Video: Watch John Waters Receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Introduced By HAIRSPRAY Star Ricki Lake

Waters was introduced by Ricki Lake, who starred as Tracy Turnblad in his 1988 film, Hairspray.

By: Michael Major Sep. 19, 2023

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John Waters has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"Here I am, closer to the gutter than ever," Waters joked at the beginning of his acceptance speech on the iconic Hollywood boulevard.

Waters is known for his 1988 film Hairspray, which was remade as a Tony Award-winning musical on Broadway, a megahit musical film in 2007 and a live TV version in 2016. But in John Waters' 1988 original, it was an 18-year-old Ricki Lake who was first tapped to play the lead role of Tracy Turnblad.

Lake spoke before Waters, reading out a letter that she had sent to him after they had wrapped filming on the original Hairspray.

"You proved to me that whether I'm big, blonde, and beautiful or small, brunette, and ugly, that it's what's on the inside that counts. Working on Hairspray has made me feel better about myself," Lake said in the letter, which is also on display at the museum.

A new exhibition dedicated to Waters' contributions to cinema, John Waters: Pope of Trash, also opened at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures over the weekend.

The exhibition includes the costumes from Waters' Hairspray film, along with props from Waters' 1990 film Cry Baby, which also inspired a Broadway musical. Check out photos here.

Watch Lake and Waters' full speeches here, along with the unveiling of the star:

From This Author - Michael Major

Michael Major is a Connecticut native and a graduate of Marist College.After starting out running social media for a theatre company, his love of pop culture led him to intern at TigerBeat Media. Afte... Michael Major">(read more about this author)