- 2 days ago
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Okay, it's 105.1 The Bounce.
00:02I am Leisha B. from the all-new Morning Rollout.
00:04And today I am going to fangirl,
00:06because if you know anything about me,
00:07I'm a Broadway girl through and through.
00:10I'm a Disney nerd, a Disney adult.
00:13And we have probably one of the most iconic Disney adults.
00:20We have Fergie.
00:21Phillip, how you doing today?
00:23I'm doing good. How are you?
00:25I'm doing great.
00:25So I had to bring up the fact that you're a Disney nerd,
00:27because you're literally living your best dreams
00:30by being Beast right now and Beauty and the Beast.
00:32So first, tell me how you felt when you got the call,
00:38when you were like, yeah, I'm Beast.
00:40Like, what was running through your mind?
00:43It's funny for me,
00:45because I had been in for so many Disney shows over the years
00:49that I'd gotten very close between me and someone else
00:54and all these many different times
00:56that I kind of just got to a point where I was like,
00:58you know what, like, if it's meant that I just,
01:01like, I'm a fan of Disney and I go and appreciate the art,
01:04like, I can live with that.
01:05I can accept that.
01:06But I think when I got the call,
01:10my poor agent was kind of like, are you happy?
01:14I was like, yes, because I was in such a state of shock,
01:17I think, because it was such a,
01:19the process was super long, first of all.
01:21And then I found out pretty immediately after my final callback.
01:25So one, I wasn't expecting to find out so quickly.
01:27And two, I was in a kind of state of surprise
01:31where I was like, wow, okay, it's really, it's happening.
01:33It's finally happening.
01:34And so it was hard to process all at once.
01:37And it took, it took a few weeks
01:38until it really started to hit me,
01:40like what I was about to go do.
01:42So let's take it from the beginning,
01:44because you just mentioned that you've technically been
01:46in some Disney adjacents.
01:48It's giving Hamilton, it's giving Camelot,
01:51it's giving, he's been around the block.
01:53So how did you first get that theater bug?
01:57Because we all have one performance that we saw
02:00or one moment where everything just clicked.
02:02What was it that made you think, okay, I'm doing this?
02:06What's funny is that I didn't start with theater.
02:08I started with puppetry.
02:09That was kind of my big thing.
02:11Like when I was a kid,
02:11I was really into Sesame Street
02:13and I was into the Muppets.
02:14Jim Henson, give it a little Muppets.
02:15I mean, Jim Henson is my biggest
02:18and most influential artistic leader
02:23in terms of what I look to,
02:24in terms of who I want to be
02:25and how I want to make stuff.
02:27And I think that that's kind of where I was moving.
02:31And then I started taking acting classes
02:33because in order for you to be able to create
02:37these kind of iconic characters that they did,
02:39like they were really good actors first
02:41and then they learned the puppetry skills.
02:43And so I knew that acting was something I wanted in my life.
02:46But as I was really getting into acting,
02:48you know, the things that really stuck out to me
02:52were when I started seeing certain things,
02:55like when I saw the Dreamgirls movie,
02:57that really was something that like kind of took me out
03:01and was like, oh, wow,
03:02this is such a different way to tell a story.
03:04And when I saw Reese the movie for the first time,
03:07that was another one that like,
03:08there were just all these different, you know,
03:11things that really just kind of connected
03:13almost everything I wanted to do.
03:15And I think that that's how I kind of just
03:18ended up taking off in this path.
03:20You hit on some really good ones.
03:22Because I mean, Dreamgirls for me,
03:24I feel like the entire Black community
03:25can quote at least one full scene.
03:28Absolutely.
03:29And then Grease Alone, my girl Sandy.
03:32Iconic.
03:33I mean, I don't know.
03:34It's like, and there's so many,
03:35I mean, what I love about musical theater too
03:37is like how it's able to kind of like be cross-cultural.
03:40And I feel like Grease is another one of those movies
03:42that like, you know,
03:43a lot of Black households knew Grease.
03:45Like that was the joint for a lot of us growing up.
03:48And so, yeah, I know.
