JEFF KYLER (JK): OK, let’s talk Carrie. It was one of my favorite experiences last
season. Tell me about your role. It wasn’t in the original version, was it? Why was your role added?
WAYNE ALAN WILCOX (WW): Yeah,
my role was added. They needed a male “good
cop.” I thought it was very smart to add
a male teacher. Margaret wasn’t a
supportive mother; Miss Gardner was new to the school. By adding a teacher who was generally liked
by the students, and could talk to the guys the way Miss Gardner talked to the
girls, the writers grounded their story a bit more. They also gave more of a presence to the
world outside the girls’ locker room.
 |
| Carrie's Boys: Wilcox (right) with the male cast of the show |
JK: As I recall, your
character was part of a key plot point for poor Carrie and the noble Tommy… How do you feel about how your role turned
out and the experience as a whole?
WW: For
me, it fleshed out the story and gave the show a bigger scope. It became a show about bullies, and less of a
horror flick. I liked playing the
teacher that all the girls (and one boy, tee hee) had a crush on.
JK: There was a lot of
scrutiny surrounding that production!
What, for you, was the best part of being involved in such a
beloved-by-fans and chomping-at-the-bit-media show like Carrie?
WW: The
fans came OUT! That was cool to see –
how many people have always just loved this show. The album just came out - yay! – And it’s
been great to see how well people have responded to it.
JK: What was the biggest
challenge?
WW: The
biggest challenge – accepting the fact that I am now playing a high school
TEACHER, instead of a high school STUDENT! Grrr! Time goes by…
JK: With Carrie, you
got to work with several up-and-comers, like Molly Ranson, Derek Klena, and
Andy Mientus. What do you hope they took
away from working with more experienced actors like you?
WW: Jeez,
I don’t know. I felt like we were all
just supporting each other. I guess they
could get from me that they don’t have to hurry up and have a career before
they get to be 29. Because it won’t be
over by then.
JK: What did you learn from
them?
WW: From
them, I certainly learned the art of bravery.
They are fearless. It was
inspiring to watch their choices.
 |
| Brotherly Love: Rob McClure and Wayne Alan Wilcox in a scene from Chaplin |
JK: You get to play the plum
role of Charlie Chaplin’s brother, Sydney, in Chaplin. There is probably a ton of information, not to
mention the films of Chaplin for Rob McClure to study and learn from. Was it easy or difficult to find out about
your character?
WW: It
was actually a lot easier to research Sydney than I thought. He has a great biography. That was and still is my bible. He became a film actor, too. [He] made a lot
of films.
JK: How did you go about
researching the role?
WW: I’ve
seen and continue to watch [all of his films].
Charlie’s autobiography has been helpful to get more of an insight on
his feelings for Sydney.
Opening Night at Chaplin
 |
| The Cast of Chaplin cuts up with an #SIP |
 |
| The Principal Cast of Chaplin on Opening Night |
JK: How close to reality do
you think your Sydney is to the real one?
WW: How
close I get to Sydney in reality, well that’s anybody’s guess. But I know how he felt about his brother, and
I copied his movements, expressions, ticks, etc., where I could.
JK: What is your favorite part
of the show?
WW: There’s
a scene in our little big skit [where] I go to LA to visit Charlie after he’s
started to become famous, and I do a little walk that’s meant to be mugging on
Charlie’s tramp shuffle. But actually,
it’s the same walk Sydney invented when he made a movie called The Big ‘Ole, which was based on a
character he made up when he was on the vaudeville circuit as a kid.
JK: I saw your backstage segment on Broadway.com. First of all, is your dressing room as cramped as it looks?
WW: She’s
a tiny dressing room, but she’s not quite as small as she looks on TV.
JK: How do you like to relax
before and between shows?
WW: I
write a lot before shows. I also have this
warm-up that I stick to. Liz
Caplan taught it to me, and it’s gotten to the point now that if I don’t do it,
I don’t feel ready for my show. I do it before
every single performance. Sometimes I hate
it. I still do it.
JK: Your sense of humor shines
through in the piece - are you a cast cut-up backstage?
