Meet Freddy Prinze Charming

Today we’d like to introduce you to Freddy Prinze Charming.

Freddy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began performing as Freddy nearly fifteen years ago. I’d been on stage ever since I was a little kid. School plays, church plays, choir, you name it. When I started presenting as a more masculine woman, I found it was harder to find roles that fit me. I wasn’t comfortable in super feminine roles, and there really wasn’t any queer theatre around when I was in college and a young adult. I’d been familiar with drag queens for a long time, but didn’t get to see my first drag king until Tucson Pride, 2004ish? I remember thinking, huh, I think I could do that! But I had no idea how to get started. Then I read the book ‘Tipping the Velvet’ and watched the BBC miniseries, and I knew that male impersonation was what I wanted to do. But it was still a couple of years before I had an opportunity. In 2005, I auditioned to become a part of a drag king troupe ‘Dragstar’, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Since beginning my transition in 2014 I’ve felt more comfortable playing with gender and gender expression, and I love what my drag has evolved into recently, and I honestly feel that by stepping outside of the typical drag king “box” has opened so many more doors for me, as far as performance opportunities.

I have been so fortunate throughout my tenure to have won numerous titles, awards, and accolades, both on a local and national level, and doing what I do has allowed me different avenues to mentor, educate, and to hopefully expand people’s minds.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an AFAB (Assigned Female at Birth) entertainer in an AMAB (Assigned Male at Birth) dominated world definitely has its struggles. There is a great deal of misogyny in the LGBTQ+ community, and AFAB performers are still fighting for equal visibility.

When I started over a decade ago, it was a huge struggle for drag kings to get any recognition, much less the same visibility and recognition as drag queens. You had to fit a certain mould, look and act a certain way, and “get in good” with the “top queen” in your town in order to get anywhere. These days, it’s a little easier thanks to dragging becoming more mainstream, but we’re fighting the “drag kings are boring”, “drag kings don’t care about theatrics or costuming” stereotypes that we’ve been fighting for years.

Being a transgender man, society expects me to be this uber masculine individual, so when I step outside of that and perform in corsets and heels and over the top makeup I get a lot of “I guess it’s cool, but I just don’t get it. You became a man just to turn around and act like a woman?” Luckily, there are some amazingly inclusive outlets like the Austin International Drag Festival where entertainers of ALL types can be seen and feel validated.

Please tell us about your work.
Being Freddy has afforded me so many amazing opportunities over the years. I co-host a live, weekly webcast with Felicia Minor called Let’s Have a Fefe that is about to go into its 8th season! Felicia and I also host a monthly Drag Bingo + Cats at La Gattara, a local cat lounge in Tempe. I’ve been able to travel the country, perform at Pride events, and be visible to kids who may think there’s no one like them out there. I’ve recently gotten involved in the official Drag Queen Story Hours here in Phoenix, which I absolutely love! Books and reading have always been a huge part of my life so being able to share that with kids is absolutely amazing. In the years I’ve been performing as Freddy I’ve been able to help raise tens of thousands of dollars for local organizations and charities. I also produce a unique show in Phoenix (that is currently trying to find a new home!) called Spotlight, which is still the only show in Arizona to incorporate group production numbers, burlesque, and a very inclusive cast, into every themed show.

I’m still the most decorated king in Arizona, and have been honored to hold titles like Mister Arizona USofA MI Emeritus, Mister Phoenix Pride 2011, Mister Arizona USofA MI Classic Emeritus, Mister King of the Desert USofA MI Classic, and Mister USofA MI Classic, which is the national title that I won in March. I’ve had the privilege of being Echo Magazine’s Outstanding Drag King four times and was the first drag king inducted into their Hall of Fame. While titles and other accolades are nice and look good on a resume, it’s for all the opportunities I mentioned above that I do this. I love mentoring, and being visible during a time when being a part of a marginalized community can be scary.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew up overseas, predominantly in Southeast Asia, and my favorite thing about my childhood was experiencing all the amazing culture and FOOD. I’m a huge foodie and love for good food and good flavor, and there really isn’t anything that measures up to Asian street food. The culture, the traveling, the dozens of stamps in my passports. Those were definitely my favorite things about my childhood.

Contact Info:

• Website: freddyprinzecharming.com
• Email: freddy@freddyprinzecharming.com
• Instagram: freddypcharming
• Facebook: fb.com/freddy.prinze.charming

Image Credit:
Paulann Egelhoff, Shelly Love Creative, Scotty Kirby, Jeremiah Toller

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