In this episode of Drag Me, writer and comedian Bowen Yang gets his first "real deal" drag makeover from the ever-talented Jan Sport, best known from her iconic appearance on season 12 of 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' The two discuss their careers, what it was like for Bowen working alongside Ariana Grande in 'Wicked,' and so much more.
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00:00Ari had gotten a deck of queer tarot cards and she was basically doing a three-card pull
00:08She was giving us tarot readings. She was like very in her element. I was like you should you should do this
00:14Oh my god, are these flip sequins? Yeah, baby. Oh my god. This is what I wore. I love to flip.
00:21Well, that's what they found out in P-Town
00:24Girl, are you excited? We're gonna get you in the gig. We're gonna get and we're not gonna get me in the gig
00:30We're gonna get me in the Jantasy. This is like
00:32What feels like a full-fledged sort of entry into drag. I've done it before and like a dilettante way
00:38But this is the real deal. I'm really excited. You're gonna be gorgeous. By the way, do you know that?
00:43I know that for a fact
00:44I hope I get to the Jantasy level where I can host an audience Q&A after I
00:51Perform the house down boots much like Jan does at her shows. It's a lot of cardio folks. All right
00:56Well, let's get Volney and do it. My vision today is to transform Bowen into the full Jantasy
01:03So if you couldn't tell we're giving purple and Bowen's gonna have some purple the brows already snatched up
01:10We're gonna just carve it out a little. Thank you Carol
01:15So we're just gonna really go for it right now with some yankery some crease
01:20Some glitter and the signature Jan highlight. Yes
01:24Let's go. Oh, do you want to put this on like her go for it? Yeah, great. You're learning
01:29We're learning you on the job. So following what was your first experience with DRAG drag?
01:34I missed the boat on like to Wong Fu as a kid. I missed so many boats
01:39I think it was ruined the Brady Bunch like it was like going to school
01:45Being like, oh my god. I just rented this movie from the library. I know that it's so funny
01:49They were like, oh my god, did you know that Jan's?
01:52guidance counselor is RuPaul and that's a man dressed as a woman and it was
01:57Totally earth-shattering to me in the best way where I was like, she was my favorite part of the movie
02:01She gags me down. Yeah, and then Brady Bunch 2. No Rue is so kookarot. She's a really funny doll
02:09I was really trying to throw her some of the Jan Brady. Yeah all-star
02:12So I was like, maybe I just have to get to know her a little bit more
02:16Really work for me, you know, like I remember meeting Lorne Michaels for the first time
02:19The first thing out of my mouth was I grew up in Canada, too. You know, it was just so
02:23Sweaty and desperate and so I think that's a lesson. I'm not saying you were like
02:28pandering to you know, I screamed at her. I love the Brady Bunch!
02:33I grew up in the Catholic school system
02:36Love that and I know you had a very conservative upbringing as well. Yes. What was your first impression of drag like seeing Rue?
02:44Giving miss mama. Miss mama. Miss guidance counselor down. Yeah, seeing Rue was really
02:51Incredible and then I like found out about who she was
02:53I even like had a couple moments where I would like go to my mom's closet and try on stuff and it just like
02:59Internally, it felt good and it felt thrilling it kind of felt
03:03Equilibrating. Yeah, I do get that. I remember when I
03:07Found out what drag was and it was like it was RuPaul too. Yeah, and I was like bitch. I'm going to my mom's closet
03:12I'm getting these shoes and they kind of lived for it. Yeah, I was like
03:16Diva, I don't know about this. You like it felt it felt a little naughty. It felt a little forbidden. It did but like
03:25Is there anything that you're intimidated about while I'm beating your face with an egg, yeah
03:30I was just around friends and they were like
03:34shooting out all their
03:35theoretical drag names and they're like oh and what's yours and I was like
03:38I literally don't have one because I have too much reverence for the form to ever like
03:46Hypothetically insert myself in it and be like this is what my name would be
03:49This is like I get that I don't even mean like I like I've loved it for so long from afar
03:54And I think that's the perfectly calibrated distance
03:56So what scares me what intimidates me is just like making that a reality being a real mom
04:01Are we gonna come up with it with a name?
