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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,
00:08I'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.
00:33So 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 because, like,
00:46I had been in for so many Disney shows over the years
00:49that, like, I...
00:51And I'd gotten, like, 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?
00:58Like, if it's meant that I just, like,
01:01I'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...
01:32It's happening.
01:33It's finally happening.
01:34And so it was hard to process all at once.
01:37And it took a few weeks until 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
01:46some Disney adjacents.
01:48It's giving Hamilton, it's giving Camelot,
01:51it's giving...
01:52He'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,
02:04okay, 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.
02:16I mean, Jim Henson is my biggest
02:18and most influential artistic, you know,
02:22leader in 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
02:42and 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,
02:58kind of took me out and was like,
03:02oh, wow, this is such a different way to tell a story.
03:04And when I saw Grease, 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, I mean,
03:36what I love about musical theater, too,
03:37is, like, how it's able to kind of, like,
03:39be 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
04:01that 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.
04:32And 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.
04:45Because, 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?
05:27Well, 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.
05:37Wow.
05:38You know, 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
05:45Right, follow the script.
05:46what we've done before because, like, hey,
05:47if it ain't broke, you 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,
06:00nope, 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
06:18was this idea of arrested development,
06:20this idea that, like, he got trapped into this form
06:23when 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, kind of...
06:43It's like every, I think, relationship that people get into
06:46where, 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
07:17like the Beast on that, like, that just amplifies it to a 10
07:20because 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
07:29to be able to 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 ring.
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?
08:46Or was that something that, like,
08:47the company just came to you
08:50and 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.
09:17And so one of the really cool things
09:18was that Alan, when they were doing
09:20the Broadway production, was like,
09:21we 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
09:49encaptures the show so beautifully.
09:51And I think it's actually
09:52such a kind of, like, anchor piece for us.
09:55And I think that when going into the production,
09:59it 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 Be Our Guest on.
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 mug choreography section.
10:51Like, you know, it'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 and delighted
10:58by anything that wasn't expected.
11:02But it still has that same feeling.
11:04Exactly, because I feel like
11:05with these Disney adaptations,
11:08whether they're movies or musicals or just plays,
11:10it's, you're always going to have that core.
11:13But you also want the people who have seen it for years
11:18to still feel excited at the same time.
11:21And I think every reaction that I saw
11:23in the house with me felt like that.
11:26From the little girls who were dressed up as Belle,
11:28really excited, to the parents who were like,
11:30oh, wait, this is a good time.
11:32Like, literally, a grandpa was sitting next to me
11:34and was like, I wasn't expecting that.
11:36Yeah.
11:36After Be My Guest, and I said,
11:37hmm, they're not coming to play with us today, okay?
11:41That's why we had to give an extra little applause.
11:44Right.
11:44The ensemble is really, truly an amazing,
11:48like, this is the best show that I can say
11:51is truly a true ensemble.
11:53And you can see that you guys are all having fun.
11:56So I know that tour is demanding,
11:59but like, what do you guys do to like,
12:02stay grounded, to stay like,
12:04okay, we're going to do this eight times a week
12:06and we're going to love it every time.
12:09I think, like, you're correct.
12:11Our ensemble is just, like, truly magnificent.
12:15I'm in awe of them every single day.
12:17I think they're incredible performers
12:18and, more importantly, incredible people.
12:20And the thing that I think is great about our company
12:22is that we have a lot of fun offstage.
12:26Like, we are doing all kinds of stupid bits
12:29and all kinds of routines
12:32that nobody in the house knows about.
12:34But it's, you know, when you're on tour,
12:36like, this is the group of people
12:38that you're with all the time.
12:39You're hanging out with them.
12:40You're traveling with them.
12:42You're eating dinner with them.
12:43Like, this is becomes, you know,
12:44tours do end up becoming very family-like
12:47because of the amount of time you spend together.
12:48You see them, then all of us are real families.
12:51And so for us, you know,
12:53it was important that we liked each other.
12:55More importantly, it was important for us
12:59to, like, foster a community of support
13:01and joy, like, more importantly, joy.
13:06It's something that we kind of talk about a lot
13:08and something that we really try
13:10to encourage each other with.
13:11Like, anytime it's before the show,
13:13people are not in the first scene,
13:14but we all, a lot of us come to the deck,
13:16we come to the stage and just to check in and say,
13:18hey, how's it going?
13:19Have a good day, good morning, you know,
13:20all that kind of stuff
13:21because we 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 you go around the office
13:28and you go to Debbie at Cubicle 3
13:29just to make sure Debbie's doing okay
13:31and that her cat's okay.
