Michelle Face
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Later this summer, Michelle Visage graduates from Drag racing judge to host when the longtime producer of RuPaul’s global competition takes over as host of the Down installation of the franchise.
For Visage, the multi-performer who first came to prominence as a member of girl group Seduction in the 1980s, new projects are something she increasingly seeks out. She recently returned to the West End, playing Morticia in The Addams Familyand starred on television in the Netflix series Survival of the thickest. The chatter remains her bread and butter—she and her friend Leah Remini still want to have their own talk show—but she’s trying to flex some muscles she hasn’t used in years. On the phone from her home in London a few weeks ago, Visage talked about what’s driving her choices these days, her tour with Milli Vanilli and why she says she keeps getting “no”s. Dancing with the stars.
You’re in London right now. Do you just live there now?
I’m half and half. My base is Los Angeles, but I’m here probably five to six months a year.
I’m just asking because it seems like you’ve really embraced the culture.
Oh, wait a minute. I don’t have a fake British accent.
It’s not the accent! But the vernacular and the cultural references, they’re all there.
Yeah, absolutely, but I’ve always been that girl. Maybe it’s because I was adopted, but I’m a chameleon. I want to fit in wherever I am, and I try to fit in with kids. Even as a kid, I tried to fit in with kids because it’s about assimilation. I’ve always wanted to say, “Look, I can do this. I’m cool.” I think that’s kind of what’s been with me throughout my life. Wherever I am, I try to eat local foods, soak up the vernacular, understand their perspective. Does that make sense?
Yes, but is it Drag racing offer some sort of production boot camp or something like that when you’re launching into new territories – like the UK or for Down?
Look, I’ve always been obsessed with the UK, London in particular. When I was young and I was really into punk rock, the birthplace of punk rock was England. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money, but I took a big trip with my family when I was a kid and it was to England for the summer. When I say summer, I meant two weeks.Laughs.) When we went to England and Scotland. So for me there was a connection when I was very young. The only reason I did it Celebrity Big Brother in 2015, it was because I knew from my tour here that there was a rabid and passionate fan base for RuPaul’s Drag Race. They were watching it illegally. It took years for anyone to pick it up here. Every meeting I went to, they said, “This is too niche. It won’t work here.” The big networks! Then the BBC came along and said, “We’re ready. It’s time.” That’s how it happened. I think it took me four years to get out of it. Big brother House.
Have you ever made a Celebrity Big Brother in the United States — or did you feel safer in another country?
It’s not that I felt safer. I felt more comfortable. The US is different. As soon as you walk into a house in the US, you’re in a situation where everything is set up to deceive you. In the UK, it’s not like that. You’re not plotting and planning. I wouldn’t want to do that. But I would just want to live with people and get to know them, and whatever happens, happens – that’s why I did it. So no, I definitely wouldn’t do it in the US. Dancing with the stars in the United States, but they won’t let me do it because I did it (Come and dance in a pinch) here.
Really?
They won’t let me do it! I hurt myself Strictly and I got cut week 10 or something. I’ve had knee surgery since then. I beg them every year to do it. Dancing with the starsand they don’t let me do it. They say to me: “You went too far.” I simply answer them: “But I didn’t reach the semi-final. I didn’t win!”
Ten weeks on another country’s version Dancing with the stars This seems like less of an advantage than an Olympic gymnast or pop star going in blind.
I say this all the time. I’m like, “Wait a minute. Nicole Scherzinger is a Pussycat Doll. She’s a dance troupe.” JoJo Siwa was on Dancing Moms. It’s not fair. They’re real dancers. I’m not. So yeah, I would kill to do it in the States, but they don’t want me to. I’m like, ‘Guys, please. I’m still a shitty dancer. Trust me.’
You’re saying yes to a lot of things these days: reality TV competitions, new music, TV comedy, the West End. What’s driving this ‘more is more’ attitude?
