Vanessa Williams on working with ‘wonderful’ friend Elton John for The Devil Wears Prada musical

Ugly Betty actress and staunch LGBTQ+ ally Vanessa Williams has reflected on loving and working with her friend, singing superstar Elton John.

Speaking exclusively to PinkNews at the BFI London Film Festival premiere of the new documentary film Elton John: Never Too Late on Thursday (10 October), fellow music star Williams described the gay legend as a wonderful human being.

“I’ve known Elton before he announced he was queer,” she said. “I think it was in seventh grade, walking down the hallway and that was [when] he had just gotten married, then he came out shortly after.”

Elton wed German-born sound engineer Renate Blauel in 1984, with the marriage lasting three years. At the time, it was known that he was bisexual, but in 1992, revealed that he was “quite comfortable” as a gay man.

Williams has been a vocal supporter of the queer community throughout her career, recently speaking up against anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the US and sharing her experience of losing friends during the Aids pandemic.

“I’ve followed Elton my entire life,” she said. “So, it’s nice knowing him as the icon, but even better knowing him as a wonderful human being and being able to work with him.”

Elton has written an original score for the West End production of The Devil Wears Prada. Williams, known for playing power-hungry magazine boss Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty, will play power-hungry magazine boss Miranda Priestly – the role taken by Meryl Streep in the 2006 film – in the new musical.

“It’s been fantastic,” Williams said of working with Elton on the show. “I mean, my dream was to create a role on the West End, and this is the joy of getting a chance to create a character, have input about what you feel the character needs at this point, musically and in terms of the script.

“It’s been a fantastic collaboration on all levels. You will see all the catchphrases and speeches that you want, but you will also see an energy unlike the film, because it’s theatre. It’s live, it’s dancing, it’s fashion. It’s amplified. You’ll have a wonderful time.”

The Devil Wears Prada opens at the Dominion Theatre, in London, on 24 October.

Elton John: Never Too Late, directed by Elton’s husband David Furnish and Emmy-Award-winner R J Cutler, traces the early years of his career, largely focusing on the period between 1970 and 1975. 

The film also explores his coming out, his struggles with addiction, plus his poor mental health at the height of his fame. It culminates in his final North American concert, at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, in 2022.

Elton John: Never Too Late premieres on Disney+ on 13 December.

BFI London Film Festival is happening across London until 20 October.

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