The Kings of Joy Show — Episode 5 (Season 2) Guest: Jules Billington aka Golden Boy Brad transcript
Finding Freedom Through Drag Kinging | Jules Billington
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Danica: Ever looked in the mirror and thought, "I'd make a damn fine Drag King"? Welcome to Kings of Joy, the Drag King podcast where gender isn't something to fear, it's something to play with. I'm Danica Lani, The King Coach, mentor to over 150 first-time Drag Kings, and I'm taking you backstage into the unruly, magical world of Drag King transformation. If you're craving confidence, community, and a crew that gets it, you just found your crown. Connect with us on Instagram at kings.of.joy for behind-the-scenes content and updates. We'd love to hear from you.
At Kings of Joy, we acknowledge and pay our respects to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, work, and play.
In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Jules Billington, aka Golden Boy Brad. A NIDA graduate, Jules works as an actor, director, and performance and movement coach. They currently star in Cowbois, a rollicking queer western playing at the Seymour Centre. As an award-winning actor, they have received a Green Room Award for Best Performance in an Independent Production. Jules is passionate about nurturing emerging artists and is proud to have taught at NIDA, Actors Centre Australia, and Sydney Actors School.
Welcome Jules, aka Golden Boy Brad.
Jules Billington: Thank you, yeah, to The Kings of Joy Show. It's great to be here. Thanks for having me.
Danica: Oh, what a pleasure. Yeah, thanks for putting yourself in the hot seat so we could talk about gender, performance, self-expression, community.
Jules Billington: Yes. All the good things.
Danica: All the good things. Exactly. So let's dive straight into your origin story as a Drag King. Why did you want to become a Drag King?
Jules Billington: Well, I was on a gender journey, to use your words, Danica. I love those words. And it kind of began — well, I mean, how long's a piece of string? I had been watching these very brave people claim they/them pronouns, and I had been watching this happen in my industry in the performing arts for a while. So like, since 2020, since even pre-COVID.
And I remember having these thoughts of irritation, jealousy, where I was like — why would you? There was this thing inside me that was so clearly interested in owning that and was terrified to at the same time.
And without getting too long-winded, I come from a slightly different generation where at drama school it was: you've got to be hyper-fem. If you happen to be gay, goodness knows you have to hide it as best you can. And you have to play, if you're AFAB, hyper-masculine or hyper-feminine.
And so I was watching people rebel against that in the performing arts world, equally intrigued and sort of semi-enraged by that. How dare they have that freedom when clearly it was something deep down that I desperately wanted?
And I got offered the chance of playing a role where the character was non-binary. And so it was my first experience of hearing they/them pronouns used in my direction for my character. And I had been working with Becks Blake, and Becks had been obviously a legend in the Drag King scene.
And so part of my gender journey was going, "What is this thing of Drag Kinging? And is that something that is going to open up a door for me? Is that a safe place for me to do some exploring and some expressing?" And Becks was like, "Hell yeah, it is. Come on out to the club. You've got to talk to Danica. She's the person to go to."
And so then I had — I think we had our little fifteen-minute Zoom meeting and I'd signed up to Gold Stars straight after that, and then, you know, quick succession after that. And I have performed as Golden Boy Brad a couple of times now, which is just so much fun.
Danica: What was that experience like of being in that first group?
Jules Billington: Magic, because you're doing your first time with other people doing their first time. And there's something really safe and equal footing about that. You facilitate a structure really beautifully, really well. You meet once a week over — I think it's six weeks or eight weeks?
Danica: Five. Yeah.
Jules Billington: Thank you. And over that time you really develop some close bonds with these people. And you share some things about yourself as much as you feel comfortable in. You get to explore movement. You get to explore really owning the masculinity that might already be inside you. And it's a joyous but really safe, inclusive experience.
Danica: Beautiful. I remember seeing Golden Boy Brad start to develop. Can you introduce us to him?
