Jameela Jamil celebrates ballroom culture: ‘I feel very proud to be part of the show’
The voguing competition show “Legendary” celebrates the underground ballroom community that has been around for decades. Actress Jameela Jamil is a judge on the HBO Max series and tells Yahoo Entertainment, “So much of what we love from fashion, art, music, dance, language — where all of it comes from, it comes from the ballroom community.” Jamil admits that many people, including herself, were first exposed to ballroom from Madonna’s “Vogue” video in 1990. She and MC Dashaun Wesely, who’s also a dancer and iconic figure in the ballroom scene, hope to shine a new light. “The stories we see in mainstream media about this community and about young people of color, black, queer or trans are not the true stories of their existence,” Jamil says. “We don't see the art, we don't see enough of the beautiful stories and the love and the passion and the strength.” Wesley adds: “I think what this does is really give people the essence of understanding what goes on when it happens in such a major platform.”
Video Transcript
- Laurel taught me how to be me.
DASHAUN WESLEY: You're taking what people hate about you and putting it in their faces. It's empowering.
What the show does is keeps that eye into the world of what's happening in the Ballroom culture. Like a lot of people have an idea of what it is. They know where to find it a little bit, but I think what this does is really give people the essence of understanding what goes on when it happens in such a major platform. And, and also reaching out to people who may not even heard of it before.
ETHAN ALTER: Jameela, for you, what-- when was-- what was your first exposure to Ballroom? When do you remember hearing about it, and, and what are you excited to have people learn about it through the show.
JAMEELA JAMIL: Everyone outside of ballroom first heard about it from Madonna.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I started going to balls maybe four or five years ago, maybe a little bit more. Back in New York, whenever I would go there, I would always schedule to make sure I was there for a Monday night, for a Vogue Monday. I have loved the culture from afar because so much of it resonates with what I love about humanity.
ETHAN ALTER: Jameela, in in Episode 2, I was really struck by how you wrestled with your decision as a judge. Like, was it hard for you to be in that position?
JAMEELA JAMIL: It was so serious to me. And this means so much to them. And the effort they put in. This isn't like a regular game show. This isn't "America's Got Talent," where you have, like, a cool trick that you could do. Not to disparage them, but the intricacy, the timing, the costumes, and how little time they have to prepare, and what they would pull off. and to know that someone just having a bad day or being sick could lose them the chance at $100,000, felt wild to me. So I just took the responsibility maybe even too seriously. [LAUGHS]
DASHAUN WESLEY: I just think that Jameela did an amazing job. Like I said, I think-- you know, it's very hard. Because a lot of people would love to have that opportunity to sit there, but then don't know the job you have to do once you get there.
JAMEELA JAMIL: I was drunk accidentally during Episode 1, and I've never drunk alcohol before. But I-- they switched our drinks. So I'm just going to apologize now for however I behaved in the pilot.
DASHAUN WESLEY: [LAUGHS]
JAMEELA JAMIL: But just as they were about to say action, and I had nowhere I can spit it out. I wasn't going to spit it down my gown, so I had to swallow it. So I swallowed over two shots of straight liquor.
DASHAUN WESLEY: Gee!
JAMEELA JAMIL: And my face was hot throughout the entire thing.
DASHAUN WESLEY: I did not know that. [LAUGHS]
JAMEELA JAMIL: I had a hangover the next day. Can you imagine how stressed I was, and it also like when all of the controversy was going down around me.
DASHAUN WESLEY: Mhm.
JAMEELA JAMIL: And it--and the controversy kicked off on day one of the show. So I was on that stage feeling so scared, so self-conscious, and drunk. [LAUGHS]
ETHAN ALTER: Jameela, speaking to the controversy as you said, that was something that-- the backlash kicked up as soon as the show was announced. Do you wish it had been handled better? Was it difficult to have that sort of blow up on you?
JAMEELA JAMIL: It was an incorrect HBO press release that most offensively did not censor the star of the show, which is Dashaun Wesley. That's the thing that I was upset about is that I was censored in a conversation I didn't want to be censored in. I am only here as the outsider. I was here as the muscle to make sure that this show got on television. That was my role. I came in at the very end just to, to push them through that final hurdle, so that, you know.
