Can you believe that it’s been 25 years since the movie “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” was released in theaters? Based on the stage musical by queer collaborators John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, “Hedwig…” began its life off-Broadway in the late 90s, eventually making its multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway debut in 2014. To commemorate the movie’s anniversary, Mitchell has embarked on a celebratory screening tour, sure to delight fans of the movie, as well as enchant all newcomers. John graciously made time for an interview to talk about the movie and screening event. 

John Cameron Mitchell will be at the 4k screening of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” at The Parker, in conjunction with GEMS/Miami Film Festival on November 9, 2026.

John, I had the honor of interviewing you in 2001 when the movie adaptation of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” was being released in theaters. Was it always your intention from the start that there be a movie adaptation of “Hedwig…”?

No, there wasn't. 

Then how did it come to be?

You have to beg and scrimp. I always think it's funny when people say “How do you make your decision about what you act in?” [Laughs] you don't, unless you're Nicole Kidman. You just get what you get. It wasn't like I was ignoring the possibility of it. It was like, “Oh yeah, maybe that would be something down the line.” I just focus on what I'm working on. I think some people tend to focus too far in the future, they think of work as a kind of calling card, as opposed to an actual piece of art, which I find repulsive. Very Hollywood. The play was a critical hit. It wasn't really a commercial hit. But there was a golden age of cinema in the ‘90s and 2000s when even Hollywood was interested in quality.  That has disappeared. Hollywood doesn't do small films anymore. But they did then. There were times when one person was in charge of the studio. Like New Line, who decided I was going to direct my own film, even though I'd never even made a short. It was an ideal situation.

As you mentioned, it was your directorial debut, and it went on to win multiple awards. 

It was pretty surprising. I had a lot of time and a lot of advisors helping me along, including the Sundance Lab and experienced collaborators to take up the slack. But I knew what I liked. I knew the films I liked. I knew what was going to inspire me, I just didn't know how. Christine Vashon and Frank DeMarco, my cinematographer, were much more experienced. I listened and then I also suggested things they would not have thought of because I wasn't a film person. I was like, “Why not?” They were like, “Let's try it.” To me, inexperience can be useful if it's moving in a direction that film doesn't usually go.

During our 2001 interview, you talked about how you wanted Madeline Kahn for the role of Phyllis Stein in the movie. During your appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, you mentioned Madeline again. Do you think there will ever be another actor with her gifts?

She was up and beyond. She was known for her Mel Brooks repertory theater group. I would say that she was the best of them, except for maybe Gene Wilder. They both were geniuses. Her economy of performance; it's not the usual American vomit everything out, go to the extreme. It was the minimum necessary to give you a belly laugh. I saw her do the same on stage. Her style, which I would call a bit more European in its subtlety, it wasn't a mistake that she did the best Marlena Dietrich impression because Marlena was also very economical. She couldn't do the film. She was ill, poor thing. I actually sang at her memorial with Stephen Trask, her favorite song which was Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time.” She met her husband at the last minute, a wonderful guy named John, who I still see at the gym. I think of Madeline as my guide as a performer.

Is there anyone now who has the potential to even come close?

There is a comedian named Jo Firestone. She's almost like a cross between Madam Kahn and Carol Kane in that she sounds like a little girl. They both have this sort of subtlety that despite the zany characters, they kept it subtle. She's a star of my fictional podcast series “Cancellation Island,” and she was in Shrill. She's brilliant. One of the funniest people I know.

My second interview with you took place in 2019 when you were performing a series of concerts titled “The Origin of Love Tour: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig.” In what ways will “Hedwig and the Angry Inch: The 25th Anniversary Tour” be different or similar?

“The Origin of Love” was a full concert with stories. It was like a two-hour telling of how “Hedwig” came about and all the stories that went with that. We’re on a screening tour, so we don't have time to do all that. The film is an hour and 40 minutes. There's a costume contest, there's Q&A, there's a short music set that I do. For the VIPs, I do signings and pictures which take up about an hour and a half. With the film and all that it's still a three-hour experience to the whole thing. 

I’m glad you mentioned the screening, which will be in 4K in all but one city. What does it mean to you to have the movie restored for a theatrical screening, particularly for audiences who may have only seen it on home video?

There are a lot of people, even people who consider themselves superfans, who had never seen it with a big crowd. It’s a completely different experience. People are reacting and reacting to each other and laughing and cheering for the songs and singing along. It's more of a theater experience. Applaud after every song, which is not the usual thing for a movie musical. It's a wonderful experience and especially for those who haven't seen it at all. Some people bring their friends. On multiple occasions, I've met people who said, “When I met my husband, I showed him “Hedwig,” and if he didn't like it, we would not have had a second date. 

The Hedwig Test!

To me, that's a beautiful gift. Though we were never a big hit or a giant mainstream thing, the intensity of the fans’ feelings is so much more important to me. 

Earlier in 2026, you played Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!” As you did with the character of Hedwig, when the show was on stage, Cole had a variety of actors playing the Mary role. How much, if at all, do you think that you inspired Cole to do something similar?

I think that's an old-fashioned thing that happens all the time. It's not just Hedwig. It's just that Hedwig has some things in common [laughs] with Mary. There’s often drag involved, but not always. Anyone can play it. Both characters are cock-blocked by closet cases [laughs]. They both want to be heard. They want to sing and they want to be a star. That's the only thing they have in common. Hedwig actually learns to forgive. Mary does not. She just levels her opponents. There is a sense of similarity.  Cole was at Patti Lupone's house. We were both there for a Christmas or New Year's party. Patty's great because she's always interested in the young talents coming up. She's not like one of those, “Oh, I've done it out. I don't care what's going on. It was better in the past.” She's doing a show with Bridget Everett! We've done stuff together. We're all of the same tribe. Andrea Martin, Patti, Christine Ebersole. These are the people who came to “Hedwig” and got it. David Bowie loved it, but so did Bea Arthur. The Broadway queens were right there with Hedwig because that they're like, “This is my story!”

 Photo credit: John Cameron Mitchell at the WikiPortraits Portrait studio at the Alza Film Festival in October 2026. Credit: Colleen Sturtevant, Wikimedia Commons.