Will Drake is a fashion designer and an owner of Hotel Cortez. He is a character in Hotel portrayed by Cheyenne Jackson.
Background[]
Will Drake is openly gay and the father of Lachlan, conceived with a woman they're both estranged with. Will Drake is a very famous fashion designer from New York who later moved to Los Angeles for needed inspiration which led to him purchasing the Hotel Cortez.
Personality and Appearance[]
A refined man with a great aesthetic sense. He is both skillful in organizing fashion shows and recognizing unique pieces of contemporary art. His aesthetic sense is now blocked by modernity, which prevents him from feeling "the music" that accompanied the art of the 80s and he hopes to retrieve inspiration at the Hotel Cortez.
After introducing himself as a gay man and showing a strong attraction for Tristan, Will later claimed to be a closeted bisexual who fears to fall victim of biphobia, but given what he told Elizabeth when she was seducing him, this is likely just an excuse to explain his sudden marriage to a woman. However, during a failed sexual encounter with Elizabeth, Will explains that he loves women and their femininity but is not sexually aroused by them as he is by men and may need the help of a man to actually have sex with a woman, as proposed by Elizabeth by inviting an unwilling Tristan to join them.[1]
A tall charming man, with small blue eyes and black hair, slicked back, broad shoulders and an athletic and tanned physique. He often wears haute couture, which is composed of silk bow ties and suits.
Story[]
Will Drake arrives at the Hotel Cortez with his son, Lachlan. They're welcomed by Marcy who shows them around and announces to the receptionist that he is the new owner of the hotel. During the tour, Marcy leads them to the penthouse, where Donovan is sleeping naked on the couch and doesn't know anything about the sale. The tour then moves to the other side of the penthouse, where Elizabeth resides and Will discovers he has the sense of art and fashion in common with her.[2]
Will Drake organizes a fashion show at the hotel, inviting important people in the industry, such as Claudia Bankson, who works for Vogue Magazine. The show goes well until one of the top models, the reckless Tristan Duffy, causes a fight on the catwalk and is scolded by Will, backstage.[3]
Will Drake is studying some projects and plans of the hotel when Tristan bursts into the room and seduces him with the intention of eating him. The two start making out, but Tristan is interrupted by Elizabeth, who later, invites Will to her penthouse in order to seduce him. Despite Will claiming to be gay, he succumbs to the supernatural charm of the Countess, but the two are interrupted this time by a jealous Tristan.[4]
An embarrassed Will is unable to have sexual intercourse with Elizabeth, despite the woman's seductive skills. The Countess, then, invites a reluctant Tristan to join them, to Will's great satisfaction. Apparently, Elizabeth and Will are a couple now and the two leave for a few days in Paris, along with Lachlan.[1]
Will discusses with Lachlan the idea of moving to the Hotel on a permanent basis and the child agrees, even though he doesn't understand why his father is now in a relationship with a woman. The two are interrupted by two manufacturers, who have found an entire walled corridor while they were working to modernize the hotel. While Elizabeth is made aware of the discovery, an upset Iris advises her that Will is doing an anal bleaching.[5]
The wedding day is approaching and the bride and groom are still undecided what to do; while Elizabeth would want an intimate ceremony, Will prefers something more pompous. The two reach an agreement when Elizabeth commissions him to draw her wedding dress. During a conversation with his son Lachlan, Will, to dispel the child's doubts about why his father is marrying a woman, reveals to the child that he is a closeted bisexual who fears the prejudice against this sexual orientation. Mrs. Evers appears to warn Will about Elizabeth's true intentions, but the two have an altercation and the maid disappears. After the nuptial vows, Will is approached by Mr. March who warns the bridegroom on the future that awaits him, but once again Will doesn't give credit to warnings. When Mr. March then shows him Elizabeth's firstborn, Will is deeply disgusted by the creature, but not as disgusted as Elizabeth is from his hateful words towards the baby, so that she knocks Will off him. Awakening in the dungeons, Will is persuaded by Ramona to free her and as soon as he does it, the vampire attacks him, feeding on him while Mrs. Evers observes the scene impassively and Elizabeth watches it via camera, with hatred. [6].
While Elizabeth gives false statements to the detectives by denouncing his disappearance, Will makes his entrance in the penthouse wearing a stylish black suit and lies to the detectives as well, saying that he had gotten lost in the corridors that they are renovating at the Cortez. The two spouses then have a discussion about whether Elizabeth had killed him and the woman threatens Lachlan's life, the current heir to the Drake fortune; Will, who recently became a ghost, realizes Elizabeth's inclination to vampirism. Will's corpse is later found in the armored hallway by the group of bloodsucker children [7].
A year has passed since his death and Will, along with Sally, enjoying his status as a ghost brutally kills customers of the Cortez. When Liz Taylor and Iris, supported by Mr. March, bring a respite to the crimes, Will feels lost and without purpose. Liz Taylor then puts him back on track, prompting him to create a new collection of clothes. Drake is now surrounded by mystery and gossip and the fashion designer plays on this mystery to revive the company's finances. Now he has a new family in the ghosts that haunt the Hotel Cortez and lives his existence fully. Much more fully than when he was actually alive. [8]
Quotes[]
- To Marcy: "We're moving our life out here. Work, home, I've never kept them separate."
- To Elizabeth: "I walk through New York streets and I don't hear the music anymore. No more echoes of who I was there."
- To Elizabeth: "You know I'm gay?"
- Elizabeth
You need to burn so you can rise from the ashes. Kill Will.
- Will
You're giving me dangerous thoughts.
- Elizabeth
All great ideas are deadly.
- About women: "I love their bodies and and their femininity and their sex but my cock and my mind operate separately."
- Will
What would you think if I told you that me and my blonde lady friend are gonna be together forever?
- Lachlan
I thought you liked men?
- Will
Well, adults are complicated.
- To Elizabeth: "You murdered me, you bitch!"
- Will: "I'm new at this murder game, and, Jesus Christ, is it a thrill."
- To Liz Taylor: "Ending some jerk-off who wastes the air that he breathes? That is the real high. I'm dead, but I've never felt more alive."
Notes[]
- This character marks Cheyenne Jackson's first appearance in American Horror Story. For a complete list of his characters, see Cast.
- Will is not the only one checking "It's complicated" under sexual orientation.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Episode: Room 33
- ↑ Episode: Checking In
- ↑ Episode: Chutes and Ladders
- ↑ Episode: Mommy
- ↑ Episode: Flicker
- ↑ Episode: She Wants Revenge
- ↑ Episode: She Gets Revenge
- ↑ Episode: Be Our Guest
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| Hotel | |||||||||||
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