Hello Beautiful People,
I’m so pleased to introduce you all to our next featured actor in our Actors & Actresses Q&A Series, Superman. Actually, his name is Edward Watts, but he’ll be playing Superman in the upcoming production of IT’S A BIRD…IT’ A PLANE…IT’S SUPERMAN at ENCORES! Edward was kind enough to sit down with me to chat about theater, Broadway, education, and life. He is a gem – a real life superhero if you will. I know you all will enjoy this exclusive Q&A, so, without further ado, meet Edward Watts.
TWT: First things first, did you always want to be a performer?
EW: No, I came into this profession very late. I was a typical Midwest kid, raised in Ohio, played sports. Soccer was all I cared about as a kid. Middle school was when my teachers realized I could sing, and I was in the choir. I thought it was fun, but I really still was just focused on sports. In high school, I got cast as the lead in Annie Get Your Gun, and loved it. Even then, I still wasn’t one hundred percent positive that it was I wanted to do, and so, I went to Ohio State for all the wrong reasons. My brother went there, my girlfriend at the time was going there, and so it just seemed like the natural progression. I continued doing the shows, but I wasn’t surrounded with people who knew the business side of theater. Halfway through my college career, I auditioned for a workshop in the city, which I got, and I ended up staying in New York.
TWT: What’s the most memorable role that you’ve played thus far?
EW: El Gallo in The Fantasticks, which I did for about two years, from 2010 -2012. Not only was the role an actual milestone, as it really helped establish me in New York. But, I got to be the fiftieth actor to play the role in the fiftieth anniversary. I loved playing the character, he’s so complex yet simple at the same time. I learned so much doing a show for that long, from performing a character with such depth. It was an amazing experience, one I would go back to again and again.
TWT: Do you have a dream role? If so, what is it?
EW: The role hasn’t been written yet, as it’s one that I will originate. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t enjoy playing other characters, but it’s a dream to be able to create and shape and originate something new.
TWT: If you had to choose another profession other than your own, what would you choose?
EW: I’d be a cabinetmaker. I have such a passion for woodworking, and construction.
TWT: Just for fun, what sound do you hate?
EW: Car horns. Car horns and New York City are never for the reason that they’re supposed to be, (safety), they’re just sounds of obnoxious people being impatient.
TWT: Just for fun, what sound do you love?
EW: I like the sound of my Mr. Coffee coffeemaker making coffee in the morning.
TWT: Just for fun, what’s permanently on your bookshelf?
EW: I have eclectic taste in reading, sometimes I only want to read to escape, and so I will read fiction, and then there are times when I get tired of that and take to reading biographies. John Varley is by far one of my favorite authors, and he writes future earth history. I’ve read everything he’s ever written, and cannot wait for his next book. David McCullough is a brilliant biographer, who wrote John Adams, 1776, etc. He’s one of the best biographers of today.
TWT: Just for fun, if you were stranded on a desert island, what movies would you want with you?
EW: Cool Hand Luke is one of my favorite movies ever. Paul Newman is brilliant. The whole thing is just fun to watch. It’s great. Another favorite of mine is Princess Bride – it has everything in it. Swashbuckling, love, humor, action, it has it all. My other favorite guilty pleasure movie is The Fifth Element. A more modern favorite of mine is The Help. I was blown away. That movie had the most heart of anything I’ve seen in such a long time.
TWT: What advice would you have for high school students who wish to pursue a career in theater?
EW: Never think you have all the answers. I’ve seen too many actors who think that they’ve made it, and then are closed off to any input, to learning anything new from other people around them. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you should always be open to learning. Always keep your eyes and ears open. Never think you know everything. When I was on tour with Les Miserables, I remember watching the actress who played Cosette and thinking, “Wow, there is such an innocence to her, I have to remember that in my own performance and not become a jaded actor.” I think that as soon as you start thinking you know everything, you become jaded. You become closed off. You become the person that nobody wants to work with. So, the biggest thing I would stress to all students, and all younger actors, is to never stop learning.
TWT: Superman. You. Are. Superman. Well actually, you’ll be playing Superman at ENCORES! What’s it like to be part of this production?
EW: I’m very excited about it, as it’s such an iconic character. It’s awesome. I’m feeling a little bit of pressure about it, because it is Superman. But, psychologically speaking he’s such a fascinating character. His “alter ego” is the normal guy, Clark Kent. He himself is the superhero, which is such an interesting dynamic to play.
TWT: In today’s economy, arts programs are being cut. What reasons would you give a politician for preserving the arts?
EW: I find this a fascinating concept, that the arts are the “go-to” thing for politicians to cut. I find it fascinating because I don’t think that politicians realize how much the arts influence so many different aspects of life. I think they just have this concept of a guy painting a canvas and a person playing the trombone. They forget about the vast amount of careers that the arts encompass – graphic design, theatrical design, all the people who work within the theaters and film sets, behind the scenes, not just in front. That’s a large amount of people who won’t have an education, should all these programs get cut. Without all those people, they won’t have the outlet that they need. When they’re done with their office job, they go home and watch television; they go to the movies, and those outlets help them in their own lives, and I don’t think that’s something that they realize. That informs their job, it makes them more creative, and it gives them new perspective, and opens their thinking process by stimulating that artistic side of their brains. I just don’t think they get it. You’re going to try and take the arts away, and then you’re going to go home and turn on the television, and there will be nothing on but the news.
TWT: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
EW: My high school theater director, Margaret Lawson. Later on in life, as far as the business goes, I’d credit Luba Tcheresky in regards to coaching me with the singing aspect of my career. She’s spectacular. She was an opera star in her day, has long since retired, but she was taught by all of the European greats, and she teaches like no one else. Larry Singer is an outstanding acting coach. As far as life goes, I’d have to say my dad. The integrity, the moral and ethics that he taught me, well, I’d wish every little boy, (or girl for that matter), to have such an outstanding example. I love my mom too, as she just taught me about the emotional aspect of life, but there’s always something special about the relationship between a father and son.
Thank you, Edward! And friends, be sure to go see Edward as Superman at ENCORES! March 20- 24, New York City Center.
Live, Love, Learn,
Megan &