03:49And I saw Grease because my mom showed it to me,
03:52you know what I mean?
03:52And so, yeah, musical theater was one of those things
03:55that there was just so much in it
03:57that I felt connected to inherently,
04:00like regardless of the fact that I wanted to be an actor.
04:02And so I think that was part of the reason
04:04it stayed with me too.
04:05And I love that you talked about
04:06that puppetry was the first
04:08because I think one of the things
04:09that I'm really impressed by puppeteers is,
04:13is the ability to emote
04:15without you being the emotion.
04:18Yeah.
04:18And I think that a part of what I really,
04:21really loved about your performance in Beast
04:24is that you have all these prosthetics,
04:26you have huge hair covering you.
04:28So it's not like you can really see your face.
04:31And as someone who uses their hands
04:33and facial features are very big
04:36and like understanding what people are trying to convey,
04:39you are able to do that without having that.
04:42And you do it well.
04:44Because again, we were talking offline.
04:47I was sitting in the seats like,
04:49okay, he's taking it.
04:51He's taking us for it.
04:52Act two, I don't know how I'm about to get through this right now
04:55because he just sent me into the rafters
04:58and I have to come down now.
04:59How do I do that?
05:00So my question for you is Beast is physically imposing,
05:05but is like deeply a vulnerable character.
05:08Like he has a lot of insecurities that he's working through
05:10literally until the very end and probably post the show.
05:14What emotional layers do you aim to portray?
05:19And like, how do you take on such
05:22really pivotal and emotional context?
05:27Um, well, for me, I think something that was a benefit for us
05:31was that we had the original creative team
05:33from the original Broadway production
05:35come back and do this version.
05:37And so, you know, what, for me, in all transparency,
05:40I was kind of like, oh, okay, great.
05:42So I guess we're just going to have to kind of redo
05:45what we've done before because like, hey, if it ain't broke,
05:48you know what I mean?
05:49So I was like, I'm ready to kind of come in
05:52and help move that vision forward.
05:55And maybe every now and then put a little of my own spin on it,
05:58but they were so from the beginning, like, nope, new version.
06:01Like, this is not what we used to do.
06:03So we're trying all these new things.
06:05You're a new person.
06:06Like, we're not trying to impose a very specific idea
06:10of who this character is.
06:11And so there were a lot of discussions
06:13about who I think the character would be.
06:15And like, one of the things that I really wanted to tap into
06:17was this idea of arrested development,
06:20this idea that like he got trapped into this form
06:22when he was 16, 17.
06:24And so because of the trauma of what that did to him,
06:28both physically and emotionally, like, he is stunted.
06:31And so when we see him, like, he really is unable
06:36to move past that.
06:39And it's not until he meets Belle that it really like,
06:42kind of, it's like every, I think, relationship
06:45that people get into where like, you meet your person
06:48and all this stuff starts coming up that you're not aware of
06:52or that you don't think is a problem
06:53and you're angry all the time
06:55and you're not really sure why.
06:57And I knew that I wanted to capture the real frustration
07:02of having to sit with emotions that you don't recognize
07:06and having to sit with the uncomfortability
07:10of just being yourself
07:11and how to recognize that that's enough.
07:14And I think that when you have a physical form
07:16like The Beast on that, like, that just amplifies it
07:19to a 10 because immediately everyone's like,
07:22well, of course he can.
07:23He looks ugly.
07:24Like, you know what I mean?
07:25Right.
07:25It's that thing where it's like, wow,
07:28what a great opportunity for me to be able
07:30to not have to work so hard
07:31because I have this physical form on me.
07:34If anything, what it made us do was go,
07:36it's actually kind of funny.
07:38Like, there's actually a lot of humor in it.
07:40And so how do we make those realistic moments
07:44something relatable to the audience
07:46that it's not just pure agony
07:47and pure woe is me the whole time?
07:49And instead it's like, honestly, I'm like that too.
07:52Your comedic timing, child.
07:54Honestly, everyone in the company is comedic timing.
07:57Yeah.
07:57Especially Gaston.
07:59Oh, yeah.
