Trinity The Tuck Talks Drag Race, Politics And Making Her Mark

When RuPaul’s Drag Race royalty Trinity The Tuck touches down in Sydney, it’s not her first time gracing our shores she explains as she sits down to chat with The Star Observer.

“Yes, this is about my seventh or eighth time coming to Australia,” she laughs. “I love it. Sydney is such a fun city. And I always get such great vibes whenever I come here. So I love coming to this part of the world.”

This time, Trinity’s visit is part work, part play. She’s in town promoting Slay a gloriously camp horror flick now streaming on Tubi, the free streaming service that’s quickly gaining traction with Aussie audiences.

“I’m here doing a press tour with Tubi about Slay, about the streaming service because they just launched here,” she explains. “If you haven’t seen Slay yet, it is a fun horror comedy. The way they described it to me was it was a mixture between Dusk Till Dawn and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which is an iconic Australian film. It’s a fun watch. It has a great message. It’s also got great action sequences. The special effects makeup is really good. And Tubi is a great platform because it’s free.”

And yes, she’s not the only Drag Race queen to get bloody on screen. “There’s Cara Melle from Drag Race UK. There is Crystal Methyd and Heidi N Closet and myself from the US.”

“After a booking mistake, four drag queens find themselves performing for a mostly unwelcoming crowd” reads the films synopsis. “But when vampires attack, the crowd looks to the queens to save the day.”

The film has generated great reviews and Trinity reveals she’s keen to see a second instalment “we’re pushing hard to get a sequel. We’re really trying to get a sequel,” she teases.

From Small Town to Superstar

Of course, Trinity The Tuck hardly needs an introduction. The Alabama born performer has made Drag Race history, appearing on Season 9, All Stars 4, and the All Winners season.

“I would say it’s going pretty well,” she says with a knowing grin. “I’ve won once. I’ve been in the top three all three seasons. And I have the most wins out of any Drag Race contestant in the world. So I would say I’m pretty pleased.”

That’s 11 challenge wins in total she confirms, a record across the franchise. “The closest to me is nine,” she says proudly.

But success hasn’t changed her grounded outlook on the show. “You know, it’s more of a reality show than it is a competition” she says of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“It is a competition, but it’s TV. So as long as you’re there and you’re making good TV, that’s all that matters. If you give sound bites and you are memorable, that’s going to follow you longer than if you won and you didn’t have those sound bites” she says. “Just go on, have a good time, make great TV.”

But would she return for another walk down the runway again?

Of course.

“I’d go back 15 times” she says.

“I always said because I’ve done so well, I would go back and just be a total bitch the first day, piss everybody off and then go home first” she laughs.

“I would never have voted for that man if my life depended on it,”

As conversation turns to life back in the US, the mood shifts. America’s current political climate has weighed heavily on many LGBTQIA+ people and Trinity doesn’t hold back on how she sees it.

“Oh, absolutely. I think right now, majority of Americans are not happy with what is happening with the government. I mean, I would never have voted for that man if my life depended on it,” she says.

“With gay marriage being talked about soon with the Supreme Court and with all of these anti-trans bills happening yeah, it’s definitely a very, very scary time to be queer in the US. And I think that it’s super important that when you have a platform that you use your voice and you stand up for people who don’t.”

“Even though it is really scary, I do think we will get through this. We will get through this and there will be brighter days. But it’s just going to take time. Unfortunately, the Republicans have all three branches of government right now. So it’s not great right now, but I have full faith that we’ll turn it around.”

Despite the hostility faced by drag artists and queer performers in some states, she remains remarkably calm. “No, I don’t think majority of Americans care about all of this. It’s all propaganda that the far right is trying to push in order to have a selling point to their base social issues which majority of Americans just don’t care about. They want to be able to pay their bills, be able to afford food, be able to provide for their families. That is what majority of Americans want.”

As Trinity sees it, it’s all about smoke mirrors for politicians as they attempt to distract the public. “The Republicans know they’re not going to be able to deliver on the things that they need to for their constituents. So they have to distract. It’s like Jada in Drag Race: ‘Look over there!’ That’s exactly what the government’s doing. You know, they’re pointing at something else to distract from what’s really happening.”

Balancing life and work as an international drag star

Trinity’s relentless schedule leaves little room for rest. “This is my third time this year in Australia. I love to travel. I always say this, of course I want to be home more, but my job, I’m a freelancer. So if I’m not travelling and working, then I’m not getting paid. So I will always be glad to live out of a suitcase.”

Straight after Sydney, she’s jetting off to the UK to debut her new drag group with her drag daughters. “We just released a song called Haus. And we are debuting it in London at Clapham Grand.”

Between Haus, her movie and performing she also hosts her hit podcast I Live for This, it’s a wonder she finds time to sleep.

“You can listen to it wherever you stream your podcast. You can also watch it on my YouTube channel” she says.

“I suggest that one [Youtube] because my co host, Chantelle Sparkles, my drag daughter, a very big up and coming drag star, she is absolutely stupid” she laughs.

“I say that with love! She literally thought London was founded in 1940. That’s how dumb she is! And you need to watch her facial expression. So I highly suggest going to my YouTube channel because it is hilarious.”

What’s next for Trinity?

So what’s next for the self proclaimed “body of Drag Race”?

“I am working on a new TV project that I can’t talk about yet, that we start filming in December. But I would love to get on The Traitors. I would love to do more reality TV. I love competing. So reality competitions, please hit me up!”

But don’t expect her to go bush anytime soon. “Survivor, maybe,” she admits, “but I’m not so much like being out in the wilderness, getting dirty for long periods of time. Now, I could do stuff that’s physical, like the challenges that are on The Traitors and things like that, but I don’t know about being put out in the woods. I grew up in the woods, but girl, I’d rather be playing mind games than trying to build a fire.”

“A queen deserves to be in a castle, not in a wicked forest.”

Trinity The Tuck’s Slay is streaming now on Tubi, in Australia.