Manila Luzon (a.k.a. Karl Westerberg) is one of the most ferocious queens in RuPaul's Drag Race history, and it's no surprise that the season-three alum made the roster for RuPaul's All Star Drag Race, which airs its third episode Monday night. Paired with Latrice Royale, Manila slayed during last week's comedy challenge with a thunderous impersonation of Madonna that completely outclassed the rest of the competition (even if Yara Sofia and Alexis Mateo took the win). And if I do say so myself, Manila has the coolest drag name in the history of the show. What two words better proclaim "Filipina pride"?
While the competition is certainly a lot of fun, it's difficult to watch without thinking about Manila's gorgeous partner and fellow Drag Race veteran Sahara Davenport (a.k.a. Antoine Ashley), who passed away last month due to heart failure at the age of 27. The two were an unforgettable pair and enjoyed wonderful on-screen chemistry -- see below for amazing proof -- and it was both heart-wrenching and inspiring to see so many Drag Race cast members offer condolences and loving words. The unthinkable news is still very recent, and therefore I can't proceed without noting what an honor and privilege it was to interview the fabulous Manila, who is arranging a Sahara Davenport tribute performance in New York while still working on projects like her recent music video for "Best XXXcessory."
We talked with Manila about Sahara and her legacy, the fun of being Latrice Royale's partner, and what she considers the great flip-side to being "a c*nt on TV."
AfterElton: Manila, thank you so much for doing this interview. If you can forgive what might seem like a glib question, how are you?
Manila Luzon: I'm doing OK. It's been a very, very, very... roller coaster ride. It's been a huge, like, up-and-down, happy/sad time, and I'm crazy. But I have a great family. I know I have them. I have a great support system in my family, I've got great friends, I've got all my Drag Race sisters here for me, and I'm getting a lot of love from my fans and Sahara's fans, so it's really helping me through it. I'm just taking it one day at a time, and I'm trying to carry on Sahara's legacy by living every day to the fullest.
AE: You and Sahara are obviously inextricably linked to Drag Race. Is it tough to talk about the show, even though you assuredly want people to watch the new season? Does having the All Star season feel in any way like a blessing?
ML: Well, I don't know. I'm just kind of rolling with the punches, the ebb and flow. This All Star season, I never ever expected it to ever happen, so when I was asked to do it, I was completely honored. I figured, "It's only going to happen one time." I mean, I hope! [Laughs.] I thought, "This is only going to happen once, and it's a fleeting moment, and I don't want to live with any kind of regrets. I always want to make sure I'm not losing out on life." So if I have to go up there and smile for the cameras and be colorful, happy, cartoon Manila Luzon, because that's what the fans want, that's what they'll get. Because that's who I am deep down inside anyway.
AE: I loved your Madonna impersonation on last week's episode, and I know you once made a fan video for Madonna on her birthday. Does being a fan make Madonna an intimidating character to impersonate? Or does it make it easier?
ML: You know, it's hard. Whenever we have to do celebrity impersonations, the problem is that it doesn't really matter if you look like them, you just have to act like them. The thing is, I love Madonna and I've loved her for years, since I was a little kid, so I have a lot of stuff to reference. So that's sort of how I went with it. You put on a blonde wig, a gap on your tooth, and talk about Kabbalah.
AE: Did your confidence on the All Star season change when you realized you'd be working with Latrice against other pairs of competitors?
ML: I went into the show extremely confident, because I had an entire wardrobe sewn for me. And because I was extremely popular on my season, I worked a f*ckload, so I had lots of coin to spend on amazing outfits. Then I get there and they're like, "You have to match someone who has a completely different wardrobe than you!" I'm like, "Oh. Great." But that's RuPaul's Drag Race for you. They're not going to make it easy for you. They want to make you sweat through your makeup. I'm confident with my team though. Team Latrila all the way, honey. Team Latrila for the win, motherf*ckers.
