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Especially as played by Robin de Jesus, who earned aTony nominationfor his performance in this shows Broadway revival.
Ive been waiting for a parfait with this many layers of acting for a minute.
You worry about forgetting things or just that youre less prepared.
Then you get there and your body takes over.
When youre doing a play its like a wide shot the whole time.
The audience is seeing you even when you dont speak.
you could create relations with these people that the audience sees throughout.
You have to reestablish those relationships.
It affected me the most with Tuc Watkins.
It was fun and stimulating to figure out where to insert that into the movie.
Theres no real way to compare me to Cliff Gorman, just by the way I look.
Im not gonna worry about being liked.
When it comes to telling gay stories and POC stories, that is so burdensome.
Cisgender white folks get to be messy and theyre still entitled to empathy.
It was nice to have someone to dig in on that.
I really wanted to verify that we honored it and it wasnt looked past.
On film, as an actor, you have less control in making sure those moments are seen.
Thats an uncomfortable place to be, but everyone was really open to it.
What was interesting was occasionally clocking things outside of the actual production.
Sometimes youre checking in for a cast event and being asked, Are you sure youre with this production?
Those little daggers can accumulate.
But thats why POC folks have talents that go unclocked.
The film cuts back to these flashbacks of each guys memory as they do their phone calls.
In one generation, I get to be doing this.
That helped me calm my ego down and do my job.
Thats what my people do, they work their tails off.
I found my groove, and Im really happy with what they edited.
Did you all as a cast have a way to mourn?We did have a group thread.
He wrote the play 50 years ago, and that was the first time it had been on Broadway.
It was the first time that he had received that love on that scale.
We saw him as so healthy and spry that we didnt see his death coming.
Were always playing doctors and lawyers and these noble professions.
That is real, and to me, more universal to white audiences.
Ive read you say that Emorys fan was Joes idea in this show.
Is that true?Yeah!
There was a moment that needed some flair and fabulousness.
I think that is what enabled him to be so bold and proud.
I identified as bi and questioning, really.
By the time the movie came out, I already knew that I was gay.
It was all the other work I did on the side that enabled me to prove myself.
Along the way, you played Boq inWickedfor awhile starting in late 2014.
Did you work much with Joe Mantello there?
I also thought it was important to see a brown Boq.
I dont think there was a Puerto Rican Boq at this point, there definitely had been Latinx Boqs.
It was the first time my niece could come see me on Broadway.
We developed a social rapport, which all lent itself, I think, toThe Boys in the Band.
Youre in Lin-Manuel Mirandas adaptation ofTick, Tick…
BOOM!, reuniting with him after your Tony nom forIn the Heights.
That started filming back in March and then of course everything shut down.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
