For RuPaul's Drag Race fans who love horror movies, no look in the series’ history has been more instantly iconic than Gottmik’s season 13 finale Pinhead-inspired lewk. As it turns out, the filmmakers behind Hulu’s upcoming Hellraiser remake were also gagged and thought he might just be the new Hell Priest they were looking for.
"When they saw my Hellraiser [look], they gave me the audition for Pinhead. I did [go on tape]! But I wasn't menacing enough!" Gottmik told Entertainment Weekly. "I had to read a bunch, I was in my apartment, against the wall, full-on trying to be Pinhead, pretending to pull needles out of my head, just going in! It was so funny!"
Sadly, Gottmik didn't ultimately land the role, but he agreed that his charming, upbeat personality wasn't quite the right fit for the leader of the gruesome (and mega kinky) Cenobites. "I wanted to be Pinhead more than anything in my soul, but, also, I'm like, I get that!" Gottmik explained. "I mean, at least let me walk on the carpet in that look! I'll make a new one! I just want to be there. I'll just be in the background next to Pinhead!"
Hellraiser is based on the Clive Barker novella Hellbound Heart about a man who summons demons called Cenobites that offer untold pleasure and pain. Barker adapted the story into the film, which he also directed, and it went on to spawn nine sequels. The new Hulu adaptation is set to be directed by David Bruckner and, for the first time, will feature a gender-flipped Pinhead, played by Odessa A’Zion.
While Gottmik might not have snagged the role of Pinhead, if there's one thing the Drag Race star has proven, it's that he still has "such sights" to show us.
Watch Gottmik talk about the audition experience here.