WW: Hmmmm. I like to see people laugh. If I’m the one that made them laugh, so be
it. They deserved it.
Bare... and Broadway Bares!
JK: Is there anything
career-wise, that you have no interest in doing? Anything you won’t do or try?
WW: There’s
a great line in the John Waters film Pink
Flamingos. “Reporter: Divine, are you a lesbian? Divine: Yes, I have done everything.” I guess I have no interest in actually
hurting anyone. I have no interest in
telling someone they can’t have the same human rights I have. I have no interest in telling someone that
they can’t see the person they love in the hospital. Does that count?
JK: As I said at the start of
this interview, you have had quite a couple of years career-wise. You have gotten to work with some amazing
actors, directors and writers. Who have
you worked with - both onstage and creatively - that you think will influence
the rest of your career?
WW: Joe
Mantello, George C. Wolfe, Warren Carlyle, Mindy Tate, Darryl Roth, Amy
Sheman-Palladino, Roger Reese…
 |
| Did you know that Wayne was the original Fabrizio in Light in the Piazza (with Celia Keenan-Bolger!)? |
The Full Monty at Paper Mill with no less
than the great Elaine Stritch!
JK: Where do you see yourself
in the next 5 years?
WW: In
5 years, I see my [name] on the marquee at the Barrymore Theatre, just as big
as Rob’s is now in our show. (I love
you, bother!) And I think people will
come to the stage door after my show, and ask me where I came from. And I’ll say, “Aww, I’ve always been here,
doing what I do.”
WAYNE ANSWERS READER
QUESTIONS
Before I interviewed Mr. Wilcox, I Tweeted my followers
asking for some short answer questions, and here are a few of them, from silly
fun to pressing fan questions!
If you could be in any
Broadway show currently playing or coming this season, which would it be? Any particular role? Dream role in any show?
Kiss of the Spider Woman. Both roles!
Hamlet and Guido.
Do you have any superstitions? Post-show indulgence?
Not
really any superstitions just STAY HEALTHY.
Chocolate after the show. Our
door lady, Elena, gives me Take 5 bars, and I LOOOVVVEEE THEM! And her!
The Great American Trailer Park Musical:
with Shuler Hensley, Orfeh and Linda Hart
Stage-dooring: You enjoy
it? Dread it? Or is it just part of the job?
I
love it. It’s a kind of support for our
show, and most of the audience just wants to let you know just how good they
think you are. It’s rewarding.
I am a cliché - an actor
who waits tables. I hate it! What is the worst job you have ever had? Why?
Did it end badly?
We
may do cliché things, but no one has ever been or will be a cliché. We have too many distinct feelings. Worst job I ever had was I worked in a
factory in college that made rags and stuffed them into boxes.
Booorrriiinnnggg! Thank God, it was only
for a summer!
 |
| "Will I Lose My Dignity?": As Gordon in the film version of RENT |
Big Carrie fan
here! Were you ever bullied or know
someone who was? If so, how did you deal
with it?
I
was bullied a lot in school. I have many
friends that were bullied, too. I dealt
with it by deciding that I was going to be better at something than they (the
bullies) were, and by the time all of the bullshit of high school society wore
off and we all grew up, that I was going to be more successful than they
were. That worked out. And I decided that I was never going to make
someone feel they way they made me feel.
Especially high school kids.
(If you want to ask questions to Broadway folks in the future, be sure to “follow” me on Twitter and watch for the question request!)
Video from Broadway.com; Photos: Chaplin photos by Joan Marcus, Getty Images, BC/EFA, The Full Monty photos by Linda Lenzi
Before you go...
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...have you checked this month's BROADWAY BOY, DROOD's WILL CHASE? He's a pretty amazing guy! CLICK his picture in the right hand column to find out more!
...have you VOTED in this week's HOT or NOT? It's DROOD, PART 2: THE PRINCIPALS! CLICK the show logo in the upper left column!
...have you checked this month's BROADWAY BOY, DROOD's WILL CHASE? He's a pretty amazing guy! CLICK his picture in the right hand column to find out more!
Jeff
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