'AJ and the Queen': Josh Segarra calls the dark and audacious comedy 'a character-driven piece'
This article contains spoilers for 'AJ and the Queen' Season 1
Netflix's 'AJ and the Queen' brings to light the shady realities behind sexuality, struggles with addiction, the experience of a drag queen, and loss of love in a relationship.
With a twist, the comedy takes a dark turn as characters go through pain in order to be able to move on with their lives. Not to mention, the legendary RuPaul stars are Robert aka Drag Queen Ruby Red, so expectations were definitely delivered.
Josh Segarra plays the role of Damien Sanchez, a hunk of a con artist and Robert's ex-boyfriend.
Segarra spoke to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) about how it was like working with RuPaul, how audiences would receive the "dark-themed" and audacious comedy and what he considers the epitome of what the series has to offer.
'AJ and the Queen' goes behind the curtains revealing the realities of many social struggles. Tying in the innocence of a 10-year-old perspective on street life and the unfiltered emotions behind a drag costume, this is a must-watch dark comedy and his favorite scenes from the series.
On working with the iconic RuPaul and some of the best Drag Queens in the world, Segarra said, "Oh, it was incredible. I had so much fun. I wish I was there on some of the days that a lot of the all-stars were coming from the show because we had so many alumni from the drag race come. And unfortunately, I wasn't there many of those days. But the days I was there working with Queens, I remember one - he was awesome. We had a really, really good time. She was the one that was on stage saying, 'I'm not being mean. I'm just being honest' - I loved that joke. We all get to transform and feel larger than life, you know, and go out there and put on a show and you just try to find the honesty in all those moments. And I loved it. It was awesome."
He continued to speak of how a comedy such as 'AJ and the Queen' that tackles the dark side of society and overcoming obstacles would be received by the audience, and how they've been received as of date.
"I think that once you go on the journey with our characters, it's a world very specific to 'AJ and the queen'. I feel like people are resonating with it in a way that seems a little old school and I love that about it. I love that it reminds people of older sitcoms or older movies. There's something about getting to know these characters that when you go with them, you need to see them in their good times and in their bad times. You need to see them be wild. You need to see them be weird. You need to see them go through it because that's what I love about it - it's a character-driven piece."
The show has many scenes in which tears, regardless of happy or sad, are inevitable, and Segarra spoke of the scenes that had him emotional because it reminded him of his family.
"The parts that I'm crying mostly when I watch the show were scenes between Robert and AJ. Those scenes where they're getting to know each other in the RV when he comes back in after doing the beautiful number about being a strong woman. He comes back into the RV and she cut all her hair off that scene right there - it really touched me. It just made me think about my own boys. I have two boys at home and my family and how I just want them to grow up and be powerful and, and be whoever they want to be," said Segarra.
"I think that's what the show is built on. In the last episode, a really powerful moment happens where she just feels like nobody loves her, nobody's choosing her. I just love that scene because it's something that we all need to feel right? Our show is built on acceptance and leaving nobody behind," Segarra confidently states.
"I hope that they feel like this is a snapshot of what America could be if you stopped in each city and that people are loving and are accepting and that's what our show shows. This is what America is."
All episodes of Season 1 of 'AJ and the Queen' are now streaming on Netflix.
