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Ricki Lake just wore her original Hairspray dress for the first time in 34 years

The actress donned her original Hairspray dress on The View for Halloween and discussed working with Divine on the classic John Waters musical.

By

Joey Nolfi

Published on October 29, 2021 11:55AM EDT

Ricki Lake is a bad, bad girl for keeping this moment from her fans for 34 years; the 53-year-old actress just wore a dress from John Waters' classic musical Hairspray for the first time since shooting the movie in 1987.

"This dress, you guys, has been in a bag for 34 years. This is my original dress that I model, I wear it in the Hefty Hideaway [commercial]," she told the ladies of ABC's The View during her appearance on Friday's Halloween-themed episode of the long-running talk show, for which she sported a black-and-white dress and sky-high hair reminiscent of the style she rocked in the film.

Lake told the hosts that the costume is "the one piece" she was able to keep from production, and that she's since kept it locked away in storage.

Ricki Lake rewears Hairspray costume on the View — Ricki Lake wore her 'Hairspray' dress for the first time in 34 years on 'The View.'. Everett Collection; Lou Rocco/ABC

"It changed my entire life, it opened every door for me. John Waters also mentored me in a way [that] I think I stayed pretty humble and grounded through these years," she continued of playing Tracy Turnblad, a wide-eyed teenager fighting against racial tensions in 1960s Baltimore. "It was weird seeing the [later] iterations, you know, the musical, and someone else playing my role. But I'm honored. She's such a quintessential role model for the underdog."

She also credited her costar, drag legend Divine, for teaching her key life lessons both on the set in the role of her mother, Edna Turnblad, and off set as a friend.

"He taught me how to walk in high heels, absolutely!" she said of the LGBTQ icon, who died shortly after the film's 1988 release, but left a lasting legacy on pop culture. "You look at RuPaul and RuPaul's Drag Race, that's all derivative of Divine, and I'm so lucky I had my start with him."

Watch Lake reintroduce her Hairspray dress on The View above.

Subscribe toEW's BINGE podcast for full recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including our new season diving into all five All Stars seasons, featuring exclusive interviews with Jujubee, Alexis Mateo, Shea Couleé, Alaska, Detox, BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport, and more. And be sure to catch up on our BINGE recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race seasons 1-13 with Symone, Jaida Essence Hall, Trixie Mattel, Katya, Peppermint, Bianca Del Rio, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, and more!

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Ricki Lake just wore her original Hairspray dress for the first time in 34 years

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