Who wouldn’t want to go to a horror themed party called Queer Street?
On Saturday, July 10th, Netflix hosted an epic LGBTQ+ centric party at Brooklyn’s own C’mon Everybody in celebration of their latest horror trilogy being released, “Fear Street.” The event, titled Queer Street, not only celebrated the release of these new films that features queer characters but also wanted feature some of the best local drag performers and queer artists in commemoration. The event was kicked off with a live painting by queer street pop-artist Millie while DJ Sean McMahill was spinning tunes for guests to enjoy and kick back to. And while the music was going, guests could also enjoy some free Gay Beer, which was the perfect refresher during that hot summer Saturday.
What made this event even more memorable and exciting was that in between the live painting and DJ sets, some of the best New York drag artists came on stage to perform. The two hosts of the show were Angelica Sundae and the iconic Maddelynn Hatter (also known for being a contestant on the Boulet Brothers’ Dragula) with additional performances done by Rify Royalty and GOD COMPLEX. All four of these amazing performers showed out and performed some of the best drag you could ever see.
Along with these amazing queer icons performing at this event, some other notable appearances include Director Andrew Ahn (Director of Spa Night, Driveways and he is also directing the upcoming Bowen Yang & Joel Kim Booster Fire Island film), horror director & producer Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), and horror director Ted Geoghegan (Mohawk, We Are Still Here). On top of that, the star of the first and third Fear Street movies, Julia Rehwald, came out to support and meet some of her fans who enjoyed the films so far. And we got a chance to talk to this incredible rising star to find out how it was like making these films and how she was enjoying the Queer Street event.
The Knockturnal: What was it like filming the Fear Street films like for you?
Julia Rehwald: It was kind of crazy. It was like my first real, professional project. In total, we were in Atlanta for like 6 months from beginning to end. And it was a crazy experience because it was kind of a crash course in how to make movies. But, I was also super lucky because the crew and the cast was so great to work with. And among the main cast, I was by far the most inexperienced professionally – it felt not scary. There was such a big support group to make this not scary for me. I felt so at home and so free to be like, “Fuck yeah, let’s do it!”
The Knockturnal: And you said you were in Atlanta for six months filming this series of movies. What were some of your favorite moments while filming that you can share with us?
Julia Rehwald: Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint because somehow everyone became close and we were so tight knit for the whole journey that we had fun memories from the beginning to the end. But, I would say my favorite day on set was probably shooting the grocery store sequence. It was the most exhausting by far because it was so physical. But, I trusted Noah, who was the stunt double, so much. And we were all on the same page and wanted to make this as insane and as devastating as possible. And we were all there but it felt so safe to film as an actor. It was such a great experience. And from beginning to end, as exhausting and exhilarating as it was, everything made sense as it was happening. And we knew people were going to be upset watching it. But, we also knew that was kind of the idea. Part of what was so tough about the first movie was that you grow to really love these characters. So when they are in a very tough spot or maybe they are going to die, it makes it suck all the more.
The Knockturnal: And speaking of growing to love these characters, can you talk about what it was like for you to step into your role and your character in the film?
Julia Rehwald: Honestly, it was surprisingly not difficult. Me, Kiana, and Olivia all moved to Atlanta a few weeks before we started filming. And we all had meetings with Leigh to discuss the characters and the plot and whatnot. And I remember stepping into my first one on one with Leigh and she was like, “I feel like you know who she is. And I feel like you get it.” And I was like, “Yeah, I feel like that too.” It was kind of crazy because as an actor leading up to this, half of me is like I know I can play the preppy, cheerleader character, but I can also play the gritty, realistic, fucking fighter type of character. And then they sent me the script for this when I was reading for it. And they put both of these types in one, it was kind of crazy. And I read for it and normally I’m like let’s figure out who this girl is. And after I finished I was like I know who this girl is. I know what she wants to do. And it just worked out. I feel so lucky that that happened because it feels like such a rare thing.
The Knockturnal: And let’s talk about this event Queer Street. What is it like being at this event and being pulled onto stage by our drag artist hosts?
Julia Rehwald: I was a little nervous because being that this is the first thing I’ve had to come out for as an actor, it feels kind of crazy to go from 0 to 60. But, it also feels so nice for that opportunity to happen in such an inviting group of people. Like today, going into it, I was hoping that nobody knew who I was and nobody recognized me. But as soon as I was up there I was like, ‘Fuck yeah, these are the types of people that I’ve hung out with for the past 7 years of my life.’ This is where I feel at home and feel comfortable. And it feels nice where it’s not just, ‘look at me I’m the star of the movie.’ It’s nice to be among people who appreciate the story and who are also chill as fuck.
The Knockturnal: And what else is coming up for you that you’d like to share?
Julia Rehwald: Personally, I am starting from scratch where I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I am still in the zone of doing auditions, I am reading a couple of scripts to see what is happening next. But, it is kind of crazy that I am starting from scratch and I don’t know what’s going to happen next.
The FEAR STREET TRILOGY is an epic summer movie event releasing over three consecutive weeks in July.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 – Out Now
Fear Street Part 2: 1978 – Out Now
Fear Street Part 3: 1666 – July 16
