[ad_1]
David Petruschin is best known to fans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as the Raven. The fan favorite has been featured in season 2 and season 1 of “All Stars” and has worked as a makeup artist for RuPaul since 2017.
In 2020, Petruschin worked under truly unique conditions when he returned to work the US and UK versions of the “Drag Race” franchise amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with new safety protocols in place.
Here Petruschin speaks with Variety about the changes to the “Drag Race” set and how he worked under those protocols, as well as previews of some looks for Season 13 and revealing his favorite products to quarantine him.
2020 was an unprecedented year and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” was closed due to the March pandemic. How did you feel when you heard that the show was resuming production in July?
I honestly started jumping for joy and was excited. I was just glad we were going to work because I had sat at home for three or four months doing nothing. I had spent my days working on my tan, watching a lot of documentaries, and still doing content for WOW Presents. So when I got that call, I was excited to go out and do what we loved. I knew there was no way for them to do this unless they knew we could do it safely. I knew they weren’t going to cut corners or do anything that put anyone in danger.
What has changed for you as Ru’s personal makeup artist? How was your typical day on set different from before the pandemic than on set with new COVID security protocols?
Before the pandemic we would show up on set and everyone had the soundstage track. If you needed to go from step 1 to step 3, you can do it. And, everyone is friends with everyone on the show. Upon our return, we received strict protocols. We were divided into three groups: A, B and C. If you were on this board or this group, then you could not go to certain sets. The only people who had free reign were Ru and me. If he had to go to a stage, I would go with him. Even with the producers, they had their own separate trailers and I never saw them. Everything was done via an iPad or a monitor. It was weird going to bed and only seeing five people a day.
We were tested three times a week, and there were tests with a rapid rotation. If you tested positive or inconclusive, you weren’t allowed on the set, and they were very strict with it.
As I lived an hour away, I lived in a hotel during production because if something happened to me it would be difficult for Ru to prepare, and if something happens to a crew member they have to close everything, so it was a domino effect.
After the US ‘Drag Race’ ended, you went to UK to finish Season 2, right?
We had a week to pack our bags and return to film the second half of the show. we [normally] take several different shoes and jewelry. This time we went through the looks and decided ahead of time as we wanted to keep it compact and light.
Again, once we got there we went to our apartments, quarantined, and when we started production it was all about testing, testing, and other testing. We were prepared because we had been doing it all summer. We did the math and in the course of filming we took about 35 tests in total.
If not, how has life together changed for you?
It was quiet because less people are gathering. There are things that you miss: you don’t meet people every day. I prepared to assemble Ru’s microphone pack and learned how to turn it on and off. I learned where to put it and how to do it all the time because I was pretty much the only person allowed to touch Ru because I have to touch Ru.
When the hair comes in, it’s styled in another room and Ru puts it on and takes care of it. I had to take even more precautions and learn things like this mic that I had never done before.
What can you tease about Season 13 and some of the looks you’ve created with Ru?
They are going to be mind blowing and it is absolutely stunning in all of them.
There will always be that RuPaul figure of a beautiful dress and big blonde hair with a smoky eye and a beautiful lip, but we don’t try to stray too far from the formula of what makes RuPaul. But he’s been showing a lot of legs lately, so I said, “You still have them.”
I pulled out a few of the Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipsticks, which are our favorite products. He can wear them all day and they don’t move. He can have lunch and come home, and it looks like we just put it on him. There is a dark blue lip that almost looked black. I said jokingly, “Let’s do this one.” He looked at it for a second and agreed. I said, “Are you serious?” But he wore it. He’s having a lot of fun, and that’s one thing people don’t see: all the fun and jokes we have. We have a good time on set.
How do the looks differ between “Drag Race” and “Drag Race UK”?
I’m still trying to think, “What did we do the last time I can do it differently this time?” I don’t want to repeat myself, but there are some faces that Ru will say, “Let’s make Ru face”. You know he named them! He has a certain face that he likes to do. I try to keep that cachet like Ru’s face. With makeup on, Ru wants to look and feel beautiful. We start very early and we take our time to prepare and then we go from there. There are looks that we’ve used in the US where we’ve pulled from her talk show archive, so it’s exciting.
But when we go to UK the UK drag scene is so much more outrageous there. It’s a little more cheeky. It’s a little more “OK well this is what I have, this is what you are going to have.”
What are the products that you cannot do without during quarantine?
Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lip Gloss [and] Mally Evercolor Poreless Face Defender.
Season 13 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” premieres January 1 at 8 p.m. on VH1.
[ad_2]
Source link