An Interview with Coco Peru
By Gregg Shapiro
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to interview a wide variety of drag performers. I have to say, in all that time, I’ve never come across one who is as warm, intelligent and down-to-earth as Coco Peru (although Lady Bunny runs a close second!). No tea, no shade. Maybe that’s why Coco Peru has had such a long and illustrious career. From To Wong Foo… to Trick to her appearances on Will & Grace to her live shows, Coco Peru is a treasure and, as I found out when we spoke, a pleasure to interview.
Coco Peru provides the entertainment at “Looking Back Moving Forward,” the 7th Annual Stonewall National Museum & Archives Gala, on February 23, 2020 at the Conrad Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach. For more information visit www.SWShop.Stonewall-Museum.org/Gala-2020.
Gregg Shapiro: Your website reads “Spreading the word of Coco since 1991”. For those not in the know, what were you doing prior to 1991?
Coco Peru: I had gone to college (Adelphi University) for theater with dreams of being in the theater and playing all sorts of different characters. In the late `80s, I had written one cabaret show as myself. In college, I had done cabaret shows with Jonathan Larson, who ended up writing Rent. I was the original Angel in his first production to raise money. Then I got inspired by the gay movement and the AIDS activists and wanted to find my voice as a gay man. When I was a theater major in college, all of that was suppressed. I was told to butch it up. That I was never going to make it. I went to Peru and saw a drag queen who was very popular in the mainstream. I thought, “Wow! Such a Catholic country. How is it possible that this gay guy who does drag is so popular?” I realized there is a power in accepting 100% of who you are and going right to the edge and showing people who you are. So I started thinking about drag, that Coco would be one of the many characters that I would do. But she resonated with the gay community and those that supported us at that time. I just stuck with her.
GS: What can you tell me about the genesis of your catchphrase, “That bothers me,” for which you have become well-known?
CP: That was just by accident. I was making those videos, not realizing that I say “That bothers me”. All of a sudden, my fans started creating these memes with “That bothers me” and I realized that I do say that. They noticed and it’s actually my fans that made the catchphrase popular.
GS: I recently saw you in the new Blu-ray reissue of To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. Do you have a specific memory from making that movie that you’d like to share with the readers?
CP: I loved Patrick Swayze. He was such an interesting person. He was a dancer, yet very macho. He really dove into the whole drag thing. He respected us and wanted to understand our lives. He would call me at home and ask me lots of questions. He came to see my show. He treated all of us as equals. There was one night where we were in his restaurant and he was having a party. He pulled me over and I sat in his lap. I think that photo was in the Daily News [laughs]. I was so thrilled that I was sitting on Patrick Swayze’s lap!
GS: Your amazing monologue in the 1999’s Jim Fall film Trick established you as a force with which to be reckoned. Can you please say a few words about the experience of making Trick?
CP: I wasn’t supposed to be in it. Jim Fall had asked me, as a friend, to help him audition people for the first reading. I was reading all of these different parts against the actors. When the auditions were all over, he turned to me and said, “Why don’t you play the part of Katherine, because you’re funny doing this?” In the first reading, I played the part that Tori Spelling would later play. One of the responses that everyone gave after the reading was, “You should have Coco Peru play that part.” It didn’t make any sense for me to play a woman. So, they wrote me a scene. They had to convince the producers that I could pull off a monologue in the middle of a movie. That little moment where I said yes to a favor changed my whole life. I could have easily said no [laughs].
GS: We’re glad you said yes! According to the IMDb, there is a Trick 2 in the works. Are there plans for you to return in the sequel?
CP: Oh, yes. We had a reading of the script last summer. I think they’re trying to work out the final details. Hopefully it will happen. In this business, you never know.
GS: You’ve had the distinction of appearing in both the first and rebooted seasons of Will & Grace. In fact, you played the officiant at Jack and Estefan’s wedding in a recent episode. What does a show such as Will & Grace mean to you as an actor?