08:00LeFou.
08:01Yeah.
08:03Whoever is playing LeFou, give him a rant.
08:04But I loved the fact that you were able to tackle
08:09into those comedic moments
08:12because, like, life isn't gloom and doom.
08:15And you can't tell me that he's not laughing
08:17with Chip and Mrs. Potts in that house
08:20at least 12 times a day.
08:22Yeah.
08:22But it's just a lot of inner turmoil
08:24that Belle brings up because she is his mirror.
08:27Right.
08:28Like, she's calling out everything that he never knew.
08:32Yeah.
08:33So I love it.
08:33I love what you guys have played off of.
08:35And I love the new with this revival
08:37because there's new songs.
08:38There's additional scenes
08:39that I think also add more to the story.
08:42Was that intentional
08:43because the story has been told so many times?
08:45Or was that something that, like,
08:47the company just came to you
08:49and was like, well, we're adding this too?
08:52Well, it's, I mean, what's amazing is that, like,
08:54when the movie came out in 91 or 92, I believe,
08:58it was this thing where the writers,
09:02Alan Menken and Howard Ashman both came from the theater.
09:04They came from musical theater.
09:06They wrote, you know, in a very linear musical fashion, right?
09:10And so when you're making an animated film,
09:12unfortunately, due to time constraints,
09:14like, you can't have all of those songs.
09:16And so one of the really cool things was that Alan,
09:19when they were doing the Broadway production,
09:21was like, we have a lot of extra music.
09:23And I do believe that this story especially
09:26has the capacity for more songs,
09:28not just for the sake of more songs,
09:30but for the sake of how the story moves forward.
09:32And one of those songs was Human Again,
09:34which is about the object,
09:35singing about wishing to be human again.
09:37That was actually a sequence that,
09:39I don't know if they animated it fully,
09:40but there were definitely sketches
09:41and they recorded it, right?
09:43And that was one of the songs
09:44that had to go to the cutting room floor.
09:46But it's one of the songs
09:48that I think emotionally
09:48encaptures the show so beautifully.
09:51And I think it's actually such a kind of,
09:53like, anchor piece for us.
09:55And I think that when going into the production,
09:58it was like, okay, great.
10:00Like, let's give the Beast this number
10:02that he really gets to kind of, like,
10:04emotionally really talk to the audience
10:07about how he feels right before the end of the act
10:09so that when we come back,
10:10we really are now, like,
10:12we know two perspectives.
10:13And now, instead of it being
10:15that we're watching somebody survive, right?
10:19We're watching Belle survive.
10:20Act two then becomes,
10:21well, how do these two opposites become one?
10:24Exactly.
10:25And I think that all of these new ideas
10:27are not to take away or change
10:30what we know of from the movie,
10:31but instead it's to deepen it
10:33and to expand it just for us
10:34to kind of have a different relationship with it
10:36in a way that's exciting
10:38because we know Be Our Guest.
10:40We know Gaston.
10:41We know, you know, some of these songs,
10:43but what becomes exciting is like,
10:46yeah, let's do a new tap section.
10:47Yeah, let's do a new,
10:49mug choreography section.
10:51Like, you know,
10:51it's just all these different things
10:52that we get to have the familiarity
10:54and the comfortability of what we love and know.
10:56And then we get to be surprised
10:58and delighted by anything
10:59that wasn't expected.
11:02But it still has that same feeling.
11:04Exactly.
11:04Because I feel like
11:05with these Disney adaptations,
11:08whether they're movies or musicals
11:09or just plays,
11:10it's, you're always going to have that core.
11:13But you also want the people
11:16who have seen it for years
11:18to still feel excited at the same time.
11:20And I think every reaction
11:23that I saw in the house with me
11:25felt like that.
11:26From the little girls
11:27who were dressed up as Belle,
11:28really excited,
11:29to the parents who were like,
11:30oh, wait, this is a good time.
11:32Like, literally,
11:33a grandpa was sitting next to me
11:34and was like,
11:34I wasn't expecting that.
11:36Yeah.