It’s never too late. Some people don’t start their careers until they’re 50, 60, 70. You know what I mean? I don’t want people reading this to think it’s too late to find the joy and passion that you have. I also started out on this planet as an artist. I have a degree in musical theater. I’m a good public speaker, so radio took over my life for 20 years. Acting has always scared me. I’ve always felt like I wasn’t good enough. My imposter syndrome stopped me, and I’m at a point in my life where I have such a passion for performing, acting, singing, and dancing that I want to do it. I want to learn how to get better at it. I want to show it to the world. I’m not using my talent, so I want to officially put myself out there and say, “I’m here. I’m going to audition for you. I’m going to work.” Let’s do it.” The same way I want to push these queens on the show, it’s the same way I want to push myself.
Are these your agents’ marching orders, like, “Playing is the priority right now?”
Yeah, I told my agents, ‘I love hosting shows, but at the same time, I want to focus more on the acting side of my life because it’s never really gotten me the attention, outside of theater, that it deserved.’ But Leah (Remini) and I really, really want to do our talk show. It’s been really hard for both of us to focus on that, but we still want to.
So any hesitation in signing up to host the Australian and New Zealand version of Drag racingHow did the conversation go?
Are you kidding? No hesitation. And what an honour! Me and some of our fabulous queens from Down Under joining me? It’s just wonderful. People are going to be thrilled with how we’re doing it and to see our beautiful, familiar faces back. The conversation was, “Ru has a number one bestseller on THE New York Times and a tour.” When he said he wanted me to do it, I said, “Sure.”
There’s a different vibe to other English versions of the format that I can’t quite place.
You know what I love most about that song? It’s a little raw. That’s the difference between Australasian queens and American queens. I say this with love and respect, but I think American queens are very concerned with aesthetics, looks and image. “She’s so fierce! Look at her.” Australasian queens are performance and heart. They lead with that. It’s not that they look bad, but they’re more about performance, integrity and heart. Our American queens are good performers, but their looks are top notch. British queens lead with the performance aspect first.
There is also a wider age spectrum among the talent, as American actors are now very young.
They seem to be getting younger and younger, don’t they? These kids were raised on RuPaul’s Drag Race. They’re the ones who grew up watching it. Isn’t that incredible? Being able to watch a show, wanting to participate in it, and finally being able to do it.
What is your current relationship with the color green? You’ve given a lot of flak to many queens who have worn it over the years.
It has taken on such disproportionate proportions! (Laughs.) Let me explain. Yellow-based greens don’t look good on me because I’m yellow. I’m Mediterranean. I look sickly, like I have jaundice. When Madame LaQueer came out in green—I think it was her—she came out in green. It wasn’t the right green for her, in my opinion. That critique turned into, “Michelle Visage hates green.” And then I accepted it, I played with it, you know? It became a habit. The truth is, I like certain greens. I like jewel-toned greens, emerald green, jade green, hunter green. I avoid anything with a yellow base. If a mustard yellow turns into green, I’m out. It looks beautiful on Ru and people with melanin in their skin. To me, that doesn’t look good. That’s where the relationship went wrong. But I don’t hate all greens. I promise you.
I recently watched this documentary about Milli Vanilli and I almost expected to see you in it, given that your band, Seduction, toured with them.
I was supposed to be in it, but every time they wanted to film, I couldn’t. The guy would say, “Well, we can do it that day, but that day, we can’t have glamour.” I’m not going to do it without glamour. Are you crazy? They tried a few times. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m still friends with Fabrice.
He has a lot to do with it, that’s obvious. I’d like to know your opinion on that.
When we toured with them, we knew they were lip-synching. We just didn’t know they weren’t recording. Everybody lip-synching. We always had live mics but we were singing live over them. We had a song that was playing underneath when we were playing. But that infamous moment with Milli Vanilli on the Club MTV Tour, that moment changed everything. Producers wouldn’t let their artists perform without vocal tracks at that time. It was very, very weird for singers to have to sing over their own vocals, but okay, because everybody did it. Janet Jackson, everybody. So we didn’t hesitate to have them lip-synching because, well, we knew.
So no idea it wasn’t their voices?
The only thing I found weird at the time was that their accents were very pronounced and you couldn’t hear them when they were singing, but that happens sometimes. It was a beautiful time in music, I can tell you. That album was fantastic. I know Fabrice is really happy now. He’s a dad and he’s found joy in what he does.