Jules Billington: So, Golden Boy Brad — he's a surfer from the Sunny Coast and he's just got a golden heart, eh? Golden Boy Brad suddenly discovered that he might be attractive to some of the womenfolk when he rescued a cat out of a tree, fireman style. And he got snapped by someone and was like, "Oh, all right. Okay. Maybe I do have something to offer."
So he's a surfer. My first performance as Golden Boy Brad was just in a wetsuit. And the glorious moment when you unzip the wetsuit and you get to pull it off and reveal an enjoyable surfer boy chest was really exciting, even back when I first did it pre-top surgery, right?
And the joy of kind of the freedom of that feeling and tape. And I think there's something about the wetsuit as well which, with the taping, felt really affirming chest-wise and gender-wise. And thankfully since then I have had the privilege to be able to afford and the emotional affordability and safety to then get top surgery, which is just the best thing ever.
Danica: Wow. Wow. Very, very good. And were you part of that Kings of Joy crew where we did a trans masc vibe?
Jules Billington: Yes. Yes. Yes. It was, I think it was a Drag Kingdom night. It was a Drag Kingdom night and you were getting a bunch of people back together. You were rehashing NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye," which is what Chris did for their top surgery fundraiser.
Danica: Correct. Yes.
Jules Billington: Because you're saying bye bye bye to the titties.
Danica: Exactly. Yeah.
Jules Billington: With water balloons that we burst on stage. And yeah, so we did this boy band version and so Golden Boy Brad wore clothes and, you know, jeans and white t-shirt, white sneakers, learned the choreography for that, which is a hoot. It's a scream. Yeah. And yeah, really that enjoyable quintessential moment of like: white t-shirt — oh, and now I'm wet because I've exploded the water balloon and now there's water dripping down my top. Sorry, not sorry.
And this is one of the joyous things about Kings of Joy is that we're encouraged to play and celebrate our sexuality as well as our gender. And so there's a freedom of celebration of that stuff as well, which, for some people, that's the only place in their life where they kind of feel like they're allowed to do that. So I think it's another really good attribute that you offer.
Danica: Permission giving.
Jules Billington: Yes.
Danica: And creating space for that.
Jules Billington: Exactly.
Danica: I love that. That's so good. And I have to confess, I have a secret fantasy of having that "Bye Bye Bye" routine done somewhere epic, like with 40 Drag Kings on the steps of the Opera House in the rain, something iconic like that.
Jules Billington: Well, we can arrange that. We've got to figure out how to do that. So yes, that would be something very fun.
Danica: What else has opened up for you since becoming a Drag King or since going through that programme? I know you've been on this gender journey and how has that impacted your life?
Jules Billington: It's impacted every aspect of my life and not necessarily only in easy ways, but definitely overall for the best. I am no longer that cranky, self-kind-of-irritated person when I see excellently courageous young people claiming different pronouns for themselves or exploring their gender identity.
The more I've followed that little inner voice of owning what it is to be non-binary for me, everything has just become about following my freedom. So the first thing I knew I wanted to do was get a hysterectomy — get rid of the period landscape because I've always loathed and hated that. So it was like, I knew I wanted to do that. Freedom — top surgery.
Then again, I managed to get an ad which threw a stupid amount of advertising money in my lap, and all of that went towards the fees for top surgery.
Danica: Amazing. Congratulations.
Jules Billington: Thank you. And so it's been about following what feels free. And we know, don't we, Danica, that just because you're following your freedom doesn't necessarily mean everyone around you is going to applaud that. Because systems and society, capitalism, patriarchy, all benefit from keeping people inside boxes, and freedom's the opposite of that, right?
So it's been an adventure. There's been resistance, but on the whole, the majority of this experience has been one of celebration and affirmation.
And so this journey has led to a very special production that we've both had the chance to work on, which is Cowbois. Charlie Josephine is the playwright. They are a trans masc playwright from the UK and they have written an incredible script where the lead character is a trans masc genderqueer cowboy outlaw.
And so to go from where I was at in drama school, where I was quite literally being told to wear lipstick and heels to voice class, to being able to be in a play where I get to play someone trans masc and the story isn't just about them being trans masc. It's about the celebration of the love that that person can have. And the freedom that comes with choosing yourself is a huge leap and bound.