11:36After being my guest,
11:37and I said,
11:37hmm,
11:38they're not coming to play with us today.
11:40Okay.
11:41That's what we had to give
11:42an extra little applause.
11:44Right.
11:45The ensemble is really,
11:47truly an amazing,
11:48like,
11:49this is the best show
11:50that I can say
11:51is truly a true ensemble.
11:53And you can see that you guys
11:54are all having fun.
11:56So,
11:56I know that tour is demanding,
11:59but like,
12:00what do you guys do
12:02to like,
12:02stay grounded,
12:03to stay like,
12:04okay,
12:04we're going to do this
12:05eight times a week
12:06and we're going to love it
12:07every time.
12:09I think,
12:10like,
12:10you're correct.
12:11Our ensemble
12:12is just like,
12:14truly magnificent.
12:15I'm in awe of them
12:16every single day.
12:16I think they're incredible performers
12:18and more importantly,
12:19incredible people.
12:20And the thing that I think
12:21is great about our company
12:22is that we,
12:23we have a lot of fun offstage.
12:26Like,
12:26we are,
12:26we are doing
12:27all kinds of stupid bits
12:29and all kinds of routines
12:31that nobody in the house
12:33knows about,
12:34but it's,
12:34you know,
12:35when you're on tour,
12:36like,
12:36this is the group of people
12:38that you're with
12:38all the time,
12:39you're hanging out with them,
12:40you're traveling with them,
12:42you're eating dinner with them,
12:43like,
12:43this is becomes,
12:44you know,
12:44tours do end up becoming
12:46very family-like
12:47because of the amount of time
12:48you spend together.
12:48You see them,
12:49then all of us
12:50are real families.
12:51And so for us,
12:52you know,
12:53it was important
12:54that we liked each other.
12:56More importantly,
12:57it was,
12:57it was important for us
12:59to, like,
12:59foster a community of support
13:01and,
13:01and,
13:02and joy.
13:05Like,
13:05more importantly,
13:06joy.
13:06It's something that we kind of
13:07talk about a lot
13:08and something that we
13:09really try to
13:10encourage each other with.
13:11Like,
13:12anytime it's before the show,
13:13people are not in the first scene,
13:14but we all,
13:15a lot of us come to the deck,
13:16we come to the stage
13:17and just to check in
13:18and say,
13:18hey,
13:18how's it going?
13:19Have a good day,
13:19good morning,
13:20you know,
13:20all that kind of stuff
13:21because we,
13:23we treat it as if it's a nine-to-five.
13:24We treat it as if it's an office job
13:26where it's like,
13:27you go around the office
13:28and you go to Debbie
13:28at cubicle three
13:29just to make sure Debbie's doing okay
13:31and that her cat's okay.
13:32And then you go over
13:33to the water cooler
13:34or for us,
13:35the literal water cooler
13:36to go see props
13:37and talk to Andrew.
13:38You know what I mean?
13:39So we make sure that,
13:40that we foster a community
13:42of not just respect
13:43and encouragement,
13:43but joy
13:44and making sure
13:44that we actually check in
13:45on each other
13:46as human beings,
13:47especially because
13:48for the next three hours,
13:48we're about to just speak
13:49to each other
13:50as Mrs. Pops.
13:51And so you have to make sure
13:52that the reality
13:53of who we are
13:55as human beings
13:56is the core
13:57and then everything else
13:58about what we do
14:00is on top of that
14:01as opposed to
14:01the other way around.
14:02I think that's
14:03one of the things
14:04that I truly love
14:06being in theater
14:07is the behind the scenes.
14:09Everything that happens
14:10behind the scenes
14:10is probably,
14:11dare I say,
14:12better than the chef.
14:13Oh, it's a whole
14:14good Kiki happening.
14:16Because the people
14:16on the wings
14:17trying to mess you up
14:18Yes.
14:19Are going to get me
14:20every time.
14:21Yeah.