13:32And then you go over to the water cooler
13:34or, for us, the literal water cooler
13:36to go see props and talk to Andrew.
13:38You know what I mean?
13:39So we make sure that we foster a community
13:42of not just respect and encouragement,
13:43but joy and making sure
13:44that we actually check in on each other
13:46as human beings,
13:47especially because for the next three hours,
13:49we're about to just speak to each other
13:50as Mrs. Pops.
13:51And so you have to make sure
13:52that the reality of who we are
13:55as human beings is the core
13:57and then everything else about what we do
14:00is on top of that
14:01as opposed to the other way around.
14:02I think that's one of the things
14:04that I truly love being in theater
14:07is the behind the scenes.
14:09Everything that happens behind the scenes
14:10is probably, dare I say, better than the chef.
14:13Oh, it's a whole good kiki happening over there.
14:16The people on the wings trying to mess you up
14:18are going to get me every time.
14:21Yeah.
14:22And I mean, that's the best part of this
14:24is that when you get to a place like for us,
14:26we're really getting into the groove of it now
14:27where we feel confident about our show
14:29and we know what we're able to do
14:30to be focused and do our thing,
14:32then now we can play games of like,
14:34okay, every time I exit stage,
14:36we're going to do a different scene
14:37from a different movie.
14:38Like, you know, we can do dumb things like that
14:39to keep each other entertained and stuff.
14:41And as long as the work is not effective,
14:43which it never is
14:43because everybody's such a professional,
14:45you know, that's the best part of it
14:48is that now we get to actually have some fun with it
14:51while we do a great job.
14:52Have you had a moment during the show
14:55where like things just like shift
14:58where like you really feel like you're in it?
15:01Has there ever been a time
15:02where you just feel like,
15:03whoa, when you got off the stage,
15:05what was that?
15:06Yeah.
15:06I mean, one of my favorite, favorite, favorite parts
15:10about being an actor,
15:12specifically like when you're doing a long running show
15:14is when you do shows with understudies.
15:16And I think that like what the opportunity,
15:19and I look, I understand people have lots of feelings
15:22when they go to see a show
15:23and they're expecting to see a person
15:24and they get that white sheet
15:25that says this person is on.
15:27I encourage you to take five seconds
15:30and just think, right?
15:32There was one night the person,
15:35a friend of mine was coming to see the show
15:37and they just happened to not look in their program
15:39and we're talking and stuff
15:40and they said to me like,
15:41oh my God, the bell was just unbelievable.
15:44Like she was so grounded and blah, blah, blah, blah.
15:46And I was like, yeah,
15:47that was her first time ever doing it.
15:49And he was like, what?
15:51And he could not,
15:52he truly could not believe it, right?
15:54And he was like, I thought that's who it was.
15:57And I was like, I know she's that good.
15:59And that's the thing that I love about understudies
16:01is that they are still providing
16:05an unbelievable performance
16:07and only that group of people that night get to see it.
16:12You know what I mean?
16:12Like that's what makes theater so incredible
16:14and so special.
16:15And for me, what I love is that like,
16:17we have a company of brilliant dancers and singers,
16:20but a company of brilliant actors too.
16:22And the thing that really excites me about that
16:24is that when we have different Lumieres,
16:26when we have different Gastons,
16:27when we have different,
16:28everyone has their own spin and their own take on it.
16:31And so it requires me as an actor to go,
16:33okay, I can't do the show that I usually do.
16:36I actually have to respond to 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 pay attention
16:43and I really have to be grounded
16:45and make sure that what's happening here is truthful.
16:48And it's almost like improv in a lot of ways.
16:51And something really like that,
16:53that is the most exciting part.
16:54And there was one scene I did with one of our,
16:57actually this happened with both of our Bell covers
16:59where like I did the scene
17:00and just because they said it differently,
17:02it hit me differently.
17:03And I was like,
17:04I've never like,
17:05I have never like seen that kind of feeling
17:08in this scene before.
17:10And it's incredible.
17:11It's truly incredible.
17:13I will be the person on the Hill
17:16singing the highest praises for studies and swings.
17:19Like I've been in situations
17:21where my scene partner had two hours to get it together.
17:26And that was it.
17:26And they've never done 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 of that week.
17:38It is through the roof.
17:40It like,
17:40there's never been a time
17:42where an understudy has gone on
17:43and there is not this 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.
17:54When people rally together
17:55to make sure that that person is safe
17:57and to make sure that the person
17:58has a successful show,
17:59like that is the spirit of theater.
18:01That right there.
18:01Literally.
18:02And that's why
18:03whenever people have those nasty comments,
18:07when they do see that white paper,
18:09I'm like,
18:09y'all don't understand.
