Durian Lollobrigida didn’t name himself after “the king of all fruits” for nothing; his resume boasts the titles singer, actor, TV host and drag queen. And over the past few years, Lollobrigida has transformed from a local hero for Tokyo’s gay community into an increasingly familiar figure in mainstream media. I first encountered Lollobrigida (whose real name is Masaki Otake and who uses he/him pronouns in and out of drag) in 2020, when he was working at the well-known fetish party Department H — just months before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in full.
Lollobrigida was part of an entourage of drag queens — decked out in shiny, gaudy fabrics and sporting huge wigs — marching across the stage to signal the beginning of the night. In the four years since, we’ve continued to cross paths — at balls and drag shows — and I’ve watched him go from stage to screen, including a role in Daishi Matsunaga’s 2022 queer drama, “ Egoist .” On a recent June afternoon, I met the Lollobrigida, 39, at a small restaurant in Shinjuku’s Ni-chome, Tokyo’s gay district, to discuss his career and most recent gig as a co-host for Netflix’s “The Boyfriend” — Japan’s first queer dating show.
My first question: Does he plan to be Japan’s next RuPaul? “No,” he says, “I intend to be the first Durian.” Lollobrigida was born in Tokyo on Dec. 24, 1984.
He was never shy about wanting to be a singer, even at a young age, but was much more discreet about being g.