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A class act
As charismatic teacher Will Schuester on the wildly
successful TV musical
Glee,
Matthew Morrison — the
former TV bit player — is now a certified song and dance
star. By Debra Wallace/Celebritext
AFTER A DECADE
in musicals and soaps,
Matthew James Morrison has found
success in the hit TV show
Glee.
In it, he
plays optimistic teacher Will Schuester
who, against all odds (and a malicious
cheerleading coach), attempts to save the
high school glee club. The role has earned
him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations,
as well as droves of female fans.
Before
Glee,
Matthew landed minor gigs
on TV (his favorite role was the musical
Once Upon a Mattress
starring Carol Burnett)
and worked in Broadway, where he was
nominated for a Tony for the musical
The
Light in the Piazza.
“More people saw our first
Glee
episode
than me in my entire 10 years in theater,”
admits the actor, who also starred in
Footloose, The Rocky Horror Show
and
Hairspray.
“I know this will end someday —
all good things do — but this is great for all of
us, and I am loving every moment of it.”
What is it about the show
that , s made it such a hit?
I think if you ask any person or cast member,
you can get a different answer. For me, I think
it’s the music. It’s the universal language that
we all speak. And it’s the underdog story. It’s
really about the underdogs and how anyone
can have their voice heard.
What excites you so much
about
Glee
?
That the “hour musical” is back and it’s
thriving, and it’s so great to be a part of that.
How does it hold up from
season to season?
Well, it’s interesting. They know they’re going
to see a few musical numbers and a couple
of dance numbers. But I think the thing that
really keeps it so fresh and strong is the
[range of] underlying themes that are in it
every week: like bullying and teen pregnancy
and being gay in high school. I think those
are the things that open up a dialogue with
households and [they get to] talk about real
issues. It’s really amazing.
Glee
gets a lot of attention
for all the casting and the
special episodes. But do you
believe it , s the core cast that
keeps people coming back
for more?
No, I think it’s the writers that keep them
coming back every week. I think they
have such a high level of writing. And they
maintain it, which is amazing. Yeah, they
make our jobs really easy. And I think [it’s] the
issues that we tackle and everything we’ve
talked about and what the writers bring to the
show, because really, television is a writer’s
medium. And I think we have some of the
best writers around.
So going forward, what
would you like to see for
your character and some of
the other characters?
You know, I don’t even look at it like that. I
look at it in terms of an actor, like “Oh, I get
to work with Jane (Lynch) this week.” Or “I
get to work with Jayma (Mays).” I don’t really
put much forethought, because anything that
I come up with, the writers will come up with
something far better.
Talk about who you work
with the most, and what the
experience is like.
I do a lot of scenes with Jane Lynch. We
usually do it scripted, and then they say and
do some fun stuff and just go crazy. We’re all
very lucky.
You and the rest of the cast
are kind of ambassadors to
these songs. People your
age or younger may not
be familiar with them, and
suddenly they are playing it
on iTunes. What
,
s that like?
It’s great. But [it’s also great] for the older
generation who watch the show. [It’s about]
introducing them to songs that they have
never heard before, like rap songs and stuff
like that. So that has been kind of cool too… it
works the other way.
So did you discover music,
theatre or dance when you
were in school? Did you
have an arts education?
For me, I’m a proud product of a public arts
education. And I wouldn’t be here today if it
wasn’t for the passion that was instilled in me
by my teachers.
Will has had tremendous
chemistry playing mentor
to these kids. When the
cameras stop rolling, are
you still a mentor to the
group, or does someone
else take over?
I don’t know — you’d have to ask them.
They say you are great
friend and call you a triple
threat.
Thank you, I am humbled.
09LKH Smile
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