ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘The Bitch Who Stole Christmas’ Stars Krysta Rodriguez, Ginger Minj, and Andy Ridings preview their new holiday film. By JENNY BLOCK
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race yourself. The Bitch Who Stole Christmas is about to turn the classic holiday rom-com on its head. Think Hallmark movie drenched in glitter. The protagonist is a workaholic big-city fashion journalist sent on assignment to a small town that is obsessed with Christmas. In a snap, she’s at the center of a high-stakes winter ball competition with cutthroat housewives and a sinister plot that could destroy Christmas for-ev-ahh! Airing on VH1 December 2, the film features a broad cast with a plethora of drag queens and the ever-fabulous RuPaul. OutSmart had six minutes with cast members Krysta Rodriguez, Ginger Minj, and Andy Ridings, who fill us in on this tinsel-soaked romantic romp. Rodriguez, who recently starred as Liza Minnelli in Halston on Netflix, is a Broadway veteran with credits including The Addams Family, In the Heights, and a revival of A Chorus Line—not to mention appearances in Smash, Quantico, and Gossip Girl. You may have caught Andy Ridings on All My Children, Dan Is Missing, and The Shells. He’s also appeared in The Rookie, The Other Two, and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Drag Race alumn Ginger Minj has toured the world performing—including a networktelevision appearance for Broadway royalty. Her album releases include Sweet Tea, Gummy Bear, and Double Wide Diva. And she starred in Dumplin’ on Netflix. Jenny Block: What would your 10-year-old self think of the fact that you’re getting to do a Christmas film right now? Krysta Rodriguez: I’ve always been a big fan of Christmas movies—and irreverent Christ64 DECEMBER 2021 | OutSmartMagazine.com
mas movies—so I think 10-year-old me would be really excited that I’m getting to do one. Christmas movies, in particular, have such a longevity. They’re something you always want to bring out every year. There’s something that brings up nostalgia, and so it’s really exciting to be part of something that might live on in somebody’s memories of a very special time every year. Ginger Minj: When I was growing up, I knew that Christmas was always going to be warm and cozy and fun, even if my life throughout the rest of the year wasn’t that great. My favorite part of Christmas was always turning on the TV and watching Prancer and all of the Lifetime Christmas movies, before the Hallmark ones were coming out. I’m very excited to kind of live that fantasy for myself. Andy Ridings: The thing about Christmas movies for me is that it’s all about nostalgia. And being a part of something that I think is going to be around for however long is just really exciting. And my kids watching this movie, or their kids—it’s really exciting. What was the most surprising thing about shooting this film? KR: Every day we had a brand-new cameo of an iconic drag queen coming in to work. You didn’t know who was going to show up, and what they were going to get to do. That was really fun to just have a new moment every day. We had our core cast, but we kept bringing in people all the time. I hadn’t met any of them before, so it was a really exciting experience to get to know everybody and see the queens (who all know each other) interact. They’re friends, they work together, and they’ve known each other. It’s a really beautiful community that I got to look at
and be a part of. GM: Krysta, you’re definitely a part of it now. You’re definitely part of it. I would say for me, I didn’t expect Andy to be as funny as he was. I mean, just to be real, the role is written for a stereotypical hunky Christmas man who comes in to save the woman. It’s written in such a way that I think if anyone else in the world had done it, it wouldn’t have worked. He’s so funny, and so understated. We just sat there and laughed and laughed and laughed at him every single take, because they were so consistent but so different. I thought that was really nice to see. And again, I think it kind of turns everything else on its head. AR: The thing that was always surprising was that every time I would go on set, everybody was just so hilarious and at the top of their game. I thought I was funny until I did this movie, and I realized that just trying to keep it together every day was very difficult. Why should people see this movie? KR: You’re going to feel something, you’re going to laugh, and you can play a drinking game with every time one of your favorite queens walks in. GM: Every single trope of every Christmas movie is in there, so you’re going to get exactly what you want [that you remember from your favorite] Christmas movies. But it’s going to be new, it’s going to be fresh, and it’s going to be funnier than ever before. AR: [Think of] that feeling you get when you watch a Christmas movie that you love, and after it’s finished you’re just like, “Oh yeah.” I think that this film has that in spades, and so much more. VH1’s The Bitch Who Stole Christmas airs on December 2.