18:10Yeah.
18:11Yeah.
18:11They are doing the work of at least eight people.
18:14Correct.
18:15Because most of them are not covering just one person.
18:18Nope.
18:19They're covering at least maybe three to four.
18:21Three to four.
18:21Yeah.
18:21Absolutely.
18:22And it's like that you should be giving them
18:24standing ovations every time they walk out on that stage.
18:27Correct.
18:28And I,
18:29and I love that you make it a point
18:32to share that appreciation,
18:34not only with understudies,
18:36but with your entire ensemble.
18:37Like in this interview alone,
18:38you've shared so much love to your cast
18:40and the company.
18:41And I think it shows on stage,
18:43especially from what I've seen,
18:45you can obviously tell that you guys all like each other
18:47and it's not just a game.
18:49Very much so.
18:49Yeah.
18:50It's a good company of people.
18:51Very,
18:51very good company of people.
18:53So when you have kids and family members in the audience,
18:57what do you want them to leave with as you being Beast?
19:01You know,
19:02I think for me,
19:04and to get real real,
19:05like,
19:05like the thing that really gets me every time
19:07is when I see black kids in the audience.
19:09And I think the thing that it strikes me as is
19:13the amount of possibility they receive subconsciously
19:19is,
19:20is I think the thing that gets me emotional is that it's like,
19:22wow,
19:22you,
19:23it's not even a matter of,
19:24oh,
19:25look,
19:25I'm seeing myself.
19:26It's just,
19:27it becomes,
19:28oh,
19:28I'm seeing,
19:29I'm just seeing him.
19:31Yeah.
19:31And there isn't a profound explosion of,
19:34I've never gotten to,
19:36because they're so young.
19:37Like,
19:37like,
19:37because it starts so young,
19:39that now becomes a standard.
19:41And I think that is the thing that for me is,
19:44is incredibly important of that.
19:46We can actually raise standards from 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 what is exciting to me with parents is parents getting
19:59to be able to feel that too.
20:01There is nothing that cracks me up more than when I meet black parents
20:04at the,
20:04at the stage door.
20:05And they're just like,
20:06I,
20:06I did not,
20:08I didn't,
20:08I'm sorry,
20:09but I'm like,
20:10I know.
20:11It's okay.
20:12I get it.
20:12Trust,
20:13trust 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 a lot of these parents grew up with this movie.
20:20And so,
20:21you know,
20:22a lot of us,
20:23especially people in the culture have had to accept,
20:26like,
20:27most of my favorite films portray white people as the romantic leads
20:31and the,
20:32and the,
20:32and the people who get to be the,
20:34the,
20:34the catalyst of their own story.
20:36I didn't grow up with a lot of movies with black people were that.
20:39And so when you get to see the spin of that,
20:43it's not even just a moment of like,
20:46Oh,
20:46I didn't even imagine it was,
20:47Oh,
20:48it should have always been.
20:50Okay,
20:50great.
20:51And,
20:51and,
20:51and,
20:51and there's almost this sense of relief of like,
20:54Oh,
20:54right.
20:55Like,
20:55we're just here.
20:57We're just humans and we're just together.
20:59And,
20:59you know,
21:00it's something that like Disney and I have been very intentional about
21:05touching on in terms of like how we're moving,
21:07especially because we're traveling the country.
21:09Right.
21:09And I think that for us,
21:11like we were very smart about figuring out like,
21:17yeah,
21:17like when we're in certain markets,
21:19like we're going to make sure that we're connecting with these members of
21:22the community so that they know that like,
21:24it is for everybody.
21:24It's always for all of us.
21:26You know what I mean?
21:27And regardless if I'm playing the beast or not,
21:28my two understudies are not black,
21:30but,
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,
21:35I'm hoping that anybody that comes to see this show can just see that
21:38like,
21:39it's a story about all of us.
21:40It's a story about everybody who's in that room.
21:43You,
21:43you,
21:43you have an uncle that is Cogsworth.
21:46You have a grandma.
21:47You have a really annoying neighbor that's Gaston.
21:50You know what I mean?
21:51Like we all have these people in our lives.
21:54And the goal is to be able to connect those ideas through this,
21:57very grand and fabulous show that we have,
22:00but,
22:00but the,
22:01the core is still humanity.
22:03And that's,
22:03that's what makes Disney and specifically being the beast,
22:06like so powerful.
22:07And I love that you said humanity,
22:08because I think as someone watching the show and obviously taking in that
22:14one of the leads is a person of color.
22:17I think the,
22:18the,
22:18the show just hits different for me because there's so many similarities
22:25between what we have to deal with and what beast has to deal with.
