Billy Eichner 'actively pursued' Symone for Bros role after seeing her on RuPaul's Drag Race

Billy Eichner says his queer romantic comedy Bros wouldn't have been complete without the sisterly stylings of RuPaul's Drag Race winner Symone.

The writer-star of the groundbreaking studio-backed gay rom-com exclusively confirms to EW that he "actively pursued" the Drag Race season 13 champion for an out-of-drag role after witnessing her talent explode across the 2021 season of the Emmy-winning reality competition series.

"When I saw Symone, who I think is such a superstar, I thought, I want a place for Symone in Bros. I was thinking of the roles we had and I didn't know if she'd be interested in playing a character that was out of drag, but I thought, why not use this as an opportunity?" Eichner says in a solo interview tied to our Pride cover story on Bros and Joel Kim Booster's fellow gay-centric rom-com Fire Island. "These are just great performers in drag and out of drag, they're great personalities. Symone, in particular, is so special and has so much star power, so we asked Symone to audition."

The Drag Race winner appears in Bros out of drag in a small role as an acquaintance of Eichner's character, Bobby Leiber, a famous podcaster and founder of the film's fictional LGBTQ history museum. Symone is, naturally, the object of affection for a couple among Bobby's friend group, who attempt to bring her into their circle of intimacy.

Symone, who also walked the carpet at Vogue's 2021 Met Gala, joined the film alongside a particularly historic cast for a studio production, with all of the principal roles — even the "straight" ones — being played by openly queer performers like Luke Macfarlane, Ts Madison, Monica Raymund, Guy Branum, Harvey Fierstein, Bowen Yang, Miss Lawrence, Dot-Marie Jones, and more.

For Eichner, assembling this cast was an opportunity to lift up queer people from all corners of the industry who've had to fight for equity in Hollywood. He was also able to introduce them to male power players like Bros producer Judd Apatow and director Nick Stoller, who were introduced to Symone thanks to Eichner's passion for spotlighting the talent pool Drag Race has to offer — one that is rarely celebrated on the level of a major studio film at a company like Universal.

"Nick wasn't as familiar with Symone because he wasn't watching Drag Race," Eichner recalls. "He didn't even know Symone was from Drag Race, and he texted me and said, 'Symone is the best one,' and I said, 'Yes, I know, I'm fully aware. I don't even need to watch the audition tape.'"

Read the full Bros and Fire Island cover story for more information on the new films.

Subscribe toEW's BINGE podcast for full recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including weekly All Stars 7 recaps and reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.

Related content:

• The rise of the gay rom-com: Fire Island's Joel Kim Booster & Bros' Billy Eichner redefine the genre
• Billy Eichner's LGBTQ+ cast shatters rom-com history in Bros trailer: 'Love is love… that is bulls---!'
• In RuPaul's Drag Race winner Symone, a star is born: 'I want to rule the world'