We sat down with reigning Drag Race Down Under winner Lazy Susan ahead of this week’s Down Under vs the World grand final. What was it like to sit behind the judges’ panel? Would she compete in an All Winner season? And did she try to give the queens a run for their money on the runway?
In August last year, the news broke that Drag Race Down Under was levelling up.
But it wasn’t just that we were heading into the international All Stars arena that had us excited; it was the fact that reigning season four winner Lazy Susan was joining Michelle and Rhys on the judging panel.
We couldn’t wait to see Lazy back on our screens, but this time she would have to use her creativity differently.
Yes, she had to prepare mentally to judge her peer. She also had to come up with iconic looks for the show that were up to the level fans expected.
And what amazing looks she has worn. You would think she was competing herself!
Lazy SusanSource: Instagram
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Did you get a bit more time than the competitors to plan your looks for the show?
“That’s a really good question, actually. I think I had a little bit more time, and I don’t know about Michelle, but the rest of the judges didn’t know the runway categories until we got there. So if it looks like any of my outfits match the runway theme, that’s simply coincidental and planned when I arrived.”
Creativity is more than an element of your drag; it is a part of who you are. How did you approach planning your looks to wear for judging each week?
“It’s also so hard; the biggest challenge with me for me was that the last time I did this show, I designed everything around trying to be the centre of attention. I wanted to walk down the runway and make a moment that would have the audience gag and step up the judges’ experience.”
“I had to think about the fact that it shouldn’t be about me. It shouldn’t be distracting or gimmicky or take focus away from what’s happening on the stage. I had to figure out what would still express my drag without trying to do too much. Also, there’s a lot of very glamorous judges, and that sort of thing, and I’m not an ostrich feather and sequin girly. I started thinking about sitting around looks and was inspired by uniforms and workaday women. That was the inspiration for my general looks.”
Lazy Susan on Drag Race Down Under vs the WorldSource: STAN
“I made a point to not do anything ridiculous, and then I saw Jimbo and Priyanka in Canada, and I said, ‘F**k those bitches. They didn’t listen and did whatever the f**k they wanted. I was asked to judge again; I’d probably amp it up a little more in that direction. But you also don’t want to create something that could later be a runway-worthy concept.”
“If there’s ever a day that I go back and compete, there are certain ideas you have to keep tucked away. Y’know, just in case. You don’t want to burn them out of competition.”
“Lawrence Chaney told me she had a look she was meant to be wearing on the judges’ panel that didn’t arrive in time. It sounded pretty amazing; I don’t want to give it away. She said it was a look that she had always wanted to do if there was an All Winners season, but she doesn’t know if it will ever happen, so she was going to wear it for us.”
“After you do Drag Race, if you ever have an idea that’s quite specific, you tuck it away and start putting little ideas aside. Before I went on Drag Race, I had a whole Google Doc filled with things that I’d want to do one day, and I’m not stopping now.”
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Was it fun to reunite with the creative teams you had worked with on your first run of the show to build something new?
“It was nice to do this victory lap and come back together for something that you could yell to your designers that it will 100% see the light of day. That’s not a promise you can make when you’re competing.”
“It’s such a relief. The pressure was off. But the other part of that, unfortunately, is that my designers are also Art Simone’s designers. So they were working double shifts. But we maintained boundaries to make it like a separation of church and state. I remember speaking with Pashion Cotoure about an idea I had, but she led me in another direction, and that had similar elements to Art’s Shock and Awe runway. It’s quite camp how she kept me off the scent.”
Is there one look you’re particularly proud of? Your week, this look was stunning. At first I thought it was Pikachu/Pokemon inspired, but then you said on socials that it was inspired by Avavav’s spring/summer ‘24 collection.
“I was so excited for that one because it’s also one of the rare things I completely did myself, which is crazy. After all, I’m not a seamstress. I had to find a material that looks like paper but isn’t. I found an almost-paper fabric, and then cut it out into hundreds of Post-it-shaped pieces and sewed them all on. That was a wild experience. I felt really excited about that one because it was just excessive and fabulous.”
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“I’m very proud of the Terence Stamp tribute, which was executed by Jandruze. It was such a thrill to wear something that flamboyant.”
“But wait until you see the finale gown in the next episode. This is what I was most stressed about having on the show. Because in my mind, this might be the only chance I get at doing a version of a step-down look. Who knows if we will get a Down Under season five.”
Did you love the experience of being a judge?
“I had such a fun time, but it was also really, really stressful. I was going to be judging two of my season four sisters. They are also people I share an industry with, as well as people who are my senior in drag. I felt an immense amount of pressure to be able to deliver on that job. To not softball anything.”
“But I also wanted to be respectful and come out of it feeling like I hadn’t undermined anyone. They were there to be judged by Michelle and Rhys, so I was a bit of an add-on. By the end, I felt like I’d finally figured out how to judge on Drag Race.”
“You do kind of come into it slowly because at first, you’re just petrified, but by the end, you’re just more into it. Even now watching the show, I know exactly how I would change and deliver feedback in different ways. You need to be able to express and condense your thoughts into three sentences. You need to be exceptionally pithy. The stuff of mine that has made it through has been that sort of feedback.”
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“My focus was trying to be a nice judge. I’m not interested in getting up there and shitting on anyone, particularly people that I know. I love Law Roach on TV. I love a judge that’s completely out of pocket. But when you’re Law Roach styling Zendaya and Ariana Grande, you can get away with saying some of the most out-of-pocket shit. That’s not me, but it’s been really interesting and enjoyable to find that place on the show.”
Well now we can’t wait to see what Lazy is wearing in this week’s finale of Drag Race Down Under vs the World. We have loved seeing her back on our TV screens. Maybe next we could get Lazy on The Traitors?
Catch up on all episodes of Drag Race Down Under vs The World on Stan, with the grand final dropping on Friday at 5 pm AEST.
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