IESB Interview with Kevin McHale

I found another great article on another Glee cast member! Kevin McHale did an exclusive interview with IESB a few days ago. It is kind of long but it's sure a good one!

Kevin McHale's love for singing, dancing and acting started when he was still a kid, but he never thought he would do it as a career. But, since making the move to Los Angeles, the triple threat has appeared in various television and film projects, including guest starring on the HBO vampire series True Blood. He can now be seen weekly on Fox television's hit musical comedy series Glee as Artie Abrams, the wheelchair-bound, geeky guitarist who doesn't let any of his life challenges stop him from pursuing his dreams.


In this exclusive interview, Kevin McHale talked to IESB about living his dream and not only having a hit television show, which returns with new episodes in April, but also a hit soundtrack.

IESB: How did you get interested in acting? Did you just always want to be a performer?

Kevin: I always performed, singing and dancing, but I never thought I would do it as a career. I didn't know that was possible. I thought, "You can't do that. That's not something regular people can do." But, my sister was an agent in Dallas and I remember, in fourth grade, they were auditioning for some movie. I was like, "Oh, I wanna do it!," and she was like, "No, you don't act. You can't." But then, I forced her to let me audition, and I've been doing it ever since then. I had done theater as a little kid, but it was the busy work that your parents put you in during the day. I liked doing it, but it wasn't until the fourth grade that I was like, "Oh, I like this!" It was a whole new thing.

IESB: Did you have a moment where you realized that this could actually be a career?

Kevin: I don't know if there was one moment. It just got to the point where, musically and with acting, there was nothing else I wanted to do. I was like, "No matter if I ever book an audition, I'm going to find some way to be a part of this because it's just what I love to do." I don't remember the moment, but I just remember getting that feeling of, "This is it. This is what I'm doing, whether it works out or not."

IESB: How did you originally get involved with Glee?

Kevin: It was a regular audition. My manager was really, really excited about it. I've been with the same manager since I was 14, so we're a family. She called me up and it was the first time I've heard her really, really excited about something. It was always a battle for her because I was always doing music, at the same time as acting. She was like, "Okay, here's something that you can sing and act in!"
I read the script and it was not so much about the singing and acting, even though that was amazing, but it was that combined with this crazy, clever script. Mean Girls was my favorite high school movie, and just the fact that it reminded me of that off-beat, weird humor, I was like, "Oh, my God! I have to somehow get onto this damn show!" But, it was just a normal auditioning process. The first audition was just me and the casting director and, apparently, he saw something. Thank God, he did, because I thought I bombed it. And then, two days later, I went back and met with (show creator/executive producer) Ryan Murphy and everybody else. There were about 20 people in the room. I went from having an audition with one person to about 20 people. I was one of the first people that found out they were going to test, so I had to wait six weeks until they found everybody else. And it was the first thing I had ever tested for, but here I am, so it worked out somehow. I was a nervous wreck, the entire time.

IESB: What was this audition process like? Did they want to make sure you could act and sing?

Kevin: Yep. For the first audition, I went in and sang "Let it Be," by The Beatles, and then I just did the scenes that they gave to us. Then they said, "When you come back in two days, have two songs prepared," and I was like, "Okay." I thought I did terrible with the singing. I tried to cut down "Let it Be," and they said, "Do more, do more!," and I didn't know anymore. But, they thought it was good. And then, I came back and did the exact same thing. From what I understand, I was the first person they saw for Artie. I was nervous when I went in, and I turned all that nervousness into who Artie became. In the beginning, the breakdown of the character never said he was nerdy. It just said he had a lot of heart. So, I just took all my nervous energy and made him nerdy, and it worked out.
When we did the studio test, Chris Colfer and I tested together. We came up in the elevator together at Fox, and I helped him check in and everything, then I realized that he had the Artie sides and I was like, "Perfect, I'm helping my competition. That's great!" And then, when I got up there, I heard them talking about some Kurt character and I was like, "Whew, I can be nice to him now." Then, lo and behold, we went back two days later for the network test and he was there again, and Jenna Ushkowitz was there from New York, and it was great. I was like, "Whether or not I get it, Chris is hilarious and he needs to get this." I didn't see him audition or sing, but I was sitting in the room with him and I thought he was awesome. And then, we all found out we got it, about an hour later.

