John Waters discusses the “ballsy” scene that made Divine “nervous”
There are a handful of collaborative partnerships in cinema that have transcended the medium. While the workings of Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro and Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks are well noted in mainstream film, in independent cinema, few partnerships were as brilliant as the one between filmmaker John Waters and performer and actor Divine.
After becoming part of the drag and counterculture scene in Baltimore in the 1960s, Divine befriended Waters and joined the director’s Dreamlanders acting troupe, appearing in his early short films. From there, Divine took on a number of female roles as Waters began to make feature-length films like Mondo and Multiple Maniacs.
Before long, Divine had established himself as a significant figure in American drag and counterculture, especially after the success of Waters’ admittedly shocking 1972 film Pink Flamingos. Even with that notoriety, though, as well as a certain confidence on stage and in front of the camera, there were still things that seemed to make Divine scared.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Waters had spoken of a time at which even Divine, who had frequently gone to great lengths to deliver some of the most shocking and striking acting performances of the 20th century, seemed to be nervous about getting ready to film a particular scene.
The film in question was Waters’ 1974 dark comedy movie Female Trouble, also starring David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole and Edith Massey, all of whom were regular collaborators with the iconic director. Divine plays renegade high school student Dawn Davenport, who begins a life of attempted glamour and crime after running away from home.
Eventually, after one hell of a life, including the birth and abuse of a young daughter, a fake career in modelling and the severing of her mother-in-law’s hand, Dawn Davenport finds herself in prison after committing some serious crimes, including several murders and is confined to her death in the electric chair.
According to Waters, the electric chair used in the scene had to be “carried through the yard of a real prison in Maryland to film it”. Upon seeing the chair, the real prisoners of Maryland, who had already seen the gas chamber that was still in the prison, were calling out to Waters and Divine, “They’re bringing that back? Not the electric chair, too!”.
Dressed completely in drag in front of all the prisoners of the 1970s, Divine might have been justified in feeling a little on edge, which Waters admitted he certainly was. The director explained, “Divine was very nervous, walking in drag and carrying an electric chair across the yards of the Maryland prison. That’s pretty ballsy.”
A very ballsy move indeed from the legendary actor, singer and drag queen, but even though he was nervous, it was just another moment of brilliance from Divine. After all, throughout his working partnership with Water, there wasn’t a thing that Divine didn’t do, particularly in Pink Flamingos, in which his character wanted to prove herself to be “the filthiest person alive”.
Perhaps there was a comfort in performing in the safety of a stage or in front of a camera, but the moment Divine carried the electric chair through the Maryland prison for Female Trouble, it was definitely a moment at which his hair stood on end, just as those of the prisoners had, looking upon the terror of the electric chair.
