
Ginger, who landed her role in Stop! That! Train! without an audition and previously co-starred alongside RuPaul in The B***h Who Stole Christmas, agreed that it still feels “daunting” being around the Emmy Award-winning host.
“I have worked with her outside of Drag Race a few times, but it never gets less daunting because you always want to please her,” she said.
“She’s given us so much, and we’ve looked up to her for so long that it’s like, I just want to do a good job because I want you to be proud of me — and she is. That’s the thing, she genuinely is so proud of all of the girls that have come to the show.”
@stopthattrainmovie It’s giving chugga chugga, choo choo, screech, crash, DISASTER! And Sarah Michelle Gellar. STOP! THAT! TRAIN! struts into theaters June 12. #StopThatTrain
♬ original sound – Stop! That! Train!
Celebrating queer joy on screen
Stop! That! Train! finally arrives in Australian cinemas this week following a June release in the US, where it has been widely praised for its ridiculous humour and celebration of drag culture.
The film, which has been compared to ‘80s disaster comedies Airplane! and The Naked Gun, has also been applauded for depicting queer joy during a difficult time for the LGBTQIA+ community.
“To share queer joy and queerness in something like this on the big screen and now all over the world, it’s something that we’ve got to be proud of,” Jujubee remarked.
Meanwhile, Ginger compares the film to The Brady Bunch Movie, which also starred RuPaul and not only helped bring drag into mainstream culture in the ‘90s, but helped her realise as a young queer kid that she could pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
“For us to be able to be that for this next generation is really special, and I’m really happy to be a part of it,” she said.
Stop! That! Train! is in cinemas across Australia now.
The post From Drag Race To The Big Screen: Ginger Minj & Jujubee On Stop! That! Train! & RuPaul appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
