Remember when The Celebrity Traitors star Richard E. Grant did drag?
After already stealing the nation’s hearts on The Celebrity Traitors, we revisit Grant’s first time publicly in drag
By Aaron Sugg
Way before Richard E. Grant brought chaos to The Celebrity Traitors castle last week, he brought glamour to the 2021 musical film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
He played retired drag queen and mentor to the 16-year-old protagonist Jamie New (Max Harwood), Loco Chanelle, whose real name is Hugo Battersby.
As Jamie struggles with the prospect of wearing a dress to his school prom, Loco becomes an important figure in helping him embrace who he is and find the confidence to stand up for himself.
Richard E. Grant acts in drag for the first time
The pair first meet at Hugo’s drag shop, House of Loco, where Jamie goes in search of his first dress. It is there that Grant’s character’s drag legacy is uncovered.
Hugo shares his own experiences of the drag community, including the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and eventually encourages Jamie to perform in his own show as Mimi Me.
Speaking to the Travel Guide at the time, Grant spoke about straight actors playing queer roles, highlighting a conversation he had with the film’s director.
Grant on his role in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
“When I met Jonathan Butterell, the director of Jamie, I asked why he wasn’t casting a gay actor or drag queen? He said, ‘You have sad eyes.’ He pointed out that the whole creative team was gay and we’ve decided you’re the best person to play this part.”
Grant added: “I told him he’d have to argue and justify casting me. He said it was for him to make that decision and asked if I’d do it. So that’s what I did.
“You don’t want to be insensitive or seem like you’re taking an opportunity away from someone else,” he explained. “I was in terror of doing it as it’s so out of my comfort zone. I’d never done drag or a Sheffield accent. That made it frightening but also exhilarating.”
Grant causes chaos in The Celebrity Traitors castle
Unforgettably, Grant also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs the World series 2, sporting a pair of stick-on eyelashes – slightly wonky, perhaps, but it’s the thought that counts.
Grant’s irresistible personality has reached a whole new audience after he was dealt the Traitors hand by Claudia Winkleman on The Celebrity Traitors.
Playing a game no one can put into words other than the actor himself, Grant revealed to his fellow castle-mates that he was, in fact, a Traitor, causing confusion amongst the star-studded cast.
The next episode of The Celebrity Traitors airs on 8 October at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer, with another at the same time on 9 October.