Drag queen Shea Couleé fell in love with Atlanta after shooting a Marvel film

When Atlanta Pride invited Shea Couleé, a “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 5 winner, to headline its 2026 festival this weekend, it was a no-brainer to say yes.

“I love Atlanta,” they told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via Zoom from their home in Chicago. “I spent five months shooting (Disney+ series) ‘Ironheart’ in 2022. I really immersed myself in the Atlanta LGBTQ+ community. I went out to drag shows, the (monthly dance party) Chaka Khan Hacienda and all of the aspects of Atlanta queer culture.”

In “Ironheart,” which starred Dominique Thorne, Couleé played a hacker and getaway driver named Slug with a fierce drag sensibility. It was their first big acting role.

“Everybody just hit it off,” said Couleé, whose given name is Jaren Kyei Merrell. “The vibes were immaculate. It was my first time on a scripted set and many people said it’s not normally like this. It’s not always such a tight-knit group and community, so I was really grateful my first experience was so positive, affirming and uplifting.”

Couleé’s busy schedule on “Ironheart” didn’t allow them to perform while in Atlanta in 2022, but they said they became obsessed with an Asian fusion restaurant near where they stayed in Old Fourth Ward called Ruby Chow’s. “I may hit that up again after the show,” they said.

Their hourlong stage show Saturday evening at Piedmont Park will feature a series of high-energy lip-synced numbers and original songs like “Your Name” and “Cocky.” Couleé will also perform with two backup dancers they’ve worked with for years.

It will feel different from their club shows.

“Oftentimes in nightclubs, you’re not on an elevated stage, so you can barely see beyond the first three rows,” Couleé said. “So when you can really get up there and just feel the energy from the crowd, it is so incredible and so electric. I’m excited to be able to experience that in one of my favorite cities.”

One downside is they won’t be able to do costume changes. “You really just rely on the visuals and the performance to really just bring it all forward,” Couleé said.

When they hit the stage at 8 p.m., the temperatures are expected to be cooler than normal, which Couleé is happy to hear: “I’ve definitely performed on some Pride stages where it’s been, like, 109 degrees outside at 3 p.m. in direct sunlight, so this should be a cakewalk in comparison.”

They last performed in Atlanta at the Masquerade in 2024 with several other drag queens, including Atlanta’s LaLa Ri, a fellow “RuPaul’s Drag Race” vet.

“We sold out every show on that tour,” Couleé said. “The love in Atlanta, though, was incredible. They were the only audience that picked up on the fact the finale number was lightly inspired by ‘Dreamgirls.’”

RuPaul, who spent his early formative drag years in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Atlanta, remains an inspiration to Couleé, who was on RuPaul’s reality show three times and won the 2020 All-Star edition. Their catchphrase: “I didn’t come to play, I came to slay!”

“The magic of RuPaul for me is how, even in his 60s, he always approaches every single opportunity or moment with this sense of childlike play and curiosity,” Couleé said. “I really do try to take that into everything, you know? It can be so easy in the world of entertainment to become jaded.”

Their goal Saturday is simply to entertain: “I want to see them enjoying themselves and feel like they’re in their element, so that’s why it is so important for me to be able to really feel like I am present and connecting to them.”

As for a genuine tour, Couleé has other plans in mind, though they weren’t specific.