I was so happy to be paired with Latrice because I love her and first of all, she's a great player from a statistics point of view: She's from season four, she's fresh on people's minds, and everyone loves her. So that way I can be a little bit of a bitch and she balances me out. She has an infectious personality and RuPaul LOVES the bitch, so that might help me stick around a little bit longer. It was great to have someone on your back, zipping up your zipper, making sure your wig isn't crooked, your lashes are OK. In a way, teams are actually easier. You might be like, "Girl, we need to have matching jewelry and eyebrows." And she's like, "Here you go."
AE: Was working with Latrice a learning experience? I take it you learned a lot about her.
ML: I learned so much about Latrice, working with her. I'm still learning. We see and talk to each other a lot. I don't know -- I learn new things every day, and I'm happy to paired with her because other people were basically paired with their friends, and we're the only ones who didn't quite know each other well.
AE: I have to ask about your music video for "Hot Couture." There's a kid in the video who plays a young Manila, and I have to say he is perfect. Where did you find him?
ML: Oh, the child in my music video? That's just me; I cloned myself a couple years ago. Just in case I needed it. But now that I've used my clone in a music video and it's documented, I had it put down.
AE: That's a shame! Especially considering what a scientific breakthrough it was.
ML: You know, I'm just not allowed to have more than one of me. The world is annoying enough as it is. [Laughs.] It was actually my friend's son, and I saw him and he was adorable, energetic, and a lot of fun. His mother was kind enough to let me dye his hair and give him a spray tan so he looked like me. Parker was his name, and he was a lot cuter as a child than I ever was.
AE: You were a great drag coach on Drag U and MTV's Made. Did you think teaching would come easily to you?
ML: Well, as much of a c*nt as I appear on TV, I'm a nice person. [Laughs.] And I'm a little bit of a know-it-all, so I love bestowing my knowledge upon others. I love educating and schooling the kids, honey. If I have information to offer, it's a person I like, and they gain some information from it, why not share it? It's what we're all about.
AE: Who did you consider your greatest competition on All Stars?
ML: You know, I had absolutely no idea while I was competing who it was. The thing is, me, Raven, Jujubee, and Latrice, we really would hang out a lot. But there doesn't seem to be a lot of that shown on camera, mostly because it was probably, like, at the hotel after we were done shooting when we were supposed to not talk to each other, but then we would talk to each other anyway? Maybe? I'm not sure. But when I was there, I was really just focused on doing the best because the minute you try to anticipate what someone else is going to do, that's when you start messing up. Because I didn't do that on season three, my season. I did what I planned on doing, and if someone did something better than I did, that was my own downfall for doing the best. It's hard, though. Some of the girls, you think, "Oh, I could probably beat her." But you never know, because you might not be the one who goes up against them.
AE: I know the NYC tribute show to Sahara had to be rescheduled. Can you give us an idea of what the audience can expect at the big event in December?
ML: Expect it hopefully to be dry and have some power! That's the first thing to expect. Hurricane Sandy kind of f*cked that up. But it's OK, because it gives more time to put together a well-thought-out performance. It's going to be a tribute show that spans the drag life of Sahara, so we have people from her humble beginnings in Dallas who will pay tribute, many of her backup dancers that she's used over the years will come together, and some of her drag sisters and drag daughters will be performing too. It's going to be fun. I'm really excited to see it and hopefully it'll be a great celebration of her life and what she was able to accomplish before she left us.
AE: Lastly, can you talk a bit about some of the unexpected responses you've personally gotten following Sahara's passing? I imagine it's all still coming in droves.
ML: I've been drowned by love and support from fans especially since Sahara's passing, and it was extremely hard to get all that because I was going through a lot. But it was an eye-opener. Because Sahara, who is one of the most amazing queens who ever lived and one of the great stars of RuPaul's Drag Race -- not to mention some of the greatest lip-syncs -- it showed what an impact she had on people across the world. It reminds me that I have a similar impact, and it really drives me and makes me push harder, and it makes me live life to its fullest, get what I want, deserve, and need -- to give rhinestone gorgeousness to everyone. The fans are great. I'm just trying to move forward while taking on Sahara's legacy.
