RuPaul says drag spoof 'Stop! That! Train!' is a 'political statement'

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAYWed, June 10, 2026 at 7:39 PM UTC

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NEW YORK − Just between us squirrel friends, you probably won't see a funnier summer movie than "Stop! That! Train!"

Led by an all-star cast of queens from "RuPaul's Drag Race," the deranged disaster comedy (in theaters June 12) is like "Airplane!" on horse tranquilizers, with an irreverent blend of sight gags, political satire, musical numbers and the most withering Lea Michele joke you've ever heard.

"I believe in mixed-race marriages, I believe in mixed-race babies – I just love a mash-up," quips RuPaul Charles, 65, seated backstage at the film's New York premiere. "Any time you can twist a phrase, I'm there for it."

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RuPaul would recruit this 'Drag Race' vet for his presidential cabinet

RuPaul, left, and Matt Rogers in "Stop! That! Train!"

"Stop! That! Train" follows two train stewardesses and best pals, Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), who lose their jobs on the dingy Stank Rail and pick up new gigs working for the ritzy Glamazonian Express. But their dream steamer soon becomes a nightmare, as the locomotive hurtles into a cataclysmic, hurricane-like "Stormaganza."

Brimming with cheeky one-liners and pop-culture references, the R-rated movie is directed by Adam Shankman ("Hairspray"). After reading an early draft of the script set on a plane, he suggested that screenwriters Christina Friel and Connor Wright switch the setting to more earthbound transportation.

"Trains are funnier and it just made it weirder," Shankman says. "Putting on oxygen masks while a train is having to deal with weather systems? It actually made it more absurd."

Even in beloved comedies such as "Tootsie" and "Mrs. Doubtfire," often "drag is the joke," Minj says. But in "Stop! That! Train!," the fact that it's a cast of drag queens is never acknowledged, and the friendship between Tess and DeeDee is treated with complete sincerity.

Ginger Minj, left, and Jujubee in "Stop! That! Train!"

"I love that we were able to just be human," Jujubee says. "Adam said, 'You are not in a comedy, this is a drama!' The more real it is in this crazy, stupid film, the funnier it is, too."

Acting challenges are key fixtures of TV's "Drag Race," asking queens to spoof everything from soap operas to horror movies. Here, Charles wanted to pay homage to "Hot Shots!" and "The Naked Gun," as well as over-the-top disaster films including "The Swarm" and "The Towering Inferno." Like those films, "Stop! That! Train!" is bursting with celebrity cameos from Lisa Rinna, Nicole Richie and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, among many others.

"I love that whole genre because of all the guest stars," Charles says. "Even 'The Love Boat' had that, although the Love Boat never crashed (laughs). But I love bringing all these famous people together for little bitty bits and pieces."

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Charles is a gut-busting scene-stealer as President Judy Gagwell, who risks torpedoing her approval rating if she bungles the government's Stormaganza response. Matt Rogers plays the president's right-hand man, although in actuality, Ru would likely fill his hypothetical cabinet with "Drag Race" judges.

"Michelle [Visage] would insist on being VP," the 14-time Emmy winner jokes. "I couldn't refuse her."

Why queer art like 'Stop! That! Train!' is 'a form of protest'

Marcia Marcia Marcia, Brooke Lynn Hytes and Symone in "Stop! That! Train!"

Drag performers have led several films through the decades, ranging from "Pink Flamingos" to "Outrageous!" But "Stop! That! Train" is arguably the first time that so many of them have been top billed on a major movie released in theaters, despite the popularity of "Drag Race" for the last 15 years.

"Like anything new that you want to do, you have to take baby steps," says Symone, who plays a rival stewardess in the film. "You can't push their head into the cake. People have to be led, and then they're much more likely to say, 'Oh, my God, why can't we have more of this?' "

"We had to get to a place where the culture was OK with seeing queer people and giving them a voice before we could get here," adds co-star Marcia Marcia Marcia. That said, "it's so scary to see things going backward. It's crazy that this is the country that was giving 'Pose' Emmys five years ago. Now we're revoking licenses for trans people – it doesn't make any sense."

Often, queer movies are marketed to mainstream audiences like vegetables or homework, stressing the importance of supporting LGBTQ+ art. But the queens want to emphasize, first and foremost, that "Stop! That! Train!" is purely meant to be escapist entertainment.

"The film just being made is a form of protest," cast member Brooke Lynn Hytes says. "With everything going on, you feel like you have to speak up, but then also go out and make people happy. It's a very fine line and it's difficult, because a lot of times, I feel scared and stressed out and overwhelmed by all the horrible information that's being thrown at me every day."

RuPaul Charles attends the "Stop! That! Train!'" premiere during NewFest in New York on May 28.

It's a feeling that Charles understands well, having been a drag icon and trailblazer for more than four decades.

"We're in a very interesting time: not only in this country, but in the world, where people need to laugh more than ever before," Charles says. "In a way, it's a political statement to choose joy."

Charles remembers growing up in a tumultuous household, where comedy was a "saving grace" for him and his three sisters.

"It's one of those things that makes life worth living," he says. "We've been taught to be so serious about everything. When I was a kid and I was turned onto Monty Python, I thought, 'My tribe exists! My job now is to go and find my people.' So with 'Drag Race' and this movie, the laughter is our beacon. It is the call of our tribe."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RuPaul shares why 'Stop! That! Train!' is a 'political statement'

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