22:28I think that's why wicked is such a phenomenon,
22:31not just because it's not just a great show,
22:33but I think having Cynthia in that role,
22:37with everything that she's saying,
22:39obviously anyone can play alpha,
22:41but it's been,
22:41it's been done.
22:42Yeah.
22:43But it's,
22:43it's hit so much more for our community.
22:46And I think that that allows people to get into theater more because it's
22:51like,
22:51Oh,
22:52okay.
22:54Yeah.
22:54This story is me and I can see me this time.
22:57It's not just,
22:58Oh,
22:58I can,
22:58I understand what that man is going through.
23:00No,
23:00no.
23:00I,
23:01I see my brother.
23:02I see my cousin.
23:03I see me.
23:04Yes.
23:04Yes.
23:05So what advice do you have for young actors of color who,
23:09who want to be like you one day?
23:11Oh my gosh.
23:12I always say read,
23:13watch,
23:13listen to everything.
23:14That's like my goal is that like,
23:16you know,
23:17for me,
23:17I'm a research guy.
23:18I love,
23:19you know,
23:20I'm always listening to a podcast of 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,
23:29you know,
23:29researching different musicals and TV shows and 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,
23:41you know,
23:41language.
23:42Like,
23:42it's just like,
23:43you're,
23:43you're,
23:43you're taking in as much information as possible.
23:45Our job as actors is to reflect the world that we exist in so that
23:50people can receive it in a way that they haven't thought of before.
23:54Right.
23:54So we have to be able to take in as much of the world as we can.
23:58And,
23:58and you're not going to learn everything in your lifetime,
24:00but you're,
24:01you're going to need to learn,
24:02and I think that that's the first step.
24:05The more perspective you have,
24:07the more you're able to portray.
24:09And I think that's a good thing.
24:10Cause I think a lot of people just are worried about the memorization and
24:14like the repetition,
24:15which is,
24:15which is good because you need that.
24:17But I think you identifying perspective and,
24:21and surrounding yourself with different cultures and different outlets,
24:25whether you only like musicals,
24:28maybe check out a play.
24:29You can,
24:30you can pull from so many avenues and clearly your research has done you
24:35well.
24:35I've got to see what's next for you,
24:37Mr.
24:38Fergay.
24:40And just one last question for you.
24:43Looking back at your journey to this point,
24:45is there one risk that you took or one that you wish that you took that made a
24:50real difference in where you are today?
24:52Oh my God.
24:53What an excellent question.
24:58I,
24:58when I was doing this very tiny show called Hamilton,
25:04I had gotten to,
25:07I'd done it for about a year and a half on the road.
25:09And by this point I had done it over 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 was like everything artistically I ever wanted,
25:23but I knew it was time to move on.
25:27And I knew that like the safety of the family that I had built at that show,
25:33the notoriety that it gave to me by being in that show.
25:36And also just like,
25:38you know,
25:38the security I had being in that show.
25:42It was,
25:43I knew it would be easy for me to kind of rest on my laurels.
25:46And so for me,
25:47I took the risk and decided to leave early before I knew of any jobs coming my way.
25:53Wow.
25:54I was like,
25:54at this day I'm going to leave and I need to kind of take the jump.
25:59And fortunately I,
26:01you know,
26:01within a few months I was able to get my next job,
26:03which ended up being Camelot.
26:04And I started it literally the day after I left with the show.
26:07That's right.
26:08But yeah,
26:11I had chosen that I think was like a huge risk that I'm glad I took.
26:17Because I knew that it was time and it was terrifying,
26:20but I also knew that I wanted to leave while I still loved it.
26:23And I wanted to leave in a place of,
26:26okay,
26:26I'm taking a risk,
26:29not I'm leaving because I have to,
26:31you know what I mean?
26:31And I wanted to be able to leave knowing that it was,
26:35it was a risk,
26:36you know?
26:37And it,
26:37it put me through hardship and hardship that I needed to go through.
26:41And it,
26:41and it always will.
26:42But yeah,
26:43that was a big one.
26:44I say the risk was definitely well done and I get it.
26:48Sometimes you,
26:49you don't know why 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 to go,
27:00it's probably for a good reason.
27:01Absolutely.
27:02Well,
27:03thank you so much for your time,
27:04Fergie.
27:05Again,
27:05you are an incredible beast.
27:08Keep slaying the house down,
27:10please.
27:11They will still be at Fisher theater until October 12th.
27:15So grab your tickets right now,
27:17broadwayanddetroit.com and go see Fergie as beast and beauty in the beast.
27:21Thank you so much.
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