As RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 5 premiered, we got a full two episodes to enjoy our dynamic new set of queens (the season premiere was a non-elimination episode). While Alexis Saint-Pete has departed Season 5, this global superstar has plenty planned for her post-Drag Race chapter. I sat down to dish with Alexis on the drag scene in her native Poland, what she discovered about herself on Drag Race UK, and what international locale she would love to experience first hand!
Michael Cook: How do you describe your RuPaul’s Drag Race UK experience?
Alexis Saint Pete: I have had the time of my life. I have learned so much about myself, and learned by watching myself on tv. It was like “aww just grow up girl, you’ve got it all and so much to offer; stop putting yourself down”! That was it for me, not being as confident as I wish I was. If I wasn’t acting like that on screen, I wouldn’t now know that, as clear as it is. Everybody treated me so nicely backstage and the queens were incredible!
MC: What do you think your rose and thorn are of your Drag Race UK experience?
ASP: My rose was definitely the representation that I brought to the show. I was the first Polish Drag Race UK queen and bringing my culture to the runway, having RuPaul & the rest of the judges acknowledge that. I think my thorn was seeing how upset I could get, and how I wasn’t as confident as I wish that was. When I watch all the girls, I was so jealous of how confident they were. I have learned a lot about me though, I should not have been less confident, I have everything that it takes.
MC: Your journey was interesting as you were in the top in the first episode, and then you ended up being eliminated in the second episode.
ASP: Yes, I feel like have shown everything that is me. My style and where I was coming from. Sometimes I would snap really quickly, say something silly and say a joke and people would be laughing, but I was serious. It was lots of fun, but if you’re not making emotions and making people feel a certain way, what is the point?
MC: Have you gotten to perform in drag in your home country of Poland?
ASP:I am actually in Poland right now, I flew here right after my viewing party, I haven’t slept for twenty six hours! I did Good Morning Poland, and then I have rehearsals for my solo show.
MC: What is the drag scene like in Poland?
ASP: It’s definitely different, people come here with their traumas and they come with their experiences. They are creating their personas out of their experiences in life & what they went through; it’s very personal I think. Now that they have me as their new queen, I will make sure that I push it even further (laughs); it’s just lovely here. We are fighters and we never give up.
MC: How did you start on the path towards drag?
ASP: I first started as a ballet dancer when I was four years old. My whole life was dreaming of being the ‘Polish Billy Elliot’. I moved to London and was not able to grow as tall as the male dancers should have been. Obviously, the male dancers lift up the girls, they’re on point and they’re higher. That was obviously a little bit devastating for me but I never give up on my dreams; I always wanted to do something artistic. Then I became a male jazz dancer and I discovered makeup, I started putting on makeup and got in trouble for that, “You can’t put makeup on, you’re a man”; but I was rebellious and was putting on even more. Then I became a makeup artist, but didn’t like working with people. So everything you see here is based on my experiences in life.
MC: You have gotten to experience so many different drag scenes all over the globe. What is one area of the world that you have not gotten to travel to yet and do drag?
ASP: I would love to go to America. My dream is to go to New York City. It’s my wildest dream to come to the States. People say that New York City is “London on steroids” and I just want that energy. The American accent just gives me butterflies too, it’s very cool and chill.
MC: What do you want to do now with the platform that Drag Race UK has given you?
ASP: I want to take over the world. I want to do everything in my power to make sure that everyone in my community in Poland is safe and feels seen and they are getting the chances to be seen. Our politics, like everywhere else, are not the greatest and we need to make sure we vote towards the rights of people.
I’m such a workaholic as well and my brain just never switches off. The first thing that came into my brain after I “sashayed-away” was the photo shoots, how am I going to show people what I wanted to show on the stage? I was drawing the ideas and sort of crying myself to sleep. How do I create this, what’s the next steps, what is my dream?; keeping myself busy is my passion. I would love to try everything. I am not afraid of any challenges.
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