14:22And I mean,
14:22that's the best part
14:24of this
14:24is that when you get
14:25to a place like for us,
14:26we're really like
14:26getting into the groove
14:27of it now
14:27where we feel confident
14:28about our show
14:29and we know
14:29what we're able to do
14:30to be focused
14:31and do our thing,
14:32then now we can play games
14:33of like,
14:34okay,
14:34every time I exit stage,
14:36we're going to do
14:36a different scene
14:37from a different movie.
14:38Like, you know,
14:38we can do dumb things
14:39like that
14:39to keep each other
14:40entertained and stuff.
14:41And as long as the work
14:42is not effective,
14:43which it never is
14:43because everybody's
14:44such a professional,
14:45you know,
14:46that's the best part of it
14:48is that now we get
14:49to actually have
14:50some fun with it
14:50while we do a great job.
14:52Have you had a moment
14:54during the show
14:55where like,
14:56things just like shift
14:58where like,
14:59you really feel
15:00like you're in it?
15:01Has there ever been
15:01a time where you
15:02just feel like,
15:03whoa,
15:04when you got off the stage,
15:05what was that?
15:06Yeah.
15:06I mean,
15:07one of my favorite,
15:08favorite,
15:09favorite parts
15:10about being an actor,
15:11specifically like
15:13when you're doing
15:13a long-running show
15:14is when you do shows
15:15with understudies.
15:16And I think that like
15:17what the opportunity,
15:19and I look,
15:20I understand people
15:21have lots of feelings
15:22when they go to see a show
15:23and they're expecting
15:23to see a person
15:24and they get that white sheet
15:25that says this person is on.
15:27I encourage you
15:28to take five seconds
15:30and just think, right?
15:31There was one night
15:33the person,
15:35a friend of mine
15:36was coming to see the show
15:37and they just happened
15:38to not look in their program
15:39and we're talking and stuff
15:40and they said to me like,
15:41oh my God,
15:42the bell was just unbelievable.
15:44Like she was so grounded
15:45and blah, blah, blah, blah.
15:46And I was like,
15:46yeah,
15:47that was her first time
15:48ever doing it.
15:49And he was like,
15:50what?
15:51And he could not,
15:52he truly could not believe it.
15:53Right?
15:54And he was like,
15:55I thought that's who it was.
15:57And I was like,
15:57I know she's that good.
15:59And that's the thing
16:00that I love about understudies
16:01is that
16:02they are still providing
16:05an unbelievable performance
16:07and only that group of people
16:10that night get to see it.
16:11You know what I mean?
16:12Like that's why
16:13this theater is so incredible
16:14and so special.
16:15And for me,
16:16what I love is that
16:17like we have a company
16:18of brilliant dancers
16:19and singers,
16:20but a company
16:20of brilliant actors too.
16:22And the thing
16:22that really excites me
16:23about that is that
16:24when we have different Lumieres,
16:26when we have different Gastons,
16:27when we have different,
16:28everyone has their own spin
16:29and their own take on it.
16:31And so it requires me
16:32as an actor to go,
16:33okay,
16:34I can't do the show
16:35that I usually do.
16:36I actually have to respond
16:37to what's being given to me.
16:38And that's actually really fun.
16:40I love it so much.
16:41I have to really like
16:42pay attention
16:43and I really have to be grounded
16:44and make sure
16:45that what's happening here
16:46is truthful.
16:48And it's almost like improv
16:50in a lot of ways.
16:51And something really like that,
16:53that is the most exciting part.
16:54And there was one scene
16:55I did with one of our,
16:57actually this happened
16:58with both of our Bell covers
16:59where like,
16:59I did the scene
17:00and just because
17:01they said it differently,
17:02it hit me differently.
17:03And I was like,
17:04I've never like,
17:05I have never like seen
17:07that kind of feeling
17:08in this scene before.
17:10And it's incredible.
17:11It's truly incredible.
17:13I will be the person
17:15on the hill
17:16singing the highest praises
17:17for studies and swings.
17:19Like I've been in situations
17:21where my scene partner
17:23had two hours
17:25to get it together
17:25and that was it.
17:27And they've never
17:28done a rehearsal.
17:29Like they've been there,
17:31but there was no put in.
17:32No.
17:32Like this was it.
