“Every Singer is an actress” - Chappell Roan reveals John Waters encouraged her to consider acting

Chappell Roan, the singer and songwriter known for her drag queen-influenced aesthetics, has journeyed from being an unknown to international fame, winning in the Best New Artist category at the Grammy Awards. The 27-year-old singer recently shared that she met her idol, actor-filmmaker John Waters.

In an interview with W Magazine, Chappell Roan was asked if her newfound fame had led to film offers. Sharing a memory, she replied that American filmmaker and actor John Waters had encouraged her to consider acting.

“I met John Waters last night, which was insane. One of my idols! And I was talking about how there are only so many ‘firsts’ you can have with your career, and he said, ‘No, no, no — there are all the firsts to go through when you become an actress!’" she said.

"And I said, ‘I’m not an actress — what are you talking about?’ He said, ‘Every singer is an actress!’” added Roan.

The conversation left Chappell Roan contemplating:

“OK, maybe I am! D*mn! If John Waters says I’m an actress, maybe I am!”

During a recent appearance on the Las Culturistas podcast, singer Chappell Roan discussed the artistic and personal impact John Waters and drag culture have had on her development. Speaking with hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, Chappell Roan explained that growing up in Missouri, she lacked exposure to queer culture, which made her first drag show a surprisingly jarring experience. Her comments echo previous mentions of Waters, especially as she promotes her new single, The Giver, which is expected to serve as a hotly-anticipated follow-up to her Grammy-winning debut, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

“That has taken a long time for me to be like, that is in my blood now. And to realize all of that, how it freaked me out at first, was really just me not having any gay culture at all expressed in my life whatsoever,” shared the singer, per The Wrap.

“I had no idea who John Waters was, and it was so cool to see a whole community of people being gross on purpose for the sake of pearl-clutching. That is amazing to me.” she added.

How Chappell Roan managed failure

Kayleigh Rose Amstutz professionally took her stage name Chappell Roan after her grandfather Dennis Chappell and his favourite song (Marty Robbins’ The Strawberry Roan). Roan was raised in a strict Christian Household in Willard, Missouri. Her family attended church three days a week, and she was part of Bible camp.

In her hometown, Kayleigh was simply “the girl who could sing.” At 17, she signed a record deal, but her debut EP, School Nights in 2017, didn’t land, and neither did 2020’s Pink Pony Club, a queer anthem set in a West Hollywood bar. Dropped by her label, Chappell Roan returned to Missouri, took on day jobs, and quietly began rebuilding. Inspired by drag culture, she crafted a bold new persona — glittery, unapologetically queer, and performance-driven. When she returned to Los Angeles, she teamed up with producer Dan Nigro, known for his work with Olivia Rodrigo, and finally found her footing.

In her interview with W magazine, Chappell Roan was asked about her grit and endurance, and how she managed to keep hope alive even after the first record deal was canceled.

"Whenever I was working at my part-time jobs, like nannying or the drive-through or doughnut shop, I kept hope alive because I knew I was really good. I knew I had to just give it one more year. And I got that courage by, honestly, just being in hell for a very long time," she explained

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She added:

"I was like, this sucks so bad, but keep going. Every day I would think, Keep going, even if there was no sight of any light at the end of the tunnel. Zero! But I was like, what if it’s just around the corner? What if I stopped the day before that something is meant to happen? So I just kept going, and here we are!"

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