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John Leguizamo, Patrick Swayze, and Wesley Snipes portrayed three drag queens in the filmTo Wong Foo, Thanks for Everthing! Julie Newmar. The road movie follows the three New York City drag queens as they embark on a journey to Los Angeles to compete in the Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant. While all three lead actors gave praiseworthy performances, Leguizamo found the late Swayze difficult to work with during the film.
Leguizamo revealed that he improvised many of his lines in the film, which didn’t sit well with theRoad Housestar. He also added that he and Wesley Snipes got along so well during the film since they were people of color, but didn’t share the same camaraderie with Swayze.
John Leguizamo Found It Difficult To Work With A ‘Neurotic’ Patrick Swayze
InTo Wong Foo,Wesley Snipes‘ Noxeema Jackson andPatrick Swayze‘s Vida Boheme are drag queens tied for the win in New York City’s Drag Queen of the Year. When they get a chance to appear in a bigger event in Los Angeles, they decide to take along an inexperienced protégé Chi Chi Rodriguez, played byJohn Leguizamo.
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TheJohn Wickactor opened up about his role in the film during an interview with Andy Cohen onRadio Andy – SiriusXM 102. Leguizamo shared with Cohen that theGhostactor was difficult to work with due to his neurotic behavior on set. WhileThe Lincoln Lawyeractor admitted that he too was somewhat neurotic on the set, Swayze was a tiny bit insecure about his co-stars.
He revealed that he had a good relationship with Snipes on the set. Swayze’s biggest problem was that Leguizamo was constantly improvising his lines. Leguizamo shared withAndy Cohen:
“Rest in peace, I love him. He was just neurotic and I’m not… you know, I’m neurotic too but, I don’t know. He was just… it was difficult working with him. Just neurotic, I think maybe a tiny bit insecure. And then Wesley and I, we vibed because we’re people of color and we got each other. And I’m also an improviser, and [Patrick] didn’t like that.”
Leguizamo further shared thattheDirty Dancingactor got madat set because he“couldn’t keep up”with the other two lead actors. Swayze would often question Leguizamo’s improvised lines during takes. He would then ask him to say the line the way it was in the script. TheWacoactor would then refuse to do so, sharing that the director Beeban Kidron would want him to keep improvising the lines. He shared:
“He’d be like, ‘Are you gonna say a line like that?’ I’d go, ‘You know me. I’m gonna do me. I’m gonna just keep making up lines.’ He goes, ‘Well, can you just say the line the way it is?’ I go, ‘I can’t. And the director [Beeban Kidron] didn’t want me to.’”
The little conflict ultimately didn’t affect the movie at all. Swayze was one of the last actors to be considered for the role of Vida. Many A-listers were in the running for the role, includingRobert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman, Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, andTom Cruise.
John Leguizamo SaysTo Wong FooIs A Very Important Film In Gender Awareness
Patrick Swayze received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, while John Leguizamo was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor category. While they didn’t win the awards, another recognition is enough for Leguizamo to be proud of his film. He shared thatTo Wong Foois a“very important film”as it helpeda lot of transgender and LGBTQ+ kids to feel confident.
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He shared that these people, who are a little older now, would share with him that the film gave them the confidence to come out to their parents. Leguizamo shared that the film was a success as an art since it gave people courage and taught them empathy. He shared:
“A lot of transgender kids and LGBTQ+ kids come up to me who are now a little older and say because of that character they felt confident to come out to their parents. That’s what art is supposed to do. Art is supposed to give people courage. Art is supposed to teach people empathy. That’s what I got in the business for.”
The film, made on a budget of $30 million, grossed $47.8 million at the global box office (via Box Office Mojo). While critics had a mixed response to the storyline, they unanimously agreed that the three leads were phenomenal in their roles.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmaris now available for streaming on Tubi.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
