What We Can Learn From RuPaul

RuPaul Charles—dance club hitmaker, television judge, and drag queen pioneer—is perhaps the ultimate creative entrepreneur. He has taken a subversive art form, one historically relegated to the queer-dominated underground ballroom scene, introduced it to the masses and transformed it into a billion-dollar industry. 

There’s no doubt that a whole lot of factors have contributed to RuPaul’s success: lots of chutzpah, some luck, and a bit of underground oil in Wyoming to frack from. But artistically speaking, his success can be attributed to a single mantra: Show us you who really are.

On the second episode of season fourteen of RuPaul’s Drag Race—yes, season fourteen!—one of the drag queen contestants just finished a performance and was waiting sheepishly for the Doyenne of Drag herself to issue one of her blistering critiques. 

“I just didn’t see you,” RuPaul said, with his characteristic dryness, after a few long seconds of reflection. Brutal. The feedback was especially tough to swallow considering how straightforward the assignment was: The contestants were expected to perform in a simple talent show, effectively designed by the producers to allow the young queens to strut out their strongest stuff and put their best foot forward. Talk about a missed opportunity. 

But RuPaul’s criticism to “be yourself” is far more complicated than it first appears, highlighting one of the key paradoxes of doing drag—and of the performing arts in general: The need to transform in front of an audience while still remaining true to your innate qualities. Easier said than done.

Many early-career actors, like the young queen who failed to impress Mama Ru on episode two, tend to over-index on the transformative part of their craft, choosing to shape-shift into character and flaunt their chameleon skills while hoping their inner-selves will somehow shine through.

What RuPaul knows so well—and what we can learn from him—is that approach needs to be reversed: Show the real you first, and then introduce us to your range, your span, your wide spectrum of characterization.

This isn’t just woo-woo acting school philosophy—there’s some practical truth to this advice: It’s important for casting directors, producers, directors, and your fan base to clearly understand who you are and what makes you uniquely talented in a crowded marketplace. Only after you unveil your artistic core can you be better appreciated for breaking out of the box. In fact, one of the delights of great acting is executing the contrast between your character and your core—between your persona and your person.

This doesn’t mean that your act has to stay the same forever. But you have a better chance of getting your foot in the door when you showcase a clear and focused sense of who you are as an actor. 

Now if your entire schtick is about your range, your ability to do a hundred impersonations, your ability to become someone new on command, then figure out how to message that. And that doesn’t mean cobbling together a bunch of skills on your resume and calling yourself a multi-hyphenate. How can you truly distill the fact that you may be a classically trained Shakespeare interpreter who plays trumpet, sings in a silvery baritenor, taps, and can riff on thirty-plus accents? Does that totally eclectic cornucopia of talents become your thing, and if so, what are the ways you distill that into a single story? Here are some examples:

• The special skills sections of your resume, a handy place to list all of your eclectic skills without drawing attention away from your primary professional narrative.

• An entire rung of a content strategy that focuses exclusively on your diverse skills. Use this space to post consistent, imaginative, and surprising posts on social media that specifically call attention to your range. 

• Self-produced work that allows you to show these talents off in a purposeful, effective way. You might, for example, compile three different original one acts, a short about a master of disguise hidden by a multitude of talents, a podcast histories famous multi-hyphenates and lessons from their careers

• A concise list that provides your team with a clear understanding of your capabilities, so they can message those skills to casting directors and keep their eyes out for those Lin Manuel-Martin Short-Nick Blaemire-esque opportunities.

If Mama Ru knows anything, she knows branding. And branding is all about good storytelling. That’s exactly what we’re looking for in actors, the ability to distill their many strengths, passions, and skills into a clear and gem-like narrative that makes it easy and natural for us to get to know you. To put an even finer point on it: Your brand as an actor is your story, so make sure it’s clear and entertaining—otherwise you might as well sashay away.