The drag superstar and her pint-sized sidekick set out on a road trip in Netflix's new comedy.
AJ and the Queen are just as royally entertaining in real life!
The stars of Netflix's new buddy comedy -- drag superstar RuPaul and his 11-year-old co-star, Izzy G. -- sat down to interview each other for ET ahead of the premiere of their new show. Over the course of their conversation, the paired asked each other everything from how long it takes to get into drag to how Ru chose Izzy to be his co-star.
"You know, it had to do with energy," he explained. "We saw a lot of kids for the role of AJ, and when I saw your audition tape, I thought, 'Oh, this kid's got it.' And then when I met you in person, the chemistry we had together was so perfect, I thought, 'Ah, there is AJ.'"
In the show, the media guru stars as Robert Lincoln Lee, aka Ruby Red, a down-on-her-luck drag queen who embarks on a cross-country tour after being swindled by her beau. On her travels, she's joined by a stowaway, AJ, her recently-orphaned, scrappy young neighbor. For Ru, the show was the product of an inspiration mash-up -- combining the youthful energy of his youngest Drag Race fans with a favorite "road picture," the 1941 Joel McCrea-Veronica Lake starrer, Sullivan's Travels.
"I've been looking for the perfect vehicle, that perfect role to do that and this just happened to be the one," Ru told Izzy when asked why AJ and the Queen was the scripted show he chose to star in after years of reality fame. "You're very young, but the thing is, timing is everything. You gotta stay in the game long enough for your number to come up. You're very fortunate, right off the bat, you've got this great big show on Netflix. To sustain a career for a really long time, you have to pace yourself, but you also have to stay interested in doing the work."
As for how much they're each like their AJ and the Queen characters, Izzy admitted that she's much more of a girly-girl than the tomboy-ish AJ, but they both share "a lot of personality." "She can be loving at times. She shows a lot of passion, different passions, but we do show a lot of passion."
For Ru, the stunning styles that Ruby rocks on the runway are nothing new, but he shared that his real-life persona is less gullible than Ruby Red. "You know, Ruby Red falls for smooth talking, good-looking con artist. I may be tempted to fall for a good-looking con artist, but I RuPaul, would not."
Izzy was just nine years old when the two met, and admitted that she wasn't terribly familiar with Drag Race or RuPaul, the performer. But she had nothing but praise for her experience working with the drag legend.
"I learned that you have an amazing memory, being able to memorize all of those lines," she raved. "And also that you are powerful, that you are strong, that you are amazing, that you are helpful -- not just to me but everyone on set. You are so kind. You never ever made anyone feel degraded, like they were nothing. Even if they did feel like they were nothing, you made them feel like they were everything. You're the best person that could have been on set, for everybody."
So, what would they envision for season 2? More adventures!
"I'd love for us to continue to travel," Ru offered. "Maybe AJ and the Queen Go to Europe, maybe AJ and the Queen Go to Space, or maybe AJ and the Queen Go to Mexico! Enchiladas!"
"AJ and the Queen Break Out of Prison!" Izzy added. "Escape, like you said, to another state. Wyoming, maybe... Or they escape to Washington. Or they go to see the White House in Washington, D.C."
See more of their conversation in the video above and check out more on the show below. AJ and the Queen is streaming on Netflix now.
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