GLOW Stars On KKK Storyline Being Inspired By "Messed Up" Virgil Match
As noted, Kimmy Gatewood and Rebekka Johnson, stars of Netflix's GLOW series, as well as Chavo Guerrero, who acted as trainer and stunt coordinator on the show, were guests on Talk Is Jericho. Among other things, Gatewood and Johnson talked about their favorite characters from the original GLOW show, working a match as Ku Klux Klan members, and how Guerrero's run as Kerwin White helped them with their roles as Klanswomen.
Given that their characters were loosely inspired by The Housewives, Johnson named the Spike and Chainsaw Willinsky as her favorite original GLOW characters along with Godiva.
"Well, I think I'm partial to The Housewives," Johnson said. "Yeah, but, like, once we were cast, because I remember it. So what I remember most was Godiva, from when I was a little kid. But then in watching the documentary, after we were cast especially, but watching the documentary, I was like, 'they're so funny and so creative with all the different props.' And I love that they got to play multiple characters, and they weren't really good or bad. They were in the middle, so they could go either way and I just thought they were so funny, so they'd be my favorite."
Gatewood said her favorite original GLOW characters were Hollywood and Vine.
"I remember Hollywood and Vine so distinctly. I think just because when you're a little girl, you're like, 'I want to be like Madonna!' They're wearing lingerie wrestling!"
Johnson suggested that the Netflix Original Series resides in a creative space that allows it to borrow from the original GLOW program as well as other pro wrestling promotions. Johnson noted that their characters' humorous KKK storyline was based on a real match with Virgil and Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart.
"It's like a cool inspiration. And then, they get to pull inspiration from all different wrestling stories. Even just us in episode seven doing the KKK [gimmick]. It was based on a match not in women's wrestling."
Gatewood added, "look it up. It's dark. [Virgil] got lynched at the end of it. Yes, it was so messed up."
With respect to their KKK storyline from season one, episode seven, Johnson said she and Gatewood were told they would be working Sydelle Noel and Kia Stevens as heels, but were used to being babyfaces.
"We were told in practice that we were going to fight Sydelle and Kia and we were excited that we were going to have a match."
Johnson continued, "we thought we were going to be the Biddies, and they were like, 'oh yeah, you're going to be the bad guys.' And we were like, 'but the Biddies are faces. What do you mean we're going to be heels?' Like, and then, they were like, 'well, we're not going to tell you.' Shauna [Duggins, stunt coordinator] and Chavo were not saying anything and being weird. They were being weird about it."
Johnson said they found out that they were going to play KKK members when Gatewood took an early peak at the script.
"Kimmy and I were whispering and all scared and [Chavo] goes, 'you guys get a scene where you talk about how you're nervous about it.' He's like, 'you're not actually racist. Like, it's going to work out.'"
Gatewood added, "we thought they were revealed to be racist all-of-a-sudden. Yeah. I was like, 'I don't want to improvise racist dialogue! Do you know what I mean?"
To ease their minds, Guerrero told Gatewood and Johnson about his Kerwin White gimmick.
"I brought up my Kerwin White episode in WWE where I kind of had to renounce my Mexican heritage. I had to explain to them, 'look, I had to do this.' No, [it was not Chavo's idea]. God, no! This is Vince [McMahon] talking to me, 'well, Kerwin, you're going to denounce your Mexican heritage today and you're going to become white. Hahaha!' I was like, 'I can either quit, or, say, 'no', or be fired. So basically, I told him, 'look, if we're going to do this, we're going to do this right. I'd better be coming out in a white hood by the end of this,' and he was like, 'I love it! I love it! I love it! That's great!' And it didn't end up happening. It was a bit too risqué."
Check out the show here. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Talk Is Jericho