IESB: At what point, during the process of auditioning for this dream project with singing, dancing and acting, did you find out that your character would be in a wheelchair?

Kevin: I knew that, from day one. That was really the only part I was right for. And, I never thought twice about it. That was it. I was like, "Okay, I need to learn how to sit in a wheelchair and not move my legs." Each project and thing you go out for it different, in some way, and I had never been out for anything in a wheelchair, but that's just what the part called for, so that's what I was going to do.

IESB: Did anything surprise you about working with the wheelchair? Was it difficult to learn how to maneuver?

Kevin: Everybody is aware that they need to give me a little space ‘cause my turns are a little wider than everybody else's. But, the first thing we ever did for the pilot was "Sit Down, You're Rockin the Boat" (from Guys and Dolls) and you don't see it in the pilot, but the whole number was based around the wheelchair. From the first day of dance rehearsal, we figured out everything we could do with the wheelchair. Everybody figured out how to work with it and around it. Because I come from a dancing background, so when we learn dances now, they don't have to specifically tell me what to do. I'm just mimicking what everybody else does, but in a wheelchair, and cheating and finding short-cuts, so that I can keep the same time as everybody else.

IESB: For those who haven't seen the show yet, what can you say about it to get people to tune in when it returns in April?

Kevin: It's so hard to describe the show. Everybody has a different way to describe it. Every person needs to watch it and find out what it is for themselves. There really is something in it for everybody. Sometimes it's just a random song that you wouldn't think you would hear. It's so funny. It's not just a high school show. We're making fun of all the typical high school stuff, and I don't know if people always get that. It's completely satirical. It's just a lot of fun and enjoying to watch.

IESB: Is the show as much fun to make as it is to watch, or is it more work than people would expect?

Kevin: It's probably more work than people would expect, but the work is fun. We get to do three or four music videos a week, and we're all together, all the time. Towards the end, the looser numbers, like "Imagine" and "Lean on Me," where you see us having a good time, that's not acting. That's actually us, having fun. We're getting to do these classic songs and we're just really, really having a blast together.

IESB: What is the process that you go through with this show, with the filming schedule, rehearsing and recording?

Kevin: It's about finding the balance with how much time the dance numbers are going to take. If we have a full day of shooting, then we're shooting. But sometimes, when they're switching the camera around for a different angle, we'll have to go to rehearsal for 45 minutes and then come back, get back into our outfits and finish the scene. Or, we'll have a lock-down where we have rehearsals for eight or nine hours in one day and then, after that, we might have to go record and then, the next morning, we have to be able to show back up and shoot and then, maybe after shooting, go and record more. It's weird because we'll be learning a dance for an upcoming episode, while we're going over a dance we're shooting that day. We'll be like, "Hold on, what episode is this in?" Luckily, we have amazing choreographers. It's funny because Ryan Murphy literally approves every single dance number, outfit and everything, so we can spend three days on a dance number and, if he comes in and doesn't like it, then we have to redo it. That's happened a few times. But, it ends up looking way better and we just go with it because that man is a genius.

IESB: In what ways are you most like Artie, and how are you most different from him?

Kevin: I'd have to say that I'm most like him in his passion for what he does, with the singing and the whole music thing. Everybody in the Glee Club all loves to do it and they do it, regardless of the entire school thinking they're complete freaks. Since fourth grade, I've always done singing, acting and dancing. I didn't care what anyone said. I was like, "It's what I like to do. I'm sorry that you don't know what you like to do." That's how I relate to him, in the biggest way. I'm most unlike him because, in high school, he's more secure with himself, in the way that he does what he wants to do. In high school, everybody is finding out who they are and they're insecure, and he just doesn't care. Artie is like, "Yeah, I'm going to do it anyway." I can relate to that in the artistic sense, but in actuality of every day life, I definitely was not as cool in high school as Artie is, as weird as that might sound. I think Artie is cool. The coolest thing is that he does everything that everybody else does. It's not a, "Feel sorry for me," thing. I think that's real. People who are in a wheelchair for most of their lives aren't like that. It's just who they are and that's what they make of it.

