Red Carpet Regulars: Mover and Shaker Tony-Nominated Actor Extraordinaire Bryce Pinkham Our Coverage Sponsored by Stribling and Associates
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Since closing The Tony-Winning production of "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" in January of 2016 after nearly 700 performances in the Title role and taking a hiatus to perform in "The Heidi Chronicles", Tony-nominee Bryce Pinkham has focused his efforts on taking strides in the world of television and film. Bryce Pinkham was first featured as a Mover and Shaker on Whom You Know in 2013 and has previously been Highly Recommended by Whom You Know in Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, Ghost, and Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder.
In March Bryce accepted a small role in Robert DeNiro's upcoming film "The Comedian" and spent two days on set with Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Leslie Mann. In April Bryce was offered a featured role in a musical episode of Baz Lurman's THE GET DOWN which premieres on Netflix in the fall. In the episode both Bryce and Hamilton's Tony winning Renee Elise Goldberry perform original songs written for them by Baz and his team.
In May, Bryce was offered his first series regular role, joining the cast of PBS' Mercy St for their second season. On the Civil War Drama, Bryce will play Major Clayton McBurney III, the new Union Army chief surgeon at Mansion House. He joins a cast that includes Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane), Norbert Leo Butz (Bloodline) and Patina Miller (The Hunger Games).
In September Bryce will return to Broadway, leading the company of Roundabout Theater's Holiday Inn, a new adaptation of the Irving Berlin musical made famous by Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Singing songs like "White Christmas" and "Blue Skies", Bryce will bring his Grammy nominated voice back to The Great White Way just in time for the holidays! We are absolutely thrilled to present Mover and Shaker Bryce Pinkham as our latest Red Carpet Regular and are proud to say we have reviewed every show he's been in. Peachy Deegan interviewed Bryce for Whom You Know.
Peachy Deegan:
We think you are phenomenally talented. Why did it take the Tony awards 3 shows to finally nominate you for a Tony (you were also great in Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson and Ghost but sadly we have no vote) and what do you think was different about your performance in Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder that convinced them of your Tony nomination as opposed to your previous two performances?
Bryce Pinkham:
I try not to care too much about awards. If you are performing to get awards your motivation train is going to run out of steam real fast. I want to be one of those actors that gets a life-time achievement award because people can’t believe I’m still around.
What did you like best about being in Gentlemen’s Guide and what did you enjoy about being Monty the most and why?
I most enjoyed making people laugh. Our world is a difficult place. Getting the chance to bring joy and laughter to people for a few hours is a great privilege; you feel like you’re helping people survive. I enjoyed playing Monty because he is an underdog with everything going against him. Who doesn’t like rooting for an underdog?
How does a show that you were in earning a Tony affect your marketability as an actor and what are the literal effects so far?
I’m not really sure, I guess that would be a question for people are considering hiring me, but I know that it has affected my confidence as an actor. The voice in my head that has always told me I could successfully lead a show on Broadway was finally proven right. The result of that is that now I can go tell that other really unhelpful, insidious voice we all have in our head who wants to sabotage every good thing in our path to kindly shut the hell up. In terms of work, I have definitely felt like more opportunity has come my way, but “opportunity” doesn’t get you the job, you have to get you the job. So, in many ways, I have forced myself to work even harder on auditions, etc. since Gentleman’s Guide.
What should the world know about “The Comedian”, when does it come out, who do you play and what studio is distributing it?
I think it is scheduled to come out in January of 2017. I play a Devon O’Donnor, a regional theater actor who has standing gig singing show tunes at a retirement home in Florida. I don’t know which studio is distributing it.
Please tell us what it is like to work with Robert DeNiro. We met him at a charity event once or twice with his wife Grace and found him to be really personable.
Mr. DeNiro was very kind to me and everyone on set. For someone so revered in his field he really just felt like one of the team on the days I was there. He insisted everyone just call him “Bob,” I found him very generous, but he also took his work very seriously; he was very intent to make a really funny movie. I can’t wait to see it.
What makes DeNiro funny and what makes you funny?
