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5 FASCINATING things we learned from Chappell Roan's interview with Bowen Yang
The SNL actor and drag queen/singer-song writer got together in June to talk about music, fame, crushes, queerness, and why actors are insane — we're OBSESSED
In a newly published conversation for Interview Magazine, SNL comedian and actor Bowen Yang sat down with musical artist Chappell Roan to speak about her career and current astronomical increase in notoriety. Here are five of the best things we learned from the queer icons.
Roan said to TikTok star and author Drew Afualo on her podcast The Comment Section,Afualo asked the singer if there was anything she missed about life before being famous. No hesitation, Roan replies. “Drugs. Drugs in public. That’s what I miss.”
She reaffirms this with Yang. In the middle of a story about how this extreme rise to fame hasn't been easy, she recounts trying to fly under the radar at Brooklyn Pride this year. She says, "I was at Brooklyn Pride this weekend, and I was in a wig the whole time, and I was also on shrooms. I was like, 'I need to stop lying to myself.' So I ripped the wig off, and I was like, 'This is me.' [Laughs] It sounds so dramatic."
Yang, a genuine long time fan, told Roan that her album holds a special place in his heart, saying, "I’m going to do something so fucking cringe, but I have to tell you, your vinyl is in my living room, front and center, because it’s just so pretty. Like the fucking sleeve, are you kidding me? I still have glitter stars all over my living room, and I’m like, 'Don’t vacuum over it.' But you helped me through a lot of shit when I was fucking depressed."
Yang even shared Roan's music with some of his Wicked costars. "There were so many 4 a.m. car trips to set for Wicked where I was blasting you. I remember drinking a glass of wine with Ariana Grande after we wrapped and being like, 'You should get on Chappell Roan. She’s fucking awesome. Her live shows are incredible.'"
You probably could have gleaned that by listening to any of Roan's music, but she expands on it explicitly, talking about a current crush, "I’ve been talking to this girl that I have a crush on, so I don’t sleep anymore. It’s my favorite part of life, having a crush on someone. It’s the best thing ever when you are at the beginning of a relationship and talking on FaceTime for eight hours a day. I’m a relationship girl. I’ve never dated someone less than a year. So I always cherish the honeymoon phase."
"I say this with peace, and love, and blessings. Actors are fucking crazy," asserts Roan. Acting was her original career path, but she opted out after living in LA for a while. She tells Yang, "I originally started doing music because I wanted to get my foot in the door for acting, and then I moved to Los Angeles, and I was like, 'Fuck that.' The industry is legitimately so scary, and it is so out of my control. I can put out music whenever I want. I don’t have to wait for a casting director to be like, 'It would be great if we cast you, and then we’ll decide your schedule for the next three months.'
She says she might appear in a cameo someday if the project is fun or enticing enough, but that acting is not for her, "I’ve been trained how to act, but it’s the most stressful thing in the world to me. I would rather get arrested because I know how to operate myself in jail."
Roan has been performing a new number called "The Subway" during her tour. Fans might be ready to stream the song on repeat, but we'll all have to hold out a little longer. Longtime Roan fans are in it for the long haul, knowing this has been her M.O. the whole time. Yang says, "I don’t know what the release plan with 'The Subway' is, but I feel like if you want that to just be a song that you sing live for a while, and not have it released—"
Chappell replies, "That’s how I did the first album and it fucking worked. My career has worked because I’ve done it my way, and I’ve not compromised morals and time. I have not succumbed to the pressure. Like, 'Bitch! I’m not doing a brand deal if it doesn’t feel right. I don’t care how much you’re paying me.' That’s why I can sleep at night."
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
