Between Hereditary and Midsommar, writer/director Ari Aster found love from the LGBTQ+ community, who relished his instantly iconic harried horror heroines. “I am your mother!” became a meme, re-enacted(opens in a new tab) and even combined with Meghan Trainor’s peppy bop(opens in a new tab). Toni Collette’s furious face(opens in a new tab) has been embraced alongside Florence Pugh’s fierce frown (opens in a new tab)in GIFs across social media. And now, Aster has given us Broadway diva Patti LuPone as a monologue-slinging mother in Beau Is Afraid.
Watching the three-hour odyssey of anxiety and mommy issues, of course I marveled at LuPone’s powerful performance for what she told Mashable is “the best role I’ve ever had on camera.” But I also wondered how long it would be before drag queens began to snatch Mona Wasserman’s deliciously intense monologues for lip sync performances. So, I asked Aster and LuPone for their thoughts on the possibility.
In a paired interview with Aster and Beau Is Afraid‘s leading man, Joaquin Phoenix, I asked Aster if he was aware that Toni Collette’s “I am your mother” speech was adapted into a drag performance by Amethyst(opens in a new tab), who recently dazzled on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15.
Aster was not aware but was elated. “I love that,” he responded. “That’s great. Well, in fact, I’ll be very disappointed if Patti’s multiple speeches don’t make it onto the stage.”
In a separate interview, LuPone was even more enthusiastic. Would she like to see drag queens give Mona a new life on stage? “You know, they will if they aren’t banned from this country,” she said, alluding to Tennessee’s proposed ban(opens in a new tab) on drag performances. “They should do it now. And they should whip Ron DeSantis’s aaaaaassss,” she emphasized, stretching out the word while referring to the Florida governor responsible for the homophobic “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
She concluded firmly, “I would be honored, and Ari should be too.”
Beau Is Afraid is now in theaters. Look for more interviews from the cast and crew on Mashable.
