JKTS Chat: An Interview with Chaplin's Wayne Alan Wilcox (Part 1)

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Over the past six years or so, Broadway and off- Broadway fans have had several chances to see the talents of  Wayne Alan Wilcox, who currently stars in Chaplin as Sydney Chaplin, brother of Charlie.  Maybe you caught him off-Broadway with Blythe Danner in Suddenly Last Summer or most recently in Carrie. If you haven't seen Chaplin, perhaps you saw him in The Normal Heart or Priscilla Queen of the Desert or in his Broadway debut in Coram Boy.

Fortunately, you 'll get the chance to get to know him even better, whether you've seen him perform or not!  Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Wilcox and ask him all about his career so far.  As you'll see, he's funny, thoughtful and open.  And it's one of the best interviews I've ever had to pleasure to do!  Here is the first half of that conversation - including a few of the questions some of you submitted.

JEFF KYLER (JK): What great two years or soyou’ve had, huh?  It sounds to me like anactor’s dream! WAYNE ALAN WILCOX (WW): Thanks,man!  That’s quite a compliment.
JK: How has it been to go fromthe all-star revival of The Normal Heart to the highly-anticipatedrevival/revised and notorious Carrie, and now a major supporting role inChaplin? WW: Thisis the easiest thing to answer. Ready?  All I’ve ever wanted to doas an actor is have a career that allows me to play as many different, varied,opposite roles as I can think up.  Ithought I was lucky when I first graduated from Boston University and I got aplay.  Then it was a musical, and then afew more plays and musicals.  Then I gota television show, and I thought, “Yes! Yes! Yes! I want to do this, too!”  I mean, when I discovered that I COULD domore than just one thing, that I wanted to be more than just one character typeor genre type… Is that even a thing, a “genre type”?  I guess it is.  There are models that do runway, and othermodels that do beauty ads, right?  Whynot?  I digress. Then I got hungry to seehow many different things I could do.

That TV show was Gilmore Girls.

He played Marty, otherwise known to fans as "Naked Guy."

JK: Considering how vastlydifferent the shows and your roles in them are, how do you adjust?WW: Adjustingis the fun part.  Getting excited aboutall the new challenges and study (and, with a couple of parts, new diets andworkouts), from one project to the next is why I decided I wanted to makeacting and art my life.  Change is good;adjusting is always eye-opening.  As anactor, and as a person, we need it. How I adjust is by taking on the new role,new medium, new project by diving in from the start.  I’m not really afraid of doing somethingnew.  I want to do it.  I want to learn it.  That’s how I adjust.

Suddenly Last Summer (Far Left)
with Gale Harold, Blythe Danner and Carla Gugino

Coram Boy: That's Wayne, center stage, with his back to us

JK: Unfortunately, I missedyour Broadway debut in Coram Boy. From what I’ve read, despite its shortBroadway run, everything about it was epic. Was your debut everything you dreamed it would be?  WW: Youknow, when I found out I got Coram Boy,I was already in and off-Broadway production of Suddenly Last Summer at the Roundabout, and I thought I was luckybut that it wouldn’t last.  Before that,I had been bar tending for awhile, and I was beginning to think that was gonnabe my life.  I thought, “Yeah, I’m goingto own and run my own bar.”  I was in arelationship that was not the best thing for my heart and my spirit, and I wastrying to make that work.  Itdidn’t.  When we got to rehearsal for Coram Boy, there was a giant turntablein the rehearsal studio, and our director, Melly Still, started getting us intothe world of that play.  It was thisgiant theatrical event, and I felt like a little boy again, like I got to playin this giant sandbox.  All of a sudden,I knew I wasn’t just lucky, that I had worked hard for this moment, and that Iwasn’t going to run a bar. (I’d be terrible at it, I know.  I’d just want to give too many free drinksaway.  I think everyone needs a freedrink once in awhile.)  So, yeah, Coram Boy was a dream come true.  I knew that I was home.
JK: What did you take awayfrom that production that stays with you to this day?WW: Fromthat show, I learned to trust my instincts. Like I said, I understood completely that I wanted to do this for aliving, and that I had earned that role. I continued to trust myself, and it led me to a much more fulfilling andhonest and thoughtful performance.  Icall Coram Boy my little growth spurtbecause I felt like I came into my own a bit there.