Because unfortunately this is how television works. You need certain names, you need people with big followings so the advertisers will pay for a show. And, and networks, you know, they need some sort of level of guarantee before they decide on something because they spend a lot of money on these shows.
I completely understand the reservation around an outsider. But sadly, and I could say this as a marginalized person myself. You know, I wouldn't have maybe gotten into a show like the Good Place if the Good Place didn't already have two straight, white actors at the helm.
There's a certain kind of system of just making sure a show gets on air. And all I want to say is that it was just my honor and privilege to be a part of this show. And I'm so glad that at least now everything's been straightened out, and everyone knows the star always was and always will be, not only Ballroom, but Dashaun motherforking Wesley.
DASHAUN WESLEY: [LAUGHS]
JAMEELA JAMIL: And so, it was just--
DASHAUN WESLEY: I love how you say motherforking. I just love it.
JAMEELA JAMIL: Yeah, it was just-- that was the only thing that really like hurt me was the fact that I was censored when it was-- this is not my show. I was just here. I'm the help. That's all I am. I'm, I'm catering. I'm, I'm everyone's bitch.
DASHAUN WESLEY: Well the Ballroom scene is used to controversy--
JAMEELA JAMIL: Yeah.
DASHAUN WESLEY: --just to let you know that. [LAUGHS] So whatever is going on out there, that's just what's happening out there. And we have a, a bigger job here to do, and we, we have to come together to definitely educate those about, you know, our roles and our places here.
And, you know, I think-- you know, like I said-- like Jameela said, the press release that was released out just wasn't the correct information. And we sat down with HBO like, hey, you guys gotta-- we gotta get this correct. What's going on? You know, we can't start this off with like, you know, on this type of path in regards to anything. Because there's a reason why Jameela is here.
JAMEELA JAMIL: I freaked out when it all happened because I was like--
DASHAUN WESLEY: Yes.
JAMEELA JAMIL: --oh no, I did this to try and help the show. I didn't want to hurt the show. I didn't want to give the show any kind of bad stigma.
DASHAUN WESLEY: Mhm.
JAMEELA JAMIL: And so I said to the producers, I was like, maybe, maybe just don't have me involved. Maybe just make it them. Like, maybe get rid of me, and Dashaun and Leiomy got on the phone. And that's how I met both of them.
DASHAUN WESLEY: You are not going anywhere, baby. Uh-uh.
JAMEELA JAMIL: They were both so firm, and they told me I wasn't allowed to leave. They told me that I wasn't going anywhere, and they told me that, that I was-- they were bringing me into their family. And so that was what stopped me from walking away. And I wasn't walking away in like a tantrum. It was just, I was-- didn't want to hurt the show. All I ever wanted was to make sure that this show got made.
But at the end of the day, we all have each other's backs. It's like no working environment I've ever seen in this genre, like of reality TV.
DASHAUN WESLEY: This was like my first like hosting a television this show experience ever. It was a job that I knew I had to go for and go get and make sure I completed my tasks. And I completed the tasks.
JAMEELA JAMIL: And I cannot imagine anyone having led us through that show with more grace, with better cheekbones, with more sex appeal, and with better style. I'm [BLEEP] Dashaun Wesley's fan. I just swear to god. If you-- if you start a cult, I will join.
What is so cool is that the world is going to finally find out where so much of what we love from fashion art, music, dance, language, where all of it comes from. It comes from the Ballroom community, and it's been forking stolen by other people.
ETHAN ALTER: I think that deserves a holy shirt balls right there.
JAMEELA JAMIL: Yeah, holy motherforking shirt balls.
[LAUGHTER]
So I feel-- I feel very proud just to be a part of the show. And I'm really, honestly just the window in for the outsiders. The stories we see in mainstream media about this community and about young people of color black or queer or trans people are not the true stories of their existence. We don't see the art. We don't see enough of the beautiful stories and the love and the passion and the strength. And so that's the thing that I think legendaries really showcase it.
