Eva Le Queen is the latest alumni from Drag Race Philippines to have the world fall in love with her, this time on the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars. While Le Queen has departed the competition, it was not before delivering smoldering runway looks and stunning talent on the runway, along with gaining some brand new Drag Race sisters along the way. I caught up with Eva Le Queen to catch up on her Global All Stars experience, the challenges throughout the competition, and what we can expect to see from her next!
Michael Cook: What was your RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars experience like?
Eva Le Queen: I think that it is life changing, I said that in the trailer, but Global All Stars has shaken my world in ways that I’ve never imagined possible. I mean this not just as an artist, but as a human being. There are so many possibilities, there are so many things that I can feel. It is different when you are a big fish in a small pond and then suddenly, you are in a huge pool. It really shakes you up and makes you want to stick to your gut and trust yourself to make it; it’s really life changing for me.
MC: The reading challenge on Global All Stars was a bit different for sure. Is the art of reading something that is part of the American culture of drag exclusively or is it something that is becoming more commonplace in other cultures?
ELQ: My season bombed the reading challenge I think (laughs)! People were laughing at my read, but people from the Philippines in general are probably good natured, we don’t do reads. Reading really involves some sort of tact and to make it funny, but insult at the same time. I would say that I am not very crafty when it comes to reading, I would say that I am just gonna insult you right off the bat (laughs)! In the Philippines at least, the queens that I know they aren’t that shady. My sisters here, we don’t do that, we do something else with each other as a pastime. Reading is fundamental, but its not always something we do.
MC: The acting challenge was different because it was not just teams with people you were not overly familiar with yet, but it was in front of RuPaul. Do you think that put a different spin on it for you?
ELQ: I would definitely say so. I have had a little bit of reading experience and it is a matter of how you get into the character. I think being able to understand the character in a way that translates to an entirely different culture than yours, which practically was Mama Ru’s and Michelle Visage’s more Western understanding of a character, it might also affect some challenges. Things that might be funny to me might not be funny to them. By the end of the day, in the acting challenge, they are not looking for the next Anne Hathaway or the next Meryl Streep; they are looking for the person who will make Mama Ru laugh the most. If you can’t find the tickle bone and you don’t have it in your skill set, then I think that those are the cards that you have been dealt with.
…in the acting challenge, they are not looking for the next Anne Hathaway or the next Meryl Streep; they are looking for the person who will make Mama Ru laugh the most.
Eva Le Queen
MC: A consistent through line with this Global All Stars cast is that each and every one of you are an absolute force of nature. After seeing your full cast assembled, who were you the most excited to get to work with?
ELQ: For me, I would say Miranda Lebrão. right off the bat. When we saw each other backstage and I first saw her, I walked up to her and asked her what her shoe slze was because I wanted to borrow them! Her drag is just so mesmerizing, the colors, how she plays with her silhouettes and how crazy her mind is. Her and Pythia honestly, I am really enamored and I have huge respect for what they do. Everyone is really good, but what really captivated me is artists that really do what they do from the heart. I feel like that is what I saw when I met Miranda and Pythia.
MC: The group seemed to be extremely tight, then in Untucked when Nehellenia became somewhat annoyed, there seemed to be a bit of a pivot. Is that the moment that you think people truly realized that this was a competition?
ELQ: Honestly, when we filmed it I I literally tried to forget everything about it so I wouldn’t talk about it. When I saw the episode, I tried to remember “What happened here, what was this again”? In that moment, I remembered, Nelly is such a sweetheart, Nelly is a crybaby but I am too. Backstage I had to comfort her when we did sewing challenges because she had been crying a lot because she didn’t have any sleep. I felt something because I knew that I supported Nelly and after many moments, I considered her one of my closest friends.
When she had that moment in Untucked and she talked about “All” I was like “All-are you sure? We just had these moments, I was just cuddling you and you’ll say ‘All”? At the same time, Miranda was at the crossroads of her life at that time, so I had to tend to my bestie at that time. I didn’t walk out, but I reached out to Miranda to help her and see what she needed and assist her like a sister. She needed my help more than Nelly at that time.
MC: During UK vs The World and now Global All Stars seasons, we are seeing queens like Pangina Heals, Marina Summers,and yourself truly shining brightly. Additionally, Pattaya Hart just was 1st Runner Up for Miss Continental! Asian excellence truly continues and it’s a wonderful thing! How does that feel for you to see?
ELQ: It’s funny a few days ago I was with Pangina and Marina and we were having that conversation about Asian drag excellence. I had met some of the best Thai queens and I realized that it had been a long time coming! There has always been excellence because we are able to create drag from very limited resources and do it with so much heart and passion; that is what makes our drag really beautiful. There are many forms of drag, there is drag for performance and drag for entertainment, but even here in the Philippines we always say that people from the Philippines do drag from the heart. Even if it has been a long time coming, we have been trying to tell you that we have alywas been here.
I think that it also needed to happen in a time that people knew about Asian drag excellence; 2024 is the year of Asian drag exc3llence; Nymphia (Wind), Plastique (Tiara), Pangina, Marina, myself, and its a very proud moment. It may have taken us a bit long, but I think that what it did that people may not notice is that it has changed the landscape of drag here in the Philippines. Baby queens here, really young queens, maybe three months, are already tv ready. Now that Asian drag excellence is known all over the world, I think that we are ready for more tourists to come over and enjoy drag right here, We have amazing queens and we have amazing shows to give all of you!
MC: What lesson did you take from your Global All Stars experience?
ELQ: This is something really personal, but I think it is really what I am feeling right now. It really takes a lot of courage to bet on yourself. Sometimes you have a dream and the dream could be so impossible and audacious but you have to trust yourself that the output does not diminish the greatness that you have within you. If you have it, you really have it. Regardless of wherever it takes you. You as a person, are giving your best, you do your best not because you want to win, you give your best because that is the kind of person that you are; and you have to take pride in that. That is what I really learned. That is why I said that it is like changing for me, I already thought that I was a well rounded queen until I felt like started over again. Now I will not see myself the same way again, I will have much more respect; because I know that I have been through a lot.
MC: What ’s next for Eva LeQueen? Can we possibly expect to see you in the states?
ELQ: I think that is what I have been planning right now. Even before Drag Race Philippines, I was trying to apply what I learned as a businessman to professionalize and take care of my sisters and the kids here. To elevate the drag scene here and make it more professional. I think even after Global All Stars, I think it is time to take care of myself. I would want to tour, and I would want to see and experience drag from the other side of the world. I want to experience the drag that I heard from my sisters at Global and experience it myself. Get to know people and get to discover more about myself and be out there. I want to fall in love with drag in different parts of the world!
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