How did you end up on Queer Eye?

I had an interview for it at the end of 2016. I did not think I was ever going to get it. I just thought that with the way that I look—because I have longer hair, I’m a little bit more hippie-ish, I have a looser edge—I wasn’t a classic groomer. I always find I’m looking a little bit schlubby because I'm getting everyone else cute. I think I just thought someone who would seem like a more classic barber would fit the bill. When I walked into Queer Eye, I was like, Well, you probably won't get it. You audition terribly. You get really nervous. But I also thought, Maybe that won't be the case. This wasn't the time to be a wallflower. It almost felt like cheer tryouts, which I relate everything back to because I was a cheerleader in high school. The goal here though was to make Queer Eye instead of the squad.

Once I got there and realized the log line was turning red states pink, one makeover at a time. I come from a very conservative town where I was very bullied, so to get to do hair in places like that, and be a part of moving this conversation forward, I was so passionate about that. I was very like, Oh, my God, I really want this. I think that every "no" and every audition that I didn’t get I think really prepared me well to get this job.

And now that you have the job, is it everything you hoped it would be?

As I was driving here today, I was like, You’re literally going to shoot a spread for Glamour. You’re in the [Hollywood] Hills. I just got back from New York shooting another dream job. Like, What is this? I remember being an assistant and having 18,000 bags and getting up at 4:30 in the morning and looking like death was right behind me so that I could get screamed at on set for 12 hours.

You're super close with all the guys, but if you hadn't met them in the audition process, who do you think you would have hit it off with?

I love everyone so much, but Tan and Antoni are like my conscience. I call Tan all the time. And Antoni and I hang out every Wednesday. We go to the gym, grocery store, shop, and then go to his house by like six to beat the traffic. His boyfriend comes home and we watch TV, and I’m usually passed out on the couch at 7:30.

What's been the biggest misconception about you?

This whole experience has made me think more about perception. I steer clear of [the] comments [section]. I would say I think one thing would be the observation that the way I act is homo-normative, that I’m too flamboyant or too much of a caricature of what a gay person is. That's criticism and feedback I’ve had since my time on Gay of Thrones. [There's this] misconception that [my personality] is not authentic. I think it is a misconception that people who are flamboyant and really feminine can’t have depth or be smart or have opinions.

What makeover on the show was the most satisfying for you?

Definitely Neal [Reddy]. His was really fun, because I could do a moment with a beard, a full haircut, and really have a moment to let my craft come out.