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She really wants you to audition.
She wanted to see you for this role, said Shangela.
So I was really thrilled.
I was black Marilyn.
Willam plays Emerald, a Dolly Parton impersonator with a fitting breastplate appropriate for the real-life country queen.
It was so exciting, said Cooper.
Willam and Shangela just blew my mind.
As drag queens are wont to do, Willam and Shangela created many of their looks themselves.
Willams Dolly-in-white look came together at the last minute.
The night before [the production department] said, Can you do Dolly?
I said, I got the tits for it, sure, said Willam.
They were like, Bradley wants you in white.
I said, Okay.
Well I have a white dress at home, thats perfect.
It was a perfect 80s Dolly look that randomly I just had laying around and it was white.
The scenes in the dressing room off the drag bar were similarly ad-libbed.
Bradley just said, Go off and do your thing, said Willam.
One of those things: the moment when Emerald asks Jackson Maine to sign her breast plate.
I would be like, sign my tits, dude.
So thats what Willam did.
I ran off set and I was like, Somebody give me a Sharpie.
I was like,Jesus loves me.
The titties are upstairs right now.
(An extant J remains on the breastplate.)
It was so good because shes in her element.
Trust me, before Im a co-star Im a fan first.
Ive been to every Lady Gaga concert, said Shangela.
We were like, were at the Gaga concert, the gays were freaking out like at concert.
It was the same in between takes.
She was hanging out with us the whole time.
She was never in her trailer.
She was cool as hell, said Willam.
Im shameful, said Shangela.
You know they couldnt keep my mouth shut.
When they said, Were going to switch cameras around.
You guys have a moment, she could have left.
She stayed right in that seat and was like, So Shan, whats going on?
And Im like, Lets do it.
Both believe the relationship between Ally and her family of drag queens reflects the world that they lived in.
Youre like my family and thats what this scene is all about.
Its establishing where she comes from.
French fish, come on, give it to us.
