If You’re Feeling Sinister: A’Whora’s Villain Origin Story

“It’s just a fascination of being what you're not - I know I'm not this evil person, and I know I'm not this absolute bitch 24/7.” A’Whora, out of drag known as George Boyle, commands the FaceTime camera in our interview wearing an Elphaba green bodysuit and matching elbow length gloves. “But I also know that when I'm George, I'm not intimidating at all. No one's scared of me, no one dreads me walking into a room. A’Whora is the fantasy of being intimidating, of using drag as a way to be everything that I'm not.”

Boyle, who grew up in Nottinghamshire and made his way down south to study at the London College of Fashion long before he became A’Whora, found that instead of the threatening alter-ego that is his drag persona, his Northern charm would be their way to succeed in the capital city. Hailing from up North from a working class background, A’Whora tells me, was a blessing and curse. 

“It was always harder trying to get to where I wanted to be mainly due to not being taken seriously. Because of the way I spoke, just because I have a certain accent, I felt like I had to prove myself and change who I was and dress a certain way to make it.” She explains, “Other students were all designer clothing every day and wearing the latest trends, and I was still there with my Bon Marche grandma cardigan that I bought at a charity shop, trying to make the ‘thrifty vibe’ work.”

Still, A’Whora found herself using her differences to her advantage. London was an unfriendly place to be compared to her hometown, but she refused to back down on being affable just to blend in. Repeatedly in our chat, she emphasises her pride in being from a working class background, and that others should be proud of their roots too. In fact, this is one of the reasons A’Whora applied for her place on RuPaul’s Drag Race in the first place. 

“I wanted to prove to you that no matter where I’m from, I'm still gonna fucking kill the game.” She elaborates, “That's what the show is all about - we all have backstories, and we're all from different places, and I think that's quite special. Drag Race brings so many people from different communities and realms of life together to create magic.”

A’Whora is keen to impress that while Drag Race definitely brought a multitude of trolls and tribulations to her door, the plan was clear from the start: she would be filling a villain role. A position she was more than happy to make her own. 

“I knew when I was going into it I was going to be put as the villain, I knew that for a fact.” She describes, “You can't boil everything down to edit but at the end of the day: I got the villain role by saying the things that I say. You know, the things I said about the ASOS jacket, the fish and chips - it all comes down to how I act as much as the edit, but the edit highlights some moments more than others.”

“But I didn't know the edit would change how I was portrayed - I thought ‘I'm gonna be the villain from start to end and I’ll probably end up like Phi Phi O'Hara.’” A’Whora continues, “But really, I was very happy that they got to show my story, and show who I actually am as a person; not just who my drag act is. Because that’s what it is - an act. I'm very happy that the world has finally come to see me at all angles.”

For many - like the aforementioned Phi Phi - being the baddie is a struggle. For A’Whora, villains were always her favourite character, and playing the part of one was a childhood fantasy come to life. “Growing up when I watched kids films, the princess is always the same character,” She relates, “But the one you always remember is the evil bitch - who did what she wanted and didn't get her own way in the end - I guess that's me because I didn't even win! I like villains because their stories are open ended, and we can go even further than a straightforward happy ending.”

The real A’Whora, or rather, the George Boyle beneath the drag, still managed to sneak her way through to the screen on her Drag Race run and shines bright throughout our interview. Any negative asides about the situations she has found herself in always get followed up with the positive points that more than make up for any indiscretions. 

Instead of rehashing what has already been said about A’Whora and her Drag Race peers' experiences with trolls, we discussed the legions of fans that have reached out since the show’s release. Between those looking to explore drag, those looking to take up fashion design and those who just appreciate A’Whora’s art, one story stands out.

“When we released UK Hun, a little boy’s mother reached out whose son was struggling with speech impairment, and couldn't speak properly, and he hasn't ever really spoken. He's like, five now and I don't think he's ever put a sentence together. But he started to sing the “bing bang bong” just out of the blue and they’re his first words - Bing Bang Bong! That was really game changing for us and one of the most inspiring stories.” 

A’Whora continues, describing why this story cut close to home, “My nephew is the same - he doesn’t speak and he's nearly three years old. He can make some noises but can't say a single word, so you know, for this story to happen for a kid like that -  you don't understand how much it means to me to hear my nephew speak - so I can't imagine how thankful the woman is just for us dancing around on stage singing ‘Bing Bang Bong.’”

With the show’s finale days away and the villain edit coming to an end, A’Whora is seeing the series finishing as a beginning, rather than an end. “I'm finally in control of my own edit and what I wanna put out there and be perceived as.” She celebrates, “I can choose my own direction, and not be building a career off challenges I’m set each week, you know?”

Whether she winds up as a Maleficent, a Cruella, or a redeemed Disney character all of her own making, the world is waiting with bated breath to make the A’Whora origin story a blockbuster.

Words: Gina Tonic | Photography: Megan Winstone

If you enjoyed this feature, access over 15 months of similar stories, editorials, art and more in our membership platform The Dollhouse by signing up here.

A’Whora is wearing Beats Flex and this feature is in collaboration with Beats by Dre. If you’d like to hear more from A’Whora, listen to her playlist with Beats on Apple Music