Jennifer Saunders, the creator and star
of the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, says that she was
startled the first time she saw a drag impersonation of her
character.
After years off the small screen, Edina
(played by Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are back in Absolutely
Fabulous: The Movie, which opens July 22 in the United States.
“The first time we saw our drag
doubles was startling!” she
told told Michigan gay weekly PrideSource. “Because you
realize quite how small we are, and short and insignificant, when
you're standing next to your drag doubles. They're more glamorous
than we could even hope to be!”
“And occasionally with a beard!”
Lumley added.
Saunders noted that impersonations of
Patsy she saw during London Pride “were very well dressed,”
compared to previous imitations which tended to be “kind of trashy
dressing.”
“I think Patsys are becoming better
dressed, and that's quite important for Patsy, because you've gotta
start off looking good, like you've got somewhere to go. … By the
end of the night, you can be … literally spread eagle.”
Saunders added that “everything's
gotta be too small” on Edina.
“Wear shoes that literally hobble you
and costumes that strangle you,” she advised. “Remember that
Eddy has never woken and not been marked by her clothing. She's
always marked – elasticated marks everywhere on her body from her
clothes.”