CP: When I first created Coco, that was one of my goals. I wanted to be visible. I didn’t want to have to hide myself. My mom kept saying, “Why don’t you write straight material?” I said, “Because I’m a gay man. I want straight people to see who I am. My life, my experience, and to realize it’s all the same experience. We all want love. We all want everything. It’s all equal. When Will & Grace came on, I thought it was a real game-changer. It was everything I’d been working for. Not that I had anything to do with Will & Grace being made, but I feel like there was a movement of people who felt the same way I did. It was time for us to be seen. What was wonderful about being invited back was I felt like in this reboot they were able to push the envelope even more so that a character like mine could come on and not only is there a gay wedding, but a drag queen is officiating. That wouldn’t have happened in the first run of Will & Grace, but it could happen in the second run. I see it all evolving and it was a part of how I wanted to be seen. I finally feel like all my hard work is coming to fruition for the community as a whole. We’ve all pushed forward. Some of us have been a little more courageous than others…[laughs]. Having said that, I think it’s wonderful to see us all pushing for equality.
GS: RuPaul’s Drag Race and Ryan Murphy’s series Pose may be responsible for fully bringing drag to the masses. What are your thoughts about those shows?
CP: I think Pose is great! I’m thrilled about Billy Porter. I knew him many years ago in the cabaret world. We all hung out together and I could see what a talent he was. The world just wasn’t ready for someone like Billy Porter, now they are. That brings me joy to see Billy being celebrated for being himself. Whereas I think back when we started, there wasn’t room for that. He could be celebrated for being a wonderful singer and all that. But to see him 100% out there is wonderful. And RuPaul’s Drag Race, I remember going to my niece’s house when the first season was on. Her straight neighbor and teenage daughters were visiting. They knew that I did drag. This woman turns to me and asks, “Do you watch RuPaul’s Drag Race?” I said, “Yes!” She said, “Oh my God! It’s our favorite show!” It was at that moment that I realized, “This is going to be something big!” I always knew that drag could reach the masses. People respond to the courage it takes. People respond to the creativity and the fun that we have. It was RuPaul’s Drag Race that brought it out to the masses like you said.
GS: In January 2020, you will be playing Louise in a Los Angeles production of Tom Eyen’s “Women Behind Bars”. What are you most looking forward to about that?
CP: [Laughs] This is so silly…I wanted to do it because I’m friends with the director and Poppy Fields, who’s in it, is a good friend of mine. But I was just so excited to be able to work in the city where I live! The thought of driving to rehearsals and to work is so wonderful. It was just about finding something in my own city that I was thrilled about. Having said that, to work with Mink Stole, Traci Lords and a great cast is really what I’m looking forward to.
GS: You are renowned for your long history of passionate activism and unflagging support of the LGBT community, which extends to South Florida’s Stonewall National Museum & Archives where you will be performing at the “Looking Back Moving Forward” gala on February 23, 2020. What can gala attendees expect from your performance?
CP: I do what I do, which is to speak my truth. I feel like my truth is very universal. Hopefully my voice will be a voice for everyone there. Some of it’s funny, some of it’s not. When I first created Coco it was from images from Stonewall and queens being loaded into paddy wagons, even before Stonewall, that inspired me. To be part of an event that is recognizing our past is wonderful for me. When I was coming out, there was no internet. If you wanted to find your community, you had to go out and research it. There was the Oscar Wilde Bookstore in New York City. I used to go to that bookstore to feel gay and connected to what came before me. It was there that I discovered a part of my history. I remember how important that felt to me. I always felt so isolated and alone. When I saw that there were people in my corner, that came before me, it gave me a foundation upon which to build. I felt supported.
GS: I’m so glad you mentioned the bookstore. Stonewall National Museum & Archives has a phenomenal library associated with it. Do you think there might someday be a Coco Peru book?
CP: I have no idea. But I did write a show a few years ago, as well as my most recent show, and people ask me to write a book or to turn the show into a book because they’d like to be reminded of certain things I said. Maybe someday when I retire, I can sit down and write a book.
Coco Peru provides the entertainment at “Looking Back Moving Forward,” the 7th Annual Stonewall National Museum & Archives Gala, on February 23, 2020 at the Conrad Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach. For more information visit