IESB: What's it been like to work with this ensemble of young actors? Did you all just immediately click with each other?

Kevin: We did. We are all really, really tight. The first day of rehearsal was me, Amber Riley, Chris and Jenna. And then, they brought Lea Michele in and we were like, "I hope Lea is cool," and she was. And then, they brought Cory Monteith in and we were like, "Oh, we hope we work well with him," and we did. Out of everybody, Dianna Agron was the last one cast, and we were like, "She's supposed to be the queen bee. We hope she's not like her character." And then, she ended up being literally the sweetest, nicest person ever. She's totally opposite of her character. We really lucked out because now there's 12 of us and we're all really great friends. Everybody is so nice and supportive, and we all help each other. We're the guinea pigs in this whole new format for the show, so we all have crazy hours and are balancing a crazy schedule, and we all have each other to lean on, so it's been good. I'm glad. I don't know how other casts work, but we really do all get along so well. I know people are like, "What drama is going on?," and there's none, sorry to say.

IESB: What's it been like to work with Jane Lynch?

Kevin: Jane Lynch doing anything is just amazing. Anytime she's on the screen is just ridiculous. Sometimes we'll be on the lot, rehearsing for a dance number, and we'll have a few minutes off and we sneak back to the stage to see Jane do a scene. I can't even explain it. You're watching it and it's like if Meryl Streep were on set. It's amazing. Her character, Sue Sylvester, is crazy. She's absolutely insane, in every way, but you love her and don't want her to leave the screen.

IESB: Have there been any guest stars that were particularly memorable for you?

Kevin: I don't come from a Broadway background, like a lot of the people on the show, but instantly, from the first five minutes of dance rehearsal, we were in awe of Kristin Chenoweth. She walked in and we were like, "Oh, my God!" She's this tiny little thing with this huge presence, and was so professional and inspiring. We were sitting there watching her do "Maybe This Time," and it was one of the most incredible experiences I think I'll ever have. You could see her raw talent in that room, just singing to us and the camera guy. And afterwards, I was like, "That was one of the most inspiring and moving things that I've ever seen in my life." And, she was like, "Oh, you guys have inspired me, every single day that I've shown up to work." She was so nice. It was just amazing. I hope she comes back and does as many episodes as she feels like doing.

IESB: Are you looking forward to the possibility of getting to work with Idina Menzel?

Kevin: Everybody has been amazing so far, so I'm sure she would be too. That would be awesome. I don't know what's happening with that. I read it on the blogs, like everybody else.

IESB: Without giving anything away, are there any hints you can give, as to what viewers can expect from the show, when it returns in April?

Kevin: I don't really know. You never know what's around the corner with Ryan Murphy. I would just say to expect more of the same. You don't know what's going to happen. You can go from crying to laughing, in 30 seconds on this show. I'm sure it's going to get more intense with Regionals next. I'm sure it's going to be absolutely insane. I'm sure the numbers will get even bigger with more dancing. I'm sure you can only expect the love triangles to get all crazy. Who knows? Now that the baby-daddy drama is out there, everybody knows about it. I'm just waiting to see the ramifications of all that. I'm glad we took care of all those stories. They're obviously not done, but I'm glad they all exploded. Now we can see what happens to everybody after the dust settles.

IESB: Are you at all surprised by how big of a hit the show has become, along with all of the attention that the cast has gotten from it?

Kevin: Yes and no. When we started this whole thing, we didn't know how this could work. We were like, "This could work, or it could just be really expensive home videos that nobody sees." We had no idea. We just hoped. It was our baby. We're obviously biased. We loved it, but you never know how it's going to work out, when the public sees it. So, in turn, now that it's come out and has been doing pretty well so far, we're all completely excited. Every day, we're literally like, "Oh, my God, is this really happening?" We went to Australia, and we've gotten to do some amazing things. It's absolutely insane. We're doing this show that we're so proud of. Overall, yeah, we're probably surprised because it is such a new thing that we honestly had no idea how it was going to work. You can put so much money into promoting something, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. We're just so excited that we get to go back and make more episodes.

