Drag Race star says Lady Gaga ‘fought’ to stop drag queens being cut from A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga, who played Ally in A Star Is Born, fought to keep drag stars in film. (Warner Bros. Pictures/Getty)
Lady Gaga, who played Ally in A Star Is Born, fought to keep drag stars in film. (Warner Bros. Pictures/Getty)
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Willam has claimed that her scenes in 2018’s A Star Is Born were cut, before leading lady, Lady Gaga, stepped in.
The eight-times Oscar-nominated movie, which was a remake of the 1937 and 1976 films of the same name, starred “Abracadabra” singer Lady Gaga as singer-songwriter Ally.
In early scenes in the film, Ally is working as a performer at a drag bar, where she is first watched by the film’s leading man Jackson (Bradley Cooper).
In the scenes, Ally interacts with the bar’s drag performers, played by Drag Race alumni Willam and Shangela.
Yet according to Willam, the scenes featuring drag performers were due to be cut, until major gay icon Gaga “fought” to have the queens kept in.
Speaking to Daily Mail about her career, Willam recalled: “[In] A Star Is Born, we all got cast, and then we did the hair and make-up test, and then we got cut.
“I was at Tom Daley’s wedding [to Dustin Lance Black] and between the rehearsal dinner and the ceremony, I get a text saying ‘Terrible, terrible news, all your scenes have been cut’.”
Willam recalled the difficulty of trying to enjoy Daley and Black’s wedding after learning that she wouldn’t be in the film, having already told her loved ones about the role.
“A week later, they called and checked my [availability] and they said ‘OK, it’s back in, because Lady Gaga fought for our inclusion of the drag queens in the movie’.
“Thanks Gaga, we love you,” Willam added.
Mother Monster’s fans are raving about her show of true LGBTQ+ allyship.
“Gaga could have stayed silent and it wouldn’t be taken against her and could have blamed the producers, but she didn’t. She fought behind the scenes. That’s a true gay icon there,” one wrote.
“Love hearing about Gaga fighting for the drag queens to stay in the movie. That’s an ally,” another added.
Lady Gaga has been a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ+ community since the beginning of her career. Back in 2009, she refused to deny rumours that she had a penis.
“Why the hell am I gonna waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a penis? My fans don’t care and neither do I,” she told Anderson Cooper in an interview.
She went on to release “Born This Way” in 2011, which became the first song to mention transgender people to top the US Billboard chart.
Earlier this year, she repeatedly voiced her support for the trans community, including while on stage at the Grammy Awards with Bruno Mars, where they accepted the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance accolade for “Die With A Smile”.
“I just want to say tonight that trans people are not invisible,” she told the audience.
“Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you.”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