04:02We're gonna have to come up with a name for sure. So today but what better day to do it?
04:07Whatever we pick today, it's gonna be sickening. That's gonna be and honestly like my first drag name was Kiki Tzatziki. I'm not Greek. I
04:14Just love Tzatziki. Wicked. Yes wicked
04:18What are you excited?
04:20Obviously, I'm so excited to
04:23Follow up. Do you think that it's like extremely queer coded not at all?
04:28No, just kidding. Of course it is if that ain't queer mama
04:30I don't know what is isn't that the reason why it is such a
04:36Musical
04:37Institution, why do all the gays love it because I play the villain in this
04:43I don't like being a bully. So I know my girl's gonna be acting down
04:49I'm like the biggest
04:51Baguette in Oz and yet I'm the one who's bullying this beautiful gorgeous woman played by Cynthia Erivo
04:57And so they're literally like no the gays rule here. The gays are the oppressors. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so
05:03Which I mean, hey like and that's really wonderful
05:08like I
05:09Love that we can live in a world where queers can be the bullies and obviously love Miss Grande
05:15Yeah, what was it like working with them with Ari and Cynthia? They were
05:20two
05:22Binary stars. It was like, you know how like there are some star systems
05:27You know how there are star systems
05:29There were no egos on set because it's like no one's bigger than Oz. No one's bigger than this story
05:35You know, it's fine. No one's bigger than no one's bigger than
05:39Period and so everyone was just having a good old gay time
05:42Exactly, but meanwhile, I like Cynthia and Ari we're both going through like they're very specific journeys with these characters
05:49What's your first memory of wicked hearing about a drama club in high school say that?
05:53Yeah, and then going to the library
05:56My parents didn't let me buy CDs growing up
05:58Okay
05:58And so I went to the library and took out the original Broadway cast recording
06:02Whoa, I was flipping through the booklet and it was like a Dina
06:06it was
06:07Christian and it was Kristen doing popular. I was like this looks like the most incredible thing
06:13Hey ever this summer after that year in high school. It was my first time setting foot in New York
06:18All I wanted to do was go see wicked see the girls see the girls
06:21We couldn't afford the tickets
06:23But then I begged my parents to go to the Gershwin Theater so I could press my face up against the glass
06:29Just so I could like touch it. That's how like obsessed I was with it
06:33and then that same day we went to 30 rock and
06:36did the NBC studio tour and sat in the seats at SNL and I remember sitting in the seats at SNL being like
06:41This isn't as cool as
06:47What are
06:50Similarities and differences between Bowen and Fanny
06:53What like drew you to the role? Fanny is the British word for pussy
06:56And so all of these PAs on set would be like, okay
06:59can we call Fanny to set and they would just hold back their laughter because imagine a
07:04Huge musical shooting in America and some gay guy was playing a character named pussy. All right, let's bring pussy to the stage
07:10Let's bring pussy to the stage
07:12Tonight we are
07:15Fanny is okay. So Fanny was
07:17Always was usually played by a woman. He is gender-flipped in the movie
07:22He's one of Galinda's friends from childhood who then Oh
07:26Diva down and so then and then and then diva up
07:29These are not like the lackeys or the sidekicks or like the best friends
07:34These are like the publicists like they see Galinda and they're like she's our project
07:39We can turn her into something and like Fanny and Shenton are the kind of the ones who like
07:44Implant all of these bad ideas into Galinda's head like let's bully Elphaba. Let's give her the hat. Galinda thinks she's like
07:51Using them, but it's really like Fanny and Shenton kind of having Galinda at their disposal to like do their dirty work
07:57We've had people in our lives kind of like push us to those places
08:00Say that especially at school. Yes
08:05Well, I was like class president and yeah in grade school
08:10Yeah, so that was like a little my tea, but then I went to all-boys Catholic school, right? I've seen the pictures
08:15I've seen the pictures from school diva. That's something that like you feel like was like
08:19Thrust upon you to quote the show
08:23Yes, I do what was your favorite moment on set Ari had gotten a deck of queer tarot cards and
08:32She was basically doing a three-card poll. She was giving us tarot readings
08:37She was like very in her element. I was like you should you should do this
08:41You're gonna like pivot pivot
08:43Like if you if you hate singing like if you all of a sudden are so bad at it
08:47Can you imagine imagine imagine Ariana Grande being bad at singing imagine a world like that?
