“Today 4 U,” tomorrow for Valentina!
The 27-year-old drag queen appeared onFox’s live production ofRenton Sunday, where she played a drag queen of another name — Angel Dumott Schunard, the HIV-positive drag queen and drummer at the musical’s heart.
Pamela Littky/FOX
Loosely based on the operaLa Boheme,Jonathan Larson’s Tony- and Pulitzer-winning rock musicalRenttells the story of a group of New York City artists dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1989. In addition to Valentina, the Fox production also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Jordan Fisher, Brandon Victor Dixon, Brennin Hunt, Tinashe, Kiersey Clemons, and R&B singer Mario.
Here’s everything you need to know about Valentina.
1. She competed on the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race
VH1
On the show, Valentina described her drag performance as “very dramatic, very theatrical and always very Latina.”
Despite a strong start at the beginning of the competition, Valentina was eliminated in episode 9, when she couldn’t remember the words during the lip sync battle. She was crowned season 9’s Miss Congeniality, a cash prize awarded to a fan favorite.
2. She came back for season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
Benjamin Lennox/VH1
After making waves in her season, Valentina was back in the Werk Room for the fourth season ofAll Starsalong with Latrice Royale, Naomi Smalls and Farrah Moan — with whom she clashed on their season ofDrag Race. The show is currently airing on VH1.
Valentina told her followers onInstagramthat although she was offered a spot on the third season ofAll Stars, she turned it down because she was in a “sad and lonely mental place” at the time. “What helped me get back to a good place was you, you always kept believing in me and kept holding me high,” she captioned a post.
Sadly, Valentina was eliminated fromAll Starson Friday’s episode — just two days beforeRentlive.
3. She had little experience with drag performing before the reality show
While manyDrag Racecontestants come in with years of experience, Valentina said she only had 10 months of professional drag performance under her belt when she joined the Emmy-winning VH1 reality competition.
She did have years of training in singing, dancing and acting beforeDrag Race, though, as she studied performing arts in college, according to theNew York Times.
4. She’s starred in other projects — and released music since the show
Santiago Felipe/Getty
Valentina released a single, “A Prueba de Todo,” in 2018. The same year, she appeared on an episode ofAmerica’s Next Top Modelto give tips to the contestants.
In addition, she’s also voiced a character named Arugula on WOW Presents Plus’ animated series,Drag Tots, alongside executive producers RuPaul.
5. Her Rent character has helped her “be a better person”
In an emotional post on Instagram, Valentina opened up about the “honor” of playing Angel inRent. “Angel has now become my angel that guides me to be a better person,” she wrote. “I’m diving into this role whole heartedly [sic] with all the love she deserves. A big shout out to all the Angel Stars that have come before me, I’m so blessed to be a part of theRENTfamily.” She ended her post with a special shout out to Dixon, who plays Tom, Angel’s love interest.
source: people.com
