This Suzie Toot starring queer cult-classic-in-the-making is inspiring incredible fan art

There can never be too many queer camp classics, and this year another charming, heartwarming, and hilarious title entered the pantheon with the horror comedy musical Big Easy Queens.

The film, which features a pre-RuPaul’s Drag Race Suzie Toot, follows the epic camp tale of Miss Minnie Bouvèé, the lady mob boss of the French Quarter. After a rival gang member is brutally slaughtered, Minnie is convinced that retribution is coming from her nemesis Poodles Makenzie (Jennifer McClain) and her crew. Instead, who shows up on her doorstep is her estranged sister Mimi (Suzie Toot), whose husband also just so happens to be Minnie’s secret paramour, Jackson (played by singer and songwriter Matthew Darren).

Also plaguing Minnie is a mysterious stalker who leaves her sinister messages and bouquets of gardenias. So Minnie has to hatch a clever and witchy plan to protect her life, her sanity, and her turf.

It’s camp, funny, a little bit bloody, and packed with incredible music. What’s not to love? So naturally, it’s built up a cult fan base of horror fans, drag lovers, and queer folks inspired by the film to create art of their own.

Bouvèé was surprised and delighted by the response from the audience, so PRIDE sat down to talk about what it means to be an artist that inspires others, and how that energy comes right back.

Isadore courtesy of Miss Bouvèé

Fan art of Miss Bouvèé in Big Easy Queens

PRIDE: How has the response been to the film? What has surprised you most about the response?

Miss Bouvèé: They love the strong queer characters and, of course, female-presenting characters that are in positions of power and not in oppression.

We set out to show we are in charge, and we will take retribution if you wrong us, and we’re strong in that retribution. I think that’s been the number one thing they’re connecting to — the strong queer characters, [and] of course, Susie Toot.

Susie was not a RuGirl before we filmed this, you know? But we all knew. She was 23 when we filmed it, and we knew she was not going to be here for long, you know what I mean? So then she got on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and, of course, the rest is history. So that’s the second thing they’re really grabbing onto.

The fan art has been really cool to see. Like, it’s a little humbling when you see these sketches and this crazy animated art that must have taken just hours upon hours upon hours to do, and somebody is watching the film and being able to recreate that, and their spin on it. So I like that art is sort of influencing and inspiring other art. And that’s kind of cool. That’s really, really humbling.

Isadore courtesy of Miss Bouvèé

Fan art of Mimi Bouvèé-Trube in Big Easy Queens

It’s better than any award or accolade you could get for your art. I think when art begets other art, it’s this beautiful chain reaction that happens. Somebody put out fan art, and then six or seven other people put out their versions of fan art, and it just sort of trickles down.

I’m waiting for the covers. I’d love to hear some covers of the music that is out there! I’m dreaming of the day that a drag queen recreates the iconic phone monologue — I want to see that recreated on a drag stage!

It’s the highest compliment you can get — better than any rave review and better than any award, in my opinion. That’s what I set out to do: inspire other people and make people go, “Huh? I could do that.” I’m a six-foot-one, over-40-year-old drag queen who started a movie and never would have done that if I didn’t think, “Hmm, there are other girls and female-presenting performers doing this. I think I can follow in their footsteps. I think I can do that.” They motivated me, they lifted me up to do it, too.

@Juliaaistired courtesy of Miss Bouvèé

Big Easy Queens fan art sketch

Yes, I mean the vast majority — I’ll say, of course, there’s bad that’s out there. And, you know, I try to stay away from it. I just remember there was one critic who was like, “The plot is thin and it’s too over the top.” We didn’t set out to give you Tennessee Williams. We drag queens are over the top by nature, and you just completely overthought it.

We wanted it to be, like, in the lane of Rocky Horror Picture Show. But we didn’t want to steal — we wanted to pay homage. We wanted to create something completely new and original, but maybe in the same highway toward that kind of campy culture.

How has the horror community responded to the film?

The horror people are the ones really kind of doing the most of the artwork. If you go and look at their threads and see their Instagram, they, of course, have an affinity for drag, and they really love drag in itself. But I think the horror community is, by nature, very queer-friendly. It doesn’t surprise me that the community has really been the first and biggest embrace we’ve had. And I love every ounce of that.

I think horror stories and the characters in them are inherent risk takers, and that is the queer community. We’re always risking our queerness, our life, our expression. We’re always putting ourselves out there at the risk of life and death in some situations. They relate to the fear factor of existing. I’m just so humbled that they like us. They really like us.

@Juliaaistired courtesy of Miss Bouvèé

Big Easy Queens fan art sketch

You are on the receiving end of a lot of fan art right now. I’m curious if there has ever been a time when you were on the other end — were you ever sharing your creations with someone who inspired you?

So, not creation. I am so old school that I write letters — like physical letters or a direct email. Rosie O’Donnell is somebody I have just, like, pestered. I’ve never heard back, so maybe one day. But she brought Broadway to me. I was a poor kid living with a single mom in a trailer park when I was a young teenager, and her show was on at four o’clock after school, and she featured Broadway performances. And I remember writing a letter then.

[Also,] Ina Garten. Ina Garten, the chef, I have written. I love her so much. I love how intellectual she is in the kitchen, and she’s also in on the joke. So those two are, like, I’ve written actual letters to. They inspire me.

@Juliaaistired courtesy of Miss Bouvèé

Big Easy Queens fan art sketch

I love that! Would you encourage other people who feel inspired by creatives to share how it has impacted them in that way — with art, with that kind of thing? Would you like to see more of that in the world?

Absolutely. I think, I really think, that’s the truest form of validation we crave. I think that is very powerful, and I would encourage anybody — even if you and I knew that it was a long shot for them to see the letter or get the letter — it made me feel good putting that out there. People are so quick to criticize, but I’m saying, “Boy, have you made an impact on my life, and please keep going no matter what.” I think that made me feel good and made me feel motivated.

@Juliaaistired courtesy of Miss Bouvèé

Big Easy Queens fan art sketch

You have taken a lot of joy in inspiring others to create more. Has the affirmation that you have received — and seeing how that has affected them — inspired you to create more art, too?

Yes, very much. There’s already another screenplay written for another movie that we’re doing, and so it’s been very hard to get motivated about that, because making movies is hard, but seeing that did bring me a form of validation and motivation to, like, all right, now I’ve got to get on this one!

Big Easy Queens is an Advocate Original and is streaming now on Hulu. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This article originally appeared on Pride: This Suzie Toot starring queer cult-classic-in-the-making is inspiring incredible fan art