Rarely does a queen get a critique from RuPaul as pure as the one Actavia got on the main stage this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, but for this Welsh-born wild child, it is the highlight of a truly phenomenal experience. After being part of a sensation lip sync that will certainly go down in Drag Race herstory, I got to sit down and talk with Actavia for a post elimination conversation. Whether chatting about her post Drag Race plans or the ways she managed to stay out of her head throughout the competition, Actavia herself is ready for her next chapter.
Michael Cook: Right off the bat, your moment where RuPaul cheekily complimented your eyebrows was truly one for the ages. What was that interaction like?
Actavia: Any walk through or anytime you’re speaking to RuPaul is honestly quite petrifying. It’s RuPaul, it’s their show, they’re the one you need to impress. Funny enough, when he did that I was like “Yes, please read me” it put me immediately at ease. I mean, who would not want to be read by RuPaul in that funny/joking sort of way? And also, watching the episodes back-she had a point. Girl, my eyebrows…I mean to be fair I put them on early in the morning all the time, they were like up here some days; it’s like “Girl, calm down” (laughs)!
MC: Condragulations on a stunning season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Being considered one of the most charming casts in Drag Race herstory must truly be high praise, especially when some of it is coming from RuPaul herself!
A: Honestly it’s so crazy, Drag Race is something that I have wanted for such a long time. I am such a fan of the show and anything to do with drag or Drag Race I have been such a fan of; so to be on Drag Race is such a dream come true already. Specifically this cast though, the caliber of talent and the caliber of drag is insane. To be able to be a part of that in this season, I am so grateful for that. I could not have asked to be a part of a better cast of a better season.
MC: in the stratosphere of Drag Race franchises, I think we would be hard pressed to find another lip sync showcasing battling Princess Diana’s and the Rocky Horror Picture Show anthem “Time Warp”! Talk about legendary!…
A: Honestly, it was so crazy. “The Time Warp” isn’t necessarily something that is in my repertoire, but doing it against Lill, I mean I have been a fan of Lill’s for years! It was just so crazy and then doing a lip sync to “Time Warp” alone is camp, but doing it as Princess Diana when Lill looks beautiful and I look like some sort of…dog, in that horrible wig…you can only get that on Drag Race. Honestly, I was so happy I was a part of that moment!
MC: What do you think your rose and thorn are of your Drag Race UK experience?
A: I would say that a high for me would be my interaction with Ru ,I would say that is definitely a high. The whole Michael Jackson thing, the acting challenge, that is kind of how that started. I think the lows for me would be the Graham Norton chat show. Not only because I was in the bottom, but I think that is also when my head went into self-sabotage. I remember being in that mode and being like “Okay, this is happening, stop it”. By the time we got to Snatch Game, even though it’s terrifying, I was back into the mode of “All right, stop, let go, have fun, do what you need to do”.
MC: So many people speak about getting in their own head on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but rarely do people detail how they go out of it. How did you manage to get yourself out of your own head and focused back on the competition?
A: I think it’s because I used to never be able to get myself out of it, it was terrible. I think after working so much on myself and learning so much about myself and doing different things and speaking to different people within my support system, I gave myself some grace and was just nicer to myself. There was a moment where, because I was getting into my head, that I just said to myself “You’re on Drag Race; stop it”.
The main worry that had going into the season was exactly that happening. So I just gave myself a good shouting down in the hotel room looking in the mirror like “Stop-enjoy”. Because I would have been more angry with myself had I been sent home because of the fact that I got in my own head, as opposed to not doing well in the challenge. If I had been the one that sent myself home, I would have been fuming and I would have watched the season back like “That was so stupid”!
MC:Now that you have the platform that is RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, who do you want to do with this platform?
A: Honestly, anything. I would love to perform day in and day out, it’s my bread and butter is what I am good at, and it is what my soul loves. Anything where I can perform, throw my body around stages all around the world, I would love to do that. Honestly, I am putting my foot down I either want a Pop Noodle ad or I want a yogurt ad. Adverts, music, I just want to do everything, why not?
MC: “Actavia for Activia” is truly an advertising marriage made in heaven
A: Honestly let’s do it!
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