How Megan Thee Stallion Went From ‘Hot Girl Summer’ to ‘Funny Girl Fall’

Justin Lubin / A24
Justin Lubin / A24

Our pick for most infamous cameo of the last year happened on Disney’s She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. None other than rap star Megan Thee Stallion, dropped by the Marvel show, playing a version of herself and twerking at the end of an episode. She only had a couple of lines, but it was hard to deny Megan’s natural on-screen charisma—even if it may have taken us out of whatever sense of reality She-Hulk was trying to create in the first place.

Thankfully, the movie and television gods paid attention to that delightfully strange guest spot, because Megan Thee Stallion is back in not one, but two different projects this year—and this time, they’re fully realized roles. Remarkably, both receive a wide release on the same day: A24’s outlandish Dicks: The Musical, and Season 7 of Netflix’s Big Mouth. Both of these projects wisely use Megan’s star persona and musical genius while giving us something fresh. And thankfully, both confirm what She-Hulk hinted at: Megan Thee Stallion is a comedy star.

Megan Thee Stallion Managed to Make ‘She-Hulk’ Good for One Brief Moment

In Dicks: The Musical, Megan plays Gloria Masters, the money-obsessed executive running the company that main characters, twins Trevor (Aaron Jackson) and Craig (Josh Sharp) work at as salesmen. Though she appears in just a couple of scenes, Gloria makes it clear that she’s ruthless and intense from the get-go. She pits Trevor and Craig against each other in pursuit of the almighty dollar, eventually firing them both. She’s the closest thing in the film to a full-on villain.

There isn’t anything inherently glamorous about being a one-track-minded boss of a sales company, but Megan injects the role with charisma, proving herself to be a truly magnetic screen presence. Megan has the ability to make you want to be a garbage boss too—which in this day and age is a remarkably tall task. Managing to make a potentially droll role into a desirable one, Megan turns having a flagrant disinterest in human resources into something tremendously chic. She might even make you want to be a garbage boss too—a remarkably tall task.

Best of all is Megan’s terrific musical number, “Out Alpha the Alpha.” The female empowerment anthem is surely one of the most vulgar and laugh-out-loud songs in recent memory, with its intentions clear from the jump. “They tell us boys will be boys/ Man what a crock of shit,” Gloria sings. “They’re all scummy sacks of cum.” This isn’t just an opinion; the way Megan delivers it, is more like a declaration of truth.

A photo including Megan Thee Stallion
Justin Lubin / A24

Megan exudes tremendous confidence as Gloria. When she raps lines like “I’m Scrooge Motherfucking McDuck” and “My tuna is ahi, my beef is wagyu” at furious speed, you believe every syllable as if it were gospel. The film wisely lets Megan do what she’s known for—spitting bars of fire—and Gloria embodies all the best part of Megan’s persona: She’s fearless, confident, and proudly sexual. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t sell every second and it certainly doesn’t make it any less thrilling to witness; the moment she literally stands on a man while singing “Put your foot on their throats/ If they are standing in your way” all but enshrines her as an essential screen presence.

‘Dicks: The Musical’ Is the Year’s Absolute Best Film About Twin Incest and Flying Vaginas

Despite winning us over in Dicks: The Musical, Megan Thee Stallion had a lot to live up to by appearing on a show like Big Mouth. It’s Netflix’s longest-running series, especially as one of the iconic hormone monsters. In Season 7, Megan voices Hormone Monstress Megan, the latest over-the-top personification of the pre-pubescent cast’s horniness. She looks after Danni (Zazie Beetz), who joins the cast this season, and her entrance is worthy of a megastar. Launching out of a giant mouth in the sky, she announces herself: “Aw, shit! Booty fatter than a pear! Your Hormone Monstress Megan is here!” Then, Megan rides down the tongue like she’s the Silver Surfer, only for Danni to say that she knows who Megan is—which suggests to us viewers that Megan repeats this ridiculous entrance every time Danni needs her. It’s a perfectly on-point joke to kick off her role with.

A photo including Megan Thee Stallion
Netflix

Even if her character weren’t called Megan, however, you’d have a tough time playing “guess the actor” here. Megan Thee Stallion disappears into the role, raising her register to a higher pitch and adding plenty of affectation worthy of a hormone monster. The first time she says “pussy” (which she says a lot) is a particularly delightful delivery. Her first appearance introduction ends with her eating macaroni in a pot in the soaking rain, a clear reference to a line from her 2020’s legendary 2020 song “WAP”—a perfect way to celebrate her debut on the show.

Megan is a proud anime superfan and clearly has a great respect for voice acting, and it absolutely shows on Big Mouth. Megan is able to establish herself as an essential part of the hormone monster crew, possessing a spark filled with joy and energy that perfectly matches the show. At the end of Episode 6, Danni thinks she might be starting to develop feelings for Nick (Nick Kroll). But Megan the Hormone Monstress explains to Danni that her attraction is purely platonic—which she explains through a raunchy musical number.

A photo including Megan Thee Stallion
Netflix

To help Danni differentiate between Nick, who she finds funny and sweet, and Travis, who she’s sexually attracted to, Megan raps, “There’s laughing, then there’s creaming”— one of the many gasp-worthy lines in the song. “You gotta land with the man that gets you off.” Musical numbers have always been a highlight in Big Mouth, and thanks to Megan Thee Stallion, another certified banger has made its way onto the show.

In both Dicks: The Musical and Big Mouth, Megan leans into her familiar persona while twisting it into something new and exciting as Gloria Masters and her very own Hormone Monstress. She’s bawdy, bonkers, and brilliant. You better believe that one day, this Stallion is going to twerk her way straight to Oscar glory.

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