17:33This was Showtime
17:34and it was the best show
17:36of that week.
17:38It is through the roof.
17:40Like there's never been
17:41a time where
17:42an understudy has gone on
17:43and there is not
17:44this like incredible energy
17:45that is on stage
17:46that's like,
17:46oh my God,
17:48we are like,
17:49this is so different
17:50and we're going to do it.
17:51And there's,
17:51and talk about community.
17:53When people rally together
17:55to make sure
17:56that that person is safe
17:57and to make sure
17:57that person has
17:58a successful show,
17:59like that is the spirit
18:00of theater.
18:01That right there.
18:01Literally.
18:02And that's why
18:03whenever people have
18:05those nasty comments
18:07when they do see
18:08that white paper,
18:09I'm like,
18:09y'all don't understand.
18:10Yeah.
18:11They are doing the work
18:13of at least eight people.
18:14Correct.
18:15Because most of them
18:16are not covering
18:17just one person.
18:18Nope.
18:19They're covering at least
18:19maybe three to four.
18:20Three to four.
18:21Yeah, absolutely.
18:22And it's like that,
18:23you should be giving them
18:24standing ovations
18:25every time they walk out
18:26on that stage.
18:27Correct.
18:28And I love that you
18:30make it a point
18:32to share that appreciation,
18:34not only with understudies,
18:35but with your entire ensemble.
18:37Like in this interview alone,
18:38you've shared so much love
18:39to your cast and the company.
18:41And I think it shows on stage,
18:43especially from what I've seen.
18:45You can obviously tell
18:46that you guys all like each other
18:47and it's not just a game.
18:48Very much so.
18:49Yeah.
18:49It's a good company of people.
18:51Very, very good company of people.
18:53So when you have kids
18:55and family members
18:56in the audience,
18:57what do you want them
18:58to leave with
18:59as you being Beast?
19:01You know, I think for me,
19:04and to get real real,
19:05like the thing that really
19:06gets me every time
19:07is when I see Black kids
19:08in the audience.
19:09And I think the thing
19:10that it strikes me as
19:12is the amount of possibility
19:16they receive subconsciously
19:19is I think the thing
19:20that gets me emotional
19:21is that it's like, wow,
19:22it's not even a matter of,
19:25oh, look, I'm seeing myself.
19:26It's just, it becomes,
19:28oh, I'm seeing,
19:29I'm just seeing him.
19:30Yeah.
19:31And there isn't
19:32a profound explosion of,
19:34I've never gotten to,
19:36because they're so young.
19:37Like, because it starts so young,
19:39that now becomes a standard.
19:41And I think that is the thing
19:43that for me
19:43is incredibly important
19:45of that we can actually
19:47raise standards
19:48from a younger perspective.
19:50So that way,
19:51when they get older,
19:51it's no longer a standard.
19:53It's just the way.
19:54Right.
19:54I think that
19:55what is exciting to me
19:57with parents
19:58is parents getting
19:59to be able to feel that too.
20:01There is nothing
20:02that cracks me up
20:03more than when I meet
20:03Black parents
20:04at the stage door
20:05and they're just like,
20:06I did not,
20:08I didn't,
20:08I'm sorry,
20:09but I'm like,
20:09I know.
20:11It's okay.
20:12I get it.
20:12Trust and believe.
20:14I get it.
20:15You know,
20:15I understand it
20:16and it's emotional.
20:17It's overwhelming,
20:18especially because
20:18a lot of these parents
20:19grew up with this movie.
20:20And so, you know,
20:22a lot of us,
20:23especially people
20:23in the culture
20:24have had to accept,
20:26like,
20:27most of my favorite films
20:29portray white people
20:30as the romantic leads
20:31and the people
20:33who get to be
20:34the catalyst
20:35of their own story.
20:36I didn't grow up
20:37with a lot of movies
20:38where Black people
20:39were that.
20:39And so,
20:40when you get to see
20:42the spin of that,
20:44it's not even just
20:45a moment of like,
20:46oh,
20:46I didn't even imagine
20:47it was,
20:47oh,
20:48it should have always been.
