AfterElton.com editor, Michael Jensen has interviewed Broadway superstar (and hottie), Cheyenne Jackson.Here's the interview in it's entirety (be prepared 'cause it's a long one):
Far be it for us to say, "We told you so."
But we told you so.
Regular readers of this site know that we've been thoroughly in the tank for Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson for some time now — one of very few leading actors who have been out from very early in their careers.
So we weren't at all surprised when he finally got a big television break on 30 Rock, as Danny, the hilariously irony-free Canadian performer hired for TGS, 30 Rock's Saturday Night Live-like show-within-the-show, to appeal to Middle America.
We also aren't surprised that he's making such a strong impression in the role.
In addition to his reoccurring gig on 30 Rock — he makes another appearance this week — Cheyenne just finished a run in Finian's Rainbow where he received rapturous reviews. It was yet another stage triumph for the actor after his very well-received turn in Xanadu last year.
Musical theater? Sitcom comedy? Dramatic acting like his role in the 9/11 movie United 93?
Yup, Cheyenne can pretty much do it all. Next we'll tell you he wants to direct (okay, not that we know of).
Recently, we rang Cheyenne up for a chat about everything from kissing Canadians, to his latest album, to — seriously — his recent underwear-clad lockerroom encounter with Neil Patrick Harris.
And it confirmed something we've been saying all along: the world has not seen the last of one of the most talented (and nicest) guys in the business.
AfterElton: So to fulfill Liz Lemon's fantasies on 30 Rock, you recently got to dress up as Poncho from CHiPs.
CJ: No, it was Larry Wilcox. That’s the one she liked. Complete with a blond feathered wig, all of that.
AE: What was the favorite character to dress up as for you?
CJ: Well, I mean, that whole episode was very like Halloween, because they go full out. I have to say that even though the cop was fun and you go all sexy and that whole deal, I kind of like the Grizzly Adams just because of the whole flannel – I grew up in Idaho and my Dad was in the Forest Service for a while, and I just felt like a manly man for once in my life.
AE: I hate to go someplace controversial in your interview, but given that you’re on 30 Rock, I have to ask this. As an actor, did you have any qualms playing Canadian?
CJ: That’s funny. Well, you know, that comes with a whole lot of baggage and once somebody sees you play Canadian, they’re gonna think, “Oh, that’s all he can do.”
AE: Is this the first time you’ve played Canadian?
CJ: It is the first time I’ve played Canadian. My co-star in [the Broadway show] Finian’s Rainbow, Kate Baldwin, her husband is Canadian, so I had so many references in some of the actions and things, I was throwing off her. And I’ve gotten a lot of response actually from Canadians, especially at the stage door of Finian’s Rainbow. Thumbs up on the accent, or whatever.
AE: You then would be actually willing to kiss a Canadian?
CJ: Yes, I am not discriminatory when it comes to that. I will kiss a Canadian if need be.
AE: Obviously 30 Rock is comedy and lighthearted, but having you as an out gay actor playing Liz’s love interest is yet another chink in the bias against the idea that gay men can’t play a straight love interest. Did you even think about that at all, or given your Broadway stuff, do you just figure people shouldn’t even be thinking about that?
CJ: Yeah, that one. Definitely. I think a lot more people are hung up on that than I am.
I definitely understand that line of thinking, but for me it’s never been an issue. That’s kind of been my MO since the beginning of my career. When they told me that I was going to have an office romance, I would have been fine with whoever it was. If it was Kenneth or Jack or Tracy or Jane . . . I mean I knew it would be funny. And that’s the most important thing, is being able to find the truth in the comedy.
The fact that it was Liz, I was like, “Jackpot!” Although this could be the demise of my character really quickly if I have this torrid love affair with the head writer, and then if somebody doesn’t like it, and they kick that new guy out. Yeah, this is, like you said, one more chink, one more step, one more example of where being the right actor in the right role is the thing that takes precedence over who that actor happens to sleep with.
AE: Now that you’ve done a little TV, would you like to do a sitcom?
CJ: Yeah, I’d love it.
AE: Build a sitcom around Cheyenne Jackson. What would the premise be?
CJ: Oh, God. Who knows? But I would really, really love that.
AE: What was the favorite character to dress up as for you?
CJ: Well, I mean, that whole episode was very like Halloween, because they go full out. I have to say that even though the cop was fun and you go all sexy and that whole deal, I kind of like the Grizzly Adams just because of the whole flannel – I grew up in Idaho and my Dad was in the Forest Service for a while, and I just felt like a manly man for once in my life.
AE: I hate to go someplace controversial in your interview, but given that you’re on 30 Rock, I have to ask this. As an actor, did you have any qualms playing Canadian?
