GURL TALK: A chat with Derrick Barry

It’s Britney, bitch! Okay, it’s actually Derrick Barry, the queen who took a Halloween costume and turned it into a brand, and who is already causing waves in the new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8. Not that we’re mad about the waves, because who doesn’t love a couple of drag queens arguing?

We chatted with Barry about drag, his time on the show, and what we can expect in the future before she hosts the second viewing party on her tour and judges Ultimate Queen tonight at Tracks.

Talk to me about Britney. 
I first dressed up as Britney for Halloween 2003. But, I got told in high school that I resembled her when one of my best friends saw Britney in the Sketchers ad, and the way her head was tilted back, she said “oh my god, you look exactly like Britney Spears.”

So when I was living in LA, a girl I lived with was going to school for make up so I let her do my make up for halloween as Britney. We walked down Santa Monica Blvd., which got crazy reactions from people and took a bunch of pictures with people. I knew that I was doing something right, because people knew who I was doing.

A couple weeks later Britney was on the tonight show as the musical guest, so I went dressed up and she talked to me on the show. They filmed me as I got up and starting dancing, and I knew then if I already have her attention, I have to commit to this. It was going to be my best character of all time.

Then, I moved to vegas in 2004, after a few members from La Cage saw me and introduced me to Chad Michaels, and got a job in Vegas impersonating Britney for six nights a week for four years. I moved on to Diva’s in 2009 and did that until a year ago, when I started touring.

Your career is pretty established as a Britney impersonator, why audition?
I knew when Britney came to Vegas, that she wasn’t going to be touring. Most of my travels have been following her tours, or album releases, so I knew if she was in Vegas that traveling would be hard. So when I didn’t make season seven, I knew I had to do eight because Britney is still in Vegas and just signed on for two more years. It was now or never. The timing was everything. And now, I’m here and I get to show people another side of me. I get to show them so much more. And it was challenging, but I’m so glad I did it.

How did you spend your time secluded while filming the season?
Oh, it was a dream. Life without a phone, I would recommend to anybody because we live on our phones. I loved it. We had TV and that was all, and it was so exciting because I rarely have down time. I worked on stuff I didn’t get to finish before I left. And just having the peace and quiet was so nice. It was like a little vacation.

How was the reunion with the other queens when you did the premiere tour?
So much fun. It’s great getting back together after we had so much time to reflect on what happened while filming. I was just happy to see everyone. We have a group message that we interact with each other all the time on, so it was fun to be back with them, and not through Facebook.

There obviously are fights, and people disagree, like Bob and I are going through right now, but there is so much love and support. We are season 8, so we have to leave the baggage. I know I am catching a lot of heat for what I said to Naomi and Bob in the last episode. But, I was hungry, and if you give me a drink on an empty stomach I’m going to speak my mind. If I feel attacked I lash out. I don’t know if that will benefit or hurt me, but I can’t change it.

How has the time been traveling?
It is amazing. There are so many cities that I’ve already been to as I followed Britney’s tours around the nation, so I knew a few of the girls like Robbie Turner. Now it is so weird to me, because I’m officially on drag race. We filmed last summer and had to keep it a secret, so now that it’s out there, and it feels real.

I’ve been having a great time. I’m doing a different viewing party in a different city each week. We kicked it off in Vegas, and tonight is only our second stop. I’m just waiting for things to unfold on the show, to show people more of what I can do.

What is the future of Derrick Barry?
I filmed my first feature, which is screening now. It’s called War on Everything with Alexander Skarsgård. We shot in Iceland, which is beautiful, and I had  really great time. It’s a smaller role, but it will lead to more projects. I also filmed and episode of Graves with Nick Nolte and Sela Ward.

I’m really hoping to get more in film and television. It’s what brought me to LA when I was 19. I’ve always said I want to do more than theater. There is so much more in film and television, and those last forever rather than a live performance. When you can do something and put it on film, its available forever and there is more legacy to it.

I’m excited that all my dreams are coming true. It’s time for bigger dreams to come true.

We’re excited to have you here in Denver, and look forward to seeing you at Tracks tonight.
Me too. Tonight I’ll be hosting and doing Q&A’s between the breaks and talking about the episode. It’s gonna be super fun. I’m also judging the ultimate queen contest, which will be amazing. I always love coming to Denver, you treat me so well. It’s gonna be a lot of fun to do the second viewing party here.