20:50Okay,
20:50great.
20:51And there's almost
20:52this sense of relief
20:53of like,
20:54oh,
20:54right,
20:55like,
20:55we're just here.
20:57We're just humans
20:58and we're just together.
20:59And, you know,
20:59it's something that like,
21:03Disney and I
21:03have been very intentional
21:05about touching on
21:06in terms of like,
21:07how we're moving,
21:07especially because
21:08we're traveling the country.
21:09Right.
21:09And I think that for us,
21:11like,
21:12we were very
21:13smart about figuring out
21:17like,
21:17yeah,
21:17like when we're
21:18in certain markets,
21:19like we're going to make sure
21:20that we're connecting
21:21with these members
21:21of the community
21:22so that they know
21:23that like,
21:24it is for everybody.
21:25It's always for all of us.
21:26You know what I mean?
21:27Regardless if I'm
21:27playing the beast or not.
21:28My two understudies
21:29are not Black,
21:30but even if they're on,
21:32it's still for you too.
21:33You know what I mean?
21:34And so I'm hoping
21:36that anybody
21:36that comes to see this show
21:37can just see that like,
21:39it's a story about all of us.
21:40It's a story about everybody
21:41who's in that room.
21:42You have an uncle
21:44that is Cogsworth.
21:46You have a grandma
21:47that's in Potts.
21:48You have a really annoying neighbor
21:50that's Gaston.
21:50You know what I mean?
21:51Like,
21:51we all have these people
21:53in our lives
21:53and the goal is
21:54to be able to connect
21:55those ideas
21:56through this very grand
21:58and fabulous show
21:59that we have,
22:00but the core
22:02is still humanity
22:03and that's what makes Disney
22:04and specifically
22:05Being the Beast
22:05like so powerful.
22:07And I love that you said humanity
22:08because I think
22:09as someone watching the show
22:12and obviously taking in
22:14that one of the leads
22:15is a person of color,
22:16I think the show
22:19just hits different for me
22:21because there's so many
22:23similarities
22:25between what we have to deal with
22:27and what Beast has to deal with.
22:28I think that's why
22:29Wicked is such a phenomenon,
22:31not just because
22:31it's not just a great show,
22:33but I think having Cynthia
22:35in that role
22:36with everything that she's saying,
22:39obviously anyone can play Elphaba.
22:41It's been done.
22:42Yeah.
22:42But it's hit so much more
22:45for our community
22:46and I think that
22:47that allows people
22:48to get into theater more
22:50because it's like,
22:51oh, okay,
22:53this story is me
22:55and I can see me
22:56this time.
22:57It's not just,
22:58oh, I understand
22:59what that man is going through.
23:00No, no.
23:00I see my brother.
23:02I see my cousin.
23:03I see me.
23:04Yes.
23:04Yes.
23:05So what advice
23:06do you have
23:07for young actors of color
23:09who want to be like you one day?
23:11Oh my gosh.
23:11I always say read,
23:13watch,
23:13listen to everything.
23:14That's like my goal
23:15is that like,
23:16you know,
23:16for me,
23:17I'm a research guy.
23:18I love,
23:19you know,
23:20I'm always listening
23:21to a podcast
23:21of a different director,
23:23a different actor,
23:23a different creator.
23:25I'm reading all the time
23:26different books,
23:27but also it's not just about,
23:28you know,
23:29researching different musicals
23:30and TV shows
23:30and films and stuff.
23:31Like it's about everything,
23:32you know,
23:33learn about architecture,
23:36learn about philosophy,
23:37learn about language,
23:39learn about poetics,
23:40learn about,
23:40you know,
23:41language.
23:42Like it's just like
23:43you're taking in
23:44as much information
23:44as possible.
23:45Our job as actors
23:46is to reflect the world
23:49that we exist in
23:50so that people can receive it
23:51in a way
23:52that they haven't thought
23:53of before.
23:54Right.
23:54So we have to be able
23:55to take in as much
23:56of the world as we can.