CJ: That’s funny. Well, you know, that comes with a whole lot of baggage and once somebody sees you play Canadian, they’re gonna think, “Oh, that’s all he can do.”
AE: Is this the first time you’ve played Canadian?
CJ: It is the first time I’ve played Canadian. My co-star in [the Broadway show] Finian’s Rainbow, Kate Baldwin, her husband is Canadian, so I had so many references in some of the actions and things, I was throwing off her. And I’ve gotten a lot of response actually from Canadians, especially at the stage door of Finian’s Rainbow. Thumbs up on the accent, or whatever.
AE: You then would be actually willing to kiss a Canadian?
CJ: Yes, I am not discriminatory when it comes to that. I will kiss a Canadian if need be.
AE: Obviously 30 Rock is comedy and lighthearted, but having you as an out gay actor playing Liz’s love interest is yet another chink in the bias against the idea that gay men can’t play a straight love interest. Did you even think about that at all, or given your Broadway stuff, do you just figure people shouldn’t even be thinking about that?
CJ: Yeah, that one. Definitely. I think a lot more people are hung up on that than I am.
I definitely understand that line of thinking, but for me it’s never been an issue. That’s kind of been my MO since the beginning of my career. When they told me that I was going to have an office romance, I would have been fine with whoever it was. If it was Kenneth or Jack or Tracy or Jane . . . I mean I knew it would be funny. And that’s the most important thing, is being able to find the truth in the comedy.
The fact that it was Liz, I was like, “Jackpot!” Although this could be the demise of my character really quickly if I have this torrid love affair with the head writer, and then if somebody doesn’t like it, and they kick that new guy out. Yeah, this is, like you said, one more chink, one more step, one more example of where being the right actor in the right role is the thing that takes precedence over who that actor happens to sleep with.
AE: Now that you’ve done a little TV, would you like to do a sitcom?
CJ: Yeah, I’d love it.
AE: Build a sitcom around Cheyenne Jackson. What would the premise be?
CJ: Oh, God. Who knows? But I would really, really love that.
As I do more and more of it, I realize that it, I wouldn’t say it comes easily for me, but I definitely understand how to do it better than I had thought I would. The language, all of the technical aspects, it’s really fun, and it’s a hell of a lot easier than doing eight shows a week on Broadway. As much as I love that, it’s a grind.
AE: Cherry Jones who is on 24 said the exact same thing to me, that it’s so exhausting.
CJ: It is. It’s your whole life and that’s good, because that’s what it should be. It should take all your focus and energy, but it is so energy focused and draining and your whole day is focused on that three and a half, four hours a night.
AE: I think your sitcom should be a guy moves from small town to NY and becomes a Broadway star. I think that’s rife with comedy potential.
CJ: I don’t think anybody would believe that.
AE: You have such a great physical presence, so I’m not surprised that you have found you are good at comedy.
CJ: Thank you. It’s great on that show in particular, with so many folks that come from stage. I was wondering how big you could be and still be real.
Case in point, my very first episode where at the end of it I’m yelling at Kenneth, the page, and I had this huge scene where I’m supposed to just really let him have it and scream, and the director kept telling me, “Bigger, bigger, bigger! More!”
And I felt like I was just so huge and so giant and that’s many a Broadway actor’s fear that once they get on screen, they’ll just be so massive that they’ll just break the screen, but I trusted him and did what he thought, what he said, and watching it back, it plays totally fine and totally real and I thought, “Well, I guess on 30 Rock they have a different set of parameters of what – you can be big but you can still be real and it works within that world they’ve created.”
AE: Cherry Jones who is on 24 said the exact same thing to me, that it’s so exhausting.
CJ: It is. It’s your whole life and that’s good, because that’s what it should be. It should take all your focus and energy, but it is so energy focused and draining and your whole day is focused on that three and a half, four hours a night.
AE: I think your sitcom should be a guy moves from small town to NY and becomes a Broadway star. I think that’s rife with comedy potential.
CJ: I don’t think anybody would believe that.
AE: You have such a great physical presence, so I’m not surprised that you have found you are good at comedy.
CJ: Thank you. It’s great on that show in particular, with so many folks that come from stage. I was wondering how big you could be and still be real.
Case in point, my very first episode where at the end of it I’m yelling at Kenneth, the page, and I had this huge scene where I’m supposed to just really let him have it and scream, and the director kept telling me, “Bigger, bigger, bigger! More!”
And I felt like I was just so huge and so giant and that’s many a Broadway actor’s fear that once they get on screen, they’ll just be so massive that they’ll just break the screen, but I trusted him and did what he thought, what he said, and watching it back, it plays totally fine and totally real and I thought, “Well, I guess on 30 Rock they have a different set of parameters of what – you can be big but you can still be real and it works within that world they’ve created.”