It's something I genuinely never thought would happen ever, let alone in my lifetime. And it's just a real privilege to work on that. And it's also really hot to work on that with choreography that you've done, Danica.
Danica: That has been an absolute joy to work on that play. And the cast has been incredible because not only is there one featuring trans masc cowboy, there's three roles for genderqueer people, which is unheard of and so fantastic.
Jules Billington: And credit to Charlie for writing this in the script and also Kate Gaul, who's the director and the producer of it. It was non-negotiable that those roles would be played by trans masc performers, right? It was just non-negotiable. Which is a really wonderful thing that I applaud.
And the experience of getting to perform this play has been a beautiful marriage of my queer identity — which, you know, I've got a wonderful queer community, they're very supportive, but they're kind of over here — and then my performance community and my work and my industry over here.
And the amazing thing is that these two communities are kind of coming together and watching me kind of fuse into the most truthful, honest, happiest, and authentic version of my whole self has kind of come together in this moment with this production. So I wake up so proud, so stoked, so humbled, and so overjoyed that I get to perform this show.
Danica: Yeah, I'm also feeling very proud of it. And I also love the intersectionality of people of colour as well that's been written into the script and played as well. So there's lots of really good benefits of seeing that show.
Jules Billington: Yeah, it's beautiful. And Faith Chaza, who plays another one of the genderqueer humans — they just, they are a joy to be on stage and play opposite and light up against. And the journey of their character is one of discovery. And the entire audience just bursts into applause and eruption of yee-haws and also tears of joy that this person is truly finding their own identity and finding the courage to express that.
And I know that's dear to your heart because that's precisely the mission of Kings of Joy.
Danica: Yes. And it's what I see every group that comes through is people exploring gender and then being able to claim it on their own terms. So yeah, very important. What would you say to any aspiring Drag Kings who might be listening today?
Jules Billington: Dive in. Dive in and do it. If you have that little lure inside you that is making you go, "What if?", trust it. Follow it. The other voice of fear or "I'll be laughed at" or "Maybe this is a bit silly" or "Yeah, later, but now I don't have the time" — don't listen to that. Just dive in.
It is the biggest gift you will give yourself to be in a safe, celebratory, joyous environment where you can explore and play and really feel seen for potentially — it's like, you know how ferns in the forest as they unfurl, like that nearest, closest, greenest baby leaf? I know what that is, that little voice. And it's like in Kings of Joy you get the chance to just unfurl that really vulnerable but so beautiful inner part of yourself in a way where you are held and supported and seen. So go and do it.
Danica: That's so beautiful. Yeah. My commitment is to provide support and resources for people to go on that journey. And one of the things I've put together is a free downloadable guide for coming up with your Drag King name because that can be a really good place to start and a fun one.
Jules Billington: And a fun one.
Danica: Yeah, exactly. You can workshop it with your friends and your chosen family. So yeah, you can go to danicalani.com/dragkingname and download that guide in four simple steps for how to come up with your Drag King name.
But I was curious to see what Jules and maybe Golden Boy Brad might say about — if I gave you a magic wand, what would a thriving Drag King scene look like?
Jules Billington: One of support. One of support and community. And I think you're onto something with Bois Night Out, which is a new monthly Drag King extravaganza. I think it's easy to kind of do this thing and think that it's a one-off and a flash in the pan. And we've got to remember that joy and celebration is not a luxury. It's an essential part of our lives. And we are healthiest when we get to play and celebrate and share joy with each other.
So a vibrant community is one where there's regular connection, regularly getting together. And we grow that way. We support each other. We expand. You come up with new routines. You try out new things. Yeah, a vibrant community of people that lean in and say yes.
Danica: Ooh, yes. And "yes, and," correct?
Jules Billington: So great.
Danica: Thanks so much for being here today, Jules. I so appreciate you.
Jules Billington: Appreciate you. Appreciate all you do for us and for this community. So, thank you.
