Brita Filter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jesse Carl Havea[1] (1985-09-16)September 16, 1985 (age 40)[1] U.S.[1] |
| Occupation | Drag queen |
| Television |
|
| Website | thebritafilter |
Brita Filter, the stage name ofJesse Carl Havea, is an Americandrag queen who has appeared onShade: Queens of NYC and thetwelfth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race, ultimately placing 9th.[2]
Havea moved toDover-Foxcroft, Maine as a kid. He is ofTongan descent.[3] Havea was born and raisedMormon.[4]Havea grew up as a child performer, and later went on to book national tours with theater companies and eventually studied acting at theAmerican Musical and Dramatic Academy.[5] He later became astage actor and performed in various regional and national productions. He landed the role of astepsister in themusical production ofCinderella. On the last night of his tenure with this production, Havea met a girl named "Brita" and decided to make "Brita Filter" his stage name that night.[6] He then returned toManhattan and started his business performing as Brita Filter, a drag queen,[2] stating, "So after that finished, I came back to New York that day, and I decided I was going to take over New York!"[6]
In 2016, Havea won the 2016 Glam Awards for Best Duo alongside fellow drag artist Terra Hyman.[7] In 2018, she won the Best Host and the NYC Entertainer of the Year Award at the Annual Glam Awards.[8] In 2020, Havea co-hosted the 21st annual GLAM Awards, alongsideBob the Drag Queen.[9]
Havea performed alongsideKaty Perry onSaturday Night Live, performing her song "Swish Swish".[10][11][12]
Havea starred in a segment called "How Drag Queens Are Getting Out the Vote" onThe Daily Show with Trevor Noah, along withRuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 co-starsJaida Essence Hall,Heidi N. Closet andJackie Cox.[13]
Havea is a co-chair ofDrag Out The Vote, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy.
Havea joined the cast ofShade: Queens of NYC at its inception in October 2017, as Brita Filter. The series documents the daily reality of lives asManhattan drag queens.[14]
On January 23, 2020, Havea was announced as one of the thirteen contestants on thetwelfth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race, becoming the firstPasifika queen to appear on the show.[15] To protect copyright, his stage name on the show is shortened from "Brita Filter" to simply "Brita".[16] In the fourth episode, "The Ball Ball", Havea lipsynced for her life against Rock M Sakura, sending them home to "S&M" byRihanna.[17] She later found herself again in the bottom two in episode six, where she lipsynced for her life against Aiden Zhane, to "Let It Go" byCaissie Levy, where Brita also sent Aiden home.[18] She was in the bottom two again on episode seven, where she lipsynced for her life against Heidi N. Closet, to "Burning Up" byMadonna, Havea lost the lipsync and went home.[19]
Brita placed 9th overall in the competition.
Havea ispansexual and prefers "anything respectful" as pronouns.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Sorcerer's Apprentice | Calcutta Peasant | Uncredited | [21] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | City of Dreams | SVU Actor | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2017 | Shade: Queens of NYC | Herself | Lead role |
| Saturday Night Live | Background dancer | ||
| 2019 | Broad City | Guest[22] | |
| 2020 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Contestant (8th Place) | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | |||
| Kal Penn Approves This Message | Herself | Episode "Kal Penn Approves Education" | |
| The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | Herself | Episode 3457, August 21, 2020[13] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Daniel's Desk | Himself | Episode 1 | [23] |
| 2019 | Cosmo Queens | Himself | Cosmopolitan Series | [24] |
| 2020 | Drag News | Himself | Guest | [25] |
| 2020 | The X Change Rate | Himself | Segment: Brita Unfiltered | [26] |
| 2020 | Whatcha Packin | Himself | Guest | [27] |
| 2020 | Review with a Jew | Himself | Guest | [28] |
| 2020 | Da Fuq | Himself | Guest | [29] |
| 2020 | Out of the Closet | Himself | Guest | [30] |
| 2020 | Bring Back My Ghouls | Herself | Guest | [31] |
| 2022 | Bring Back My Girls | Herself | Guest |
| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Forever Plaid | Smudge | Fine Arts Center Theatre Company | Credited as Jesse Havea | [32] |
| Cinderella: A New Telling of an Old Tale | Stepsister | Penobscot Theatre Company | [33] | ||
| 2017 | The Shards of an Honor Code Junkie | Starr Lyte | Metro Baptist Church | Credited as Jesse Havea & Brita Filter | [34] |
| 2021 | Hard On Love | Steve | The Blank Theater (digital) | Credited as Jesse Havea | [35] |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "I'm That Bitch"[36] (with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12) | 2020 | non-album single |
| "Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical" (with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12) | ||
| "The Shady Bunch"[37] (with The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12) | ||
| "You Brita Vote, Kay?[38] (with Bryce Quartz and KayKay Lavelle) | non-album single |