23:58And you're not going
23:58to learn everything
23:59in your lifetime,
24:00but you're going to need
24:01to learn a lot.
24:04And I think that
24:04that's the first step.
24:05The more perspective
24:06you have,
24:07the more you're able
24:08to portray.
24:08And I think
24:09that's a good thing
24:10because I think
24:10a lot of people
24:11just are worried
24:12about the memorization
24:13and like the repetition,
24:15which is good
24:16because you need that.
24:18But I think
24:18you identifying perspective
24:20and surrounding yourself
24:22with different cultures
24:23and different outlets,
24:25whether you only like musicals,
24:28maybe check out a play.
24:29Check out a play.
24:30You can pull
24:31from so many avenues
24:32and clearly your research
24:34has done you well.
24:35I've got to see
24:36what's next for you,
24:37Mr. Fergay.
24:39And just one last question
24:41for you.
24:43Looking back at your journey
24:44to this point,
24:45is there one risk
24:46that you took
24:47or one that you wish
24:48that you took
24:49that made a real difference
24:51in where you are today?
24:53Oh my God,
24:53what an excellent question.
24:54When I was doing
25:01this very tiny show
25:03called Hamilton,
25:04I had done it
25:07for about a year and a half
25:08on the road
25:09and by this point
25:10I had done it
25:11over two years on Broadway.
25:13Right?
25:14Yes.
25:15Over two years on Broadway.
25:16And I loved the show.
25:18I loved it.
25:19I loved everything about it.
25:20Performing in it
25:21was like everything artistically
25:22I ever wanted.
25:23but I knew
25:24it was time to move on
25:26and I knew
25:27that like the safety
25:29of the family
25:31that I had built
25:31at that show,
25:33the notoriety
25:34that it gave to me
25:35by being in that show
25:36and also just like
25:37you know,
25:38the security
25:39I had being in that show
25:40it was,
25:43I knew it would be easy
25:44for me
25:44to kind of rest
25:45on my laurels
25:46and so for me
25:47I took the risk
25:49and decided to leave
25:50early
25:51before I knew
25:51of any jobs
25:52coming my way.
25:53Wow.
25:54I was like
25:54at this day
25:55I'm going to leave
25:55and I need to
25:56kind of take the jump.
25:59And fortunately
26:00I, you know,
26:01within a few months
26:02I was able to get
26:02my next job
26:03which ended up
26:04being Camelot
26:04and I started it
26:05literally the day
26:06after I left
26:07with the show.
26:07I know, that's right.
26:10But yeah,
26:11I had chosen
26:12that I think
26:13was like a huge risk
26:15that I'm glad I took
26:16because I knew
26:18that it was time
26:18and it was terrifying
26:20but I also knew
26:21that I wanted to leave
26:22while I still loved it
26:23and I wanted to leave
26:24in a place of
26:26okay, I'm taking a risk
26:28not I'm leaving
26:29because I have to.
26:31You know what I mean?
26:31I wanted to be able
26:32to leave knowing
26:33that it was a risk,
26:36you know?
26:36And it put me
26:38through hardship
26:39and hardship
26:39that I needed
26:40to go through
26:40and it always will
26:42but yeah,
26:43that was a big one.
26:44I say the risk
26:45was definitely well done
26:46and I get it.
26:48Sometimes you don't know
26:50why you need to leave
26:52but if you don't
26:54you're going to regret it.
26:55So it's always smart
26:56even if you don't know why
26:58if something's telling you
26:59to go
26:59it's probably
27:00for a good reason.
27:01Absolutely.
27:02Well, thank you so much
27:04for your time, Fergie.
27:05Again, you are
27:06an incredible beast.
27:08Keep slaying
27:09the house down, please.
27:11They will still be
27:12at Fisher Theatre
27:13until October 12th
27:15so grab your tickets
27:16right now
27:16broadwayanddetroit.com
27:18and go see Fergie
27:19as Beast
27:20and Beauty and the Beast.
27:21Thank you so much.
Recommended
1:25
|
Up next
18:41
2:19
7:06
2:55
3:14
14:45
1:48
1:55
Be the first to comment