08:55Imagine a world like that
08:57Underrated Ariana Grande song. Oh, yeah your career. Uh-huh. Mama. What was my career bottom?
09:04My career is a bottom for years apart. I am a career bottom
09:07What has been like a challenging moment for you, but then also what?
09:12Like what is your highlight?
09:13SNL is like the most rewarding thing that I've ever done and it probably will be and yet it is also
09:19The most challenging thing because totally just by just because of the nature of it
09:26Like start with the persona like and then maybe we can lead oh, that's in the name
09:31So like who do you want to be? I think she's a barker. I think you think she's a P-Town barker
09:36I think she's oh, I think she's a pieces barker. I think she's standing outside pieces being like we've got busted
09:41It's Wednesday bust. It's here. Like come on in, you know
09:44I've got a booming voice and I think I can I think I can get the people in so you're loud
09:49I'm trying to do a splits routine a stretch splits routine and I've done it for about a year and a half no progress
09:56What am I doing wrong? So you're a barker?
10:00Three names at Mochila Mochila Spanish for backpack Mochila
10:07East pack East pack or or
10:11after which is
10:14One of those genius things anyone's ever said. Thank you. Yeah Wow bag after a sport
10:20Back after
10:28We keep saying diva down I keep saying that you are telling me to say up I'm learning something
10:34Yeah, teacher teach myself teacher teach myself, baby
10:37We have this coat rack here with so many different options and fashions as an actor does move about the space
10:43He would really see what feels good to you. I mean look this is gorgeous
10:48This is giving mob wife pretty this is Sparkle and shimmer. Oh, this is
10:55This is giving fun
10:583435
11:00We've got a little marijuana leaves on this girl
11:05Golden girls if they were high like a like pussy hot pants. What do you call it?
11:09But I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that actually
11:12Now
11:15Who made this now who made this I want to have a word with them. Yeah, Vivian West Vivian Westwood
11:21You this is really funny. Actually, this matches completely what I'm wearing crazy. That works on you
11:28I can tell giving Ivan ooze from Power Rangers movie
11:32It's giving you know what? I mean, you're gonna love that one. I
11:38Think that this looks really good on you. Okay, I'm gonna tell them that you have seven pieces in the back
11:42And they'll hang that thing up and then just let us know when you're ready and done and if we can take anything from you
11:47I'll be absconding with all of these have fun doll. Bye
11:55I've never felt like this
12:02This is crazy
12:04I
12:12Feel like I'm at the damn opera look at this mama. This is Matt down. This is no
12:18Yeah, what am I saying the opera? I met the Met down the Met down the Metropolitan Opera the Metropolitan Gala
12:25the Metropolitan
12:26Transit Authority a little like you have it you have it and you're meant to be my child. I'm your actual child. Yeah
12:35I
12:37There is something transcendent about like
12:40being in this
12:43In all of this gender is a fucking construct look and this is a beautiful building
12:49And you're like like even just looking at you you're like feeling it
12:54It literally is building from the ground up and I was beneath the dirt and look at this
13:01She has risen. She's defying gravity. She's
13:04Would you do it again? I want to say of course, but also like I don't think it'll ever beat this
13:12Thanks for dragging me Jan
13:14mochi dash la
13:16You've literally always come to our shows like for years and years and years
13:21I've no area and like I'm so happy that you're like you understand like what it is now like yeah
13:26Just embodying it. You're the perfect candidate for this the Jan to see is
13:31one of the most incredible things I've ever
13:35Period no, I'm not you. Oh my god. I love you Jan. This is perfect
13:44We got to get Ricky Martin up in this game, yeah get hit get his duck with her