AE: Have you been doing any potential pilots?CJ: We just started pilot season here in the city. Went on one last week and yeah, things are just starting to get green-lit and so, yeah, we’re just getting ready to get cracking.
AE: In sad news, Finian’s Rainbow ended up closing sooner than anybody expected. Do you have any thoughts about that?
CJ: Well, it just goes to show that in this economy, you can have across-the-board raves and you can have great word-of-mouth, and you can have audiences that are truly just blown away and touched every night, and it’s not going to guarantee a long commercial run.
It was a little baffling to a lot of us just because going through such a long process from encores and then moving it to Broadway, it all kind of seemed like a pipe dream, and then it actually happened and then we got these reviews, and then the numbers kept coming in, and then we noticed the houses weren’t all the way full.
It just goes to show that there’s just no sure thing in this business. It’s a sad reality. I feel bad for a lot of the kids — because I think we had nine or ten people, it was their Broadway debut, so that’s always tough.
It’s such a high-low, high-low, you know. You get jerked around emotionally so much. There are rumors that they’re trying to move it to a smaller Broadway house. I’m not speaking out of turn by talking about it. Because really, we were filling like 65, 70% of the St. James Theatre, but the St. James Theatre holds, like, 1,800. It’s one of the biggest theaters on Broadway, so.
Maybe that’s a possibility or maybe this Sunday won’t be our final performance. Who knows? It’s always a gift to be in a Broadway show and if you happen to be in one and it’s well received and it’s a hit, it’s just icing. Yeah, it would be nice to have a little bit of a longer chance because everybody was just beginning to settle in. [Editor's note: The show did close last Sunday after our interview.]
AE: Your new album with Michael Feinstein has been well received. Anything else you are working on next, music-wise?
CJ: You know, right now I’ve just really been focused on promoting the album. Because you know we produced it ourselves, so we don’t have the luxury of having a huge record company behind us to promote us so we’re just using our own little connections here and there and getting on shows.
I knew it would be fun to do the show with him; I knew it would be fun to record with him. I just didn’t expect the whole process to be as artistically fulfilling as it has been because I just learned so much in the process. I do have a fire lit under me now to finally get my debut album set. I just have been dragging my feet for so many reasons and then something pops up and fills that spot.
AE: What kind of style would you go for?
CJ: Well that’s the million-dollar question. I grew up with so many different styles of music and I am moved by so many different types of music, it is really hard to fathom putting together an album that is linear and that has a through line and that’s not completely disjointed, but can still have so many influences that influenced me.
What I think I’m going to end up doing is just putting out several different albums all from different parts of my life. I love country music. I love folk music. I like Broadway music, obviously. I love the 30s and 40s, I love singer-songwriters, and gospel music. And all of them equally. All of them have influenced me and moved me equally.
I need to get with a great producer who can help me focus and who can help me — let’s just start with this. Or I need to just shut up and do it. Probably both.
AE: Do you have any projects booked if Finian’s Rainbow closes on Sunday?
CJ: Not really. I have some concert work. There is a movie that is in the works that we’re talking about, which would be wonderful, which would be in I think June or July. Really great people involved. I can’t talk about it yet because it’s not done, but it would be wonderful.
AE: Can you say what genre it is?
CJ: It’s a drama. It’s a drama and it’s about relationships and it’s exceedingly well written with really big stars in it, and I’ve already been cast as one of the leads and I think we’re just now dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.
I think it would be a huge challenge and it would be my hardest and best work to date, so I’m hoping, like I said, if it’s meant to be, it will so I don’t lose sleep over it, but I do think it will happen. I think we’ll find out in about a month or so if that’s going to go.
AE: Does it ever get hard chasing the next gig, trying to sell yourself?
CJ: You know it’s a little of both. It’s part of the excitement of it — the excitement of not knowing where your next job is is exhilarating and terrifying.
Like today, I’m going to a call-back in a second for something and, you know, it’s terrifying, because if it doesn’t happen, then that means it’s not that, but it’s going to be something else. It’s exhilarating because I could get it and then things could change. It’s definitely a mix of both for me. As you get older, you still have to audition. You still have to go on the road and prove to them that you’re the guy.
Sometimes I think gay actors especially, the few of us that are openly gay maybe have a little extra to prove. I feel like things are changing though.
AE: Things are changing, but I have talked to many actors who are so tight-lipped – we don’t out anyone or stoop to gossip, but many don’t want to talk.
CJ: And also there’s a trend lately that’s a little bit disturbing to me, and that’s people speaking out and saying that it’s better for young gay actors to stay in the closet.
AE: Talk about how the Internet has changed how actors feel about their privacy: where do you draw that line? People who are your fans and who pay to see you perform, how much do they deserve to know, what can they expect? You and your partner are in the limelight and your partner doesn’t want that.