IESB: Is there anyone who's told you that they're a fan of the show, that just really surprised you?

Kevin: There's been a few, yeah. We met Kristen Bell, who I think is awesome. Her roommate said they TiVo the show and watch it, every week. It's just been insane. We get to go to some cool things and people are like, "We love your show," and we're like, "Oh, my God, we love your show." I love Modern Family, and we're on at the same time, which is kind of funny, but we run into them everywhere. I've gone up to everybody in that cast and said, "Oh, my God, I love your show! You guys are amazing!" And, they're like, "No, you guys are amazing! We love your show!" It's been cool.
Nia Vardalos found me and Jenna, and she just wouldn't let us go. She was awesome. She was like, "I was told this once: You only get famous once, so enjoy it." We're not famous. We totally don't consider ourselves famous at all. We're new to this whole thing, so it's just been so cool that everybody has been really great, and warm and receptive to us. So far, so good.

IESB: How does it feel to not only have a hit show, but to also have a hit soundtrack?

Kevin: That's insane! Recently, I was doing more music than acting, so I'm used to seeing numbers go the opposite way, that are bad numbers. To see that the second soundtrack is still #1 on iTunes is just insane. I can't even explain it. It's a dream because, of course, you want to work on good stuff and be on a TV show, but then you have a hit soundtrack? That doesn't happen. It's all really surreal. It's like, "Is this really happening?" And the people from the record label know that I love numbers. The network calls me the autistic numbers guy. I love all the numbers, so they send me sheets of how much we've sold per song.

IESB: Being a part of this show, do you feel like a role model for kids like this, who don't quite fit in, in high school?

Kevin: I don't know if I feel like a role model, but just the fact that we're representing it on TV is pretty cool. Maybe that's what a role model is. I don't know. I have role models, so it's weird for me to be a role model. But, we've gotten to go on two tours around the country, meeting fans, and the biggest thing is people coming up to us and saying, "Thank you so much for representing the outcasts and the losers in high school because that's who we are and we totally relate." That's how we all were in high school, too. The majority of people don't fit in, in high school, and that's what it's all about. We're just putting that on national television, in a different way. The jocks, the cheerleaders and the nerds have been played forever, but this is from the more nerdy POV with the Glee Club, which is never the coolest thing, even though it should be.

IESB: What was the experience of working on True Blood like? What drew you to that show?

Kevin: When I auditioned for that show, I didn't know what it was. It wasn't out yet. Nobody knew anything about it. I literally had one line and didn't know it could be a recurring character, or anything. I was like, "Vampires? What?" I had no idea what it was. I literally got a call for it the day before and they said, "It's this new show, called True Blood." All I knew was that Alan Ball was attached to it, so I was like, "Okay, sure." It was the quickest audition of my life. I went and did the line, and then I got a call and they said, "Okay, they want you." It was insane because, once I found out that I got it, they said that there was more than just that one line. I had to go to a latex shop and get fitted for latex clothes, and I was a fang-banger. I haven't done that much, but what I've gotten to do has all been completely different roles. It was cool. I got to go to these strange stores where they had latex, and I was in between appointments for Madonna and Janet Jackson, who were getting wardrobes for their tour. I wore a latex corset thing, with purple in my hair, purple eye make-up and fake eyelashes. I was like, "Hey, when am I going to get to do this again? Why not?" And, it ended up being one of my favorite shows. It was just completely random and, thankfully, I got to be a part of that.

IESB: Are there any particular types of roles or specific genres that you'd like to do, but haven't gotten the chance to yet?

Kevin: I'd like to be able to keep doing different parts, from a fang-banger to somebody in a wheelchair. I like that. I like stuff that's physically demanding. I'm really up for playing anything. I wouldn't want to keep playing the same character for too long. So, I'm up for anything that challenges me, in different ways. I have no expectations. I have no idea what's out there or what can happen. I'd like to do anything.