The Broadway Company of The Normal Heart

Wayne with co-director Joel Grey

Opening Night of The Normal Heart

The Normal Heart: Talk back with Jim Parsons, Luke
MacFarlane, Lee Pace and Wayne Alan Wilcox

JK: I remember the energy andraw emotion in the house throughout The Normal Heart.  Could you feel that from the stage?  WW: The Normal Heart was the most engaging play Ihad done up to then.  I mean, as soon aswe came out on stage, from the first preview, you could feel everyone in theaudience lean forward in their seat.  Bythe time we got to the end of Act 2, we all felt like we were carried throughon the waves coming from the audience, and then they got to cry it out.  We heard sobs every night – not justwhimpers, but big, grown man I-don’t-cry sobs.
JK: Considering the constantintensity of the piece, how did the audience help (or hinder) the company ingetting through it so many times each week?WW: Theaudience didn’t hinder anything.  (Exceptthe ones trying to take pictures and bootleg videos.  Shame on you! It’s live for a reason.) They were with us the whole time and theirenergy was electrifying.  They carried usthrough.
JK: The Normal Heart had a pretty swift birth on Broadway.  How was it having to get the show on its feetso quickly?  WW: Well,everyone showed up pretty much off book on the first day, to say theleast.  George Wolfe is incrediblytalented, and all of his energy was focused on getting the play up well andright.  He wanted us to do it well andright, too.  The short time that we hadto do it in wasn’t really a factor once we all adopted his focus.  I mean, I’m sure the designers were tearingtheir hair out.  But the cast just knewwe could do it, because George told us we could.  So, we did it.

The Cast of Priscilla Queen of the desert

JK: How was it to be a part ofPriscilla Queen of the Desert?  WW: Oh, Priscilla.  Never in a million years did I think I woulddo that.  I always wanted to, but neverthought I would.  Again, I wanted tostretch myself and play that different role. And I got it.  And I did it.  And I loved it.
JK: The show looked like a TONof fun to do.  Was it as fun as itlooks?  WW: Yes,it’s a TON of fun.  Everyone had a goodtime in that show.  And Tony Sheldon gaveme a great gift for Chaplin.  He’s a gentleman and a scholar, and I hope weget to work together again.
JK: How does a guy fromTennessee find his inner-Aussie, and in drag no less?  WW: Youcan take the kid out of Tennessee, but you can’t take the Aussie drag queen outof the boy from Tennessee… [That was a] lame joke that should be saying Ialways had an inner Aussie drag diva in me. I’m glad she came out and said, “hello.” I hope everyone gets to let their drag diva out.

Talk about versatile!  He works out AND walks on high-rise ledges!
SHORT ANSWERS FOR READERQUESTIONSBefore I interviewed Mr. Wilcox, I Tweeted my followersasking for some short answer questions, and here are a few of them, from sillyfun to pressing fan questions!
Mounds or Almond Joy?  Plain or Peanut MandMs? Fruit or vegetable?AlmondJoy.  Peanut.  BOTH! At least 3 servings every day.

Here's that make-up in "real life" light

The make-up in Chaplin:is it creepy to see backstage or is it as cool as it looks from the house?It’scool.  We all get a kick out of it.
If you could play any rolein Chaplin besides your own, what would it be and why?Charlie.  He gets to do so much cool stuff.

Wayne Wilcox: Bowler.  Tea drinker.

Chaplin: "Brothers" on Opening Night.
Who is taller?

If your cast mates had todescribe you in 5 words or less, what do you think they’d say?Tall.  Eats. Bowls.  Teacup.  Saucer.
How tall are you?  You look so much taller than Rob McClure!I’m6’2”, not that much taller than Rob.  Ilook really tall on stage, I think.
(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!) 
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Look for Part 2 of this interview, including Chaplin dish and more of your questions, next week!
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Jeff4.060Comments? Questions? @jkstheatrescene (Twitter); jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (Email); or leave a comment below and check a box!