CJ: Right. It’s a gray area, and it’s up to each person to draw that line for them. I’ve made the decision to be completely open, honest, what you see is what you get when it comes to me.
But when it comes to [my partner] Monte and my personal relationship with him, that’s off limits. It’s difficult because he’s at every event with me and he’s there, and someone says, “Why don’t you bring your partner,” and I keep saying, “He’s at everything.” You just see his arm or the side of his head.
To answer one of your questions, what their right is or what are they owed: fans are so important because they’re the ones that support you and the throngs of people at stage doors after shows when you’re signing autographs, if those people weren’t there, you wouldn’t be on stage doing your job. From the very beginning, when I very first started on Broadway, I decided that my job isn’t done when the curtain goes down. My job is done when I sign everybody’s autograph and take everybody’s pictures and then walk down the street. I feel like that’s the least that I can do.
But after that, then it’s my time. That isn’t to say that if someone comes up to me on the street and says something, I’m going to be like, “F**k you!” But I definitely value my privacy and value my relationship and my time.
As I’ve gotten a little more of a modicum of success in New York and visibility, it becomes a little more difficult especially because now Monte, you know people know who he is now or what he looks like and will write on blogs, “I saw Monte and Cheyenne at the gym and they were wearing this . . .” and it makes just you feel really kind of exposed and strange – you just have to deal with it though.
The whole Chris Colfer thing — these kids and they’re so young. I just never believe in outing people. I never believe in forcing them to do something until they’re ready. It’s nobody’s business. I don’t like all the blogs — it’s like this witch-hunt. Everybody has their own journey. Everybody has to do it in their own time. But that’s for the person to set, their own parameters.
AE: Do you read about yourself online?
CJ: No. I read interviews that I do or press that I have a stake in, definitely, but I don’t read like the Broadway message boards or chatrooms.
About two years ago is when I finally put the kibosh on that. It’s just too hard. Once you start getting so caught up in that, you can’t get it out of your head. You can hear ten nice things, but if two people write that you’re a useless piece of shit and should never be on the stage again or whatever, that’s the thing that sticks with you, and you have realize if you believe the good you
have to believe the bad.So, no, for the most part – occasionally someone will say, “Hey, you’re on Perez Hilton!” And I’ll – curiosity will get the best of me and I’ll go look it up, but no, it’s much better to embrace the phrase, “Your opinion of me is none of my business.”
AE: I see that you’re coming up on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. How did that come about and how are you preparing for that?
CJ: I’ve known Andy for a few years, and I actually did a pilot for Bravo a couple of years ago that didn’t get picked up, so that’s how we met. I work really hard in my life and I try to be a really good person, and how I reward myself is by watching Bravo. And I’ve watched Bravo for years and years and it’s not necessarily something I want to admit, but I will definitely out myself by saying that I watch all of the Real Housewives of all those cities. It just relaxes me. It’s just fun to see these crazy ladies and these crazy scenarios, acting a fool.
So every time I would see Andy at something, we were at some fashion show, I would just give him this list of the shows that were on, what was working, what didn’t, who I liked, who I didn’t like – even if he didn’t care, I would just make him listen anyway, because I said, “Listen. I’m your demographic, so you need to listen to me,” so I would tell him about this and that.
Then this show came up and he’s like, “You wanna come on?” So I think I’m going to be on with one of the real housewives of the OC.
AE: I saw Andy at a party two nights ago, and he said you told him there are two housewives you don’t want to be on with and he wants me to find out who they are.
CJ: Well, I ended up telling him who they were because I said, “Honestly Andy, if you put me on with either of those two ladies, it ain’t going to be pretty.” I wouldn’t be able to be nice. It wouldn’t be good TV because I would be too snarky. Nobody wants to see that. Or they probably do want to see that, but my mom doesn’t want to see that.
So he’s putting me on with Gretchen, I believe. Two of the others, I would have had a hard time. But it’s all in fun. It’s all entertainment. It’s all just silliness.
AE: I know you ran into Neil Patrick Harris at the gym during AfterElton's Big Gay Battle. Did he lobby you for his vote?
CJ: No, he did not lobby me. Well also we were standing in our underpants so you can’t, you kind of have to just keep the conversation to a "How’s the weather?" He had just gotten back from vacation with David. I said, “Can you believe how big this has gotten?” I think I brought it up. He said, “I know. Now it’s become like this UK versus America thing.”
But I just assured him that the perception is it’s all in fun, and any time we can be on top of John Barrowman, it’s good.
AE: [laughing- Great. You just ruined the interview because if I include the line “Neil and I were standing in the gym in our underwear," that’s all the comments are going to be about.
CJ: Well, listen. You gotta give the kids something to write home about.
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