I don’t know. I don’t like defining why something or someone is funny, because the more you try and figure it out, the less funny it is sometimes. Truly uncontrollable laughter doesn’t come from our brain, it comes from our gut and it’s that laugh that matters most to me. I love being caught off-guard by how funny something is, and if I try and plan something “funny” it never works. If you’re laughing, I’m just gonna try and keep doing whatever it is that got you there.
Is there anything unfunny about “The Comedian”?
I haven’t seen it yet, but as anyone who has looked into the world of stand-up comedy knows, there are some pretty dark corners if you know where to look.
Please tell us about “The Get Down.”
It’s a series that will come out on Netflix sometime in the fall. It’s description is “a rag tag group of teenagers run wild in the streets of the Bronx.” Baz Lurman is the creative force behind the show, so you know there will be music and dancing, and some amazing cinematography.
Recently, Peachy was in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia eating an ice cream cone by the fountain near Gadsby’s Tavern and she saw a big poster for Mercy Street and screamed “My friend Bryce is in this!” Have you been to Old Town and do you film anything there?
I filmed most of my scenes on the hospital set which is in Richmond, so I have not been out to Old Town yet. I have to say though, that Richmond is an amazing town with delicious restaurants. I haven’t had a bad meal since I’ve been here.
What do you know about being a surgeon and did you study surgery to prepare for your Mercy Street role?
I know nothing about being a surgeon, in part because I get a bit squeamish around blood and things of that nature, so I have stayed away from such knowledge in my real life. Thankfully, my character is not performing any surgeries on the show, he is more of the administrative head of the hospital.
What do you like most about Mercy Street?
That American History is being looked at by a large viewing audience. That PBS decided there was a need for a Civil War show whose heroes were women and African American. That the show confronts issues of race and gender in ways that resonate with the issues we are facing today. I’m proud to be a part of anything that feels like it keeps the difficult conversations going.
We like that Mercy Street is about American History and we are extremely patriotic. Are you patriotic and what characterizes your patriotism?
That’s a difficult question. I love that Mercy Street is about American History too because it reminds us that, in the words of Lin Manuel Miranda, “History had its eyes on you.” I think that’s a really important reminder to all of us at this stage in our country’s history. I find it difficult to be a proud American lately. I’m quite frankly embarrassed by our politics, by our wealth inequality, our bigotry, our lack of education and our lack of ability to do anything about our country’s gun violence epidemic. Revisiting other crucial moments in our country’s history is important because it reminds us that one day the choices we make in these moments will be reflected on by those who come after us. I suppose my brand of patriotism is the kind that takes pride in our freedom to express our opinions and our freedom to have rational debate constructive debate, though lately I have felt like those two things are at odds.
How would you compare and contrast the role patriotism plays in Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson and Mercy Street?
Bloody Bloody was political satire, it used humor and almost cartoonish characters to point out the ridiculous nature of Andrew Jackson’s Presidency. Sometimes heightened satire is the only way people can confront huge historical moral conundrums like the Trail of Tears; I think that is why South Park and The Book of Mormon are so successful: they exploit satire so beautifully. So, BBAJ utilizes patriotism by satirizing it. Mercy Street is not comedy, it’s drama that asks the viewer to look at the cost of war through the eyes of those who care for the wounded. The Nurses of Mercy Street don’t see Blue or Gray, they only know that they want to heal everyone. Seeing war or conflict from that perspective humanizes both sides. I think the most powerful thing we can do to end conflict is to radically humanize the opposition, try and understand their position. Mercy Street utilizes patriotism by dividing it and dismantling it. I think patriotism can shield us from growth and when it’s called into question (as it was in the Civil war when the very country one was patriotic about suddenly also became ‘the enemy’) it forced our country to grow.
We cannot wait to see “Holiday Inn” – when do you think that will come out and when you sing “Blue Skies” and “White Christmas” do you channel your inner Bing and what kind of style emerges?
Holiday Inn opens in the first week of October. I don’t think anyone is wise to try and impersonate Bing Crosby, because no one sounds like Bing Crosby. I am planning on giving my own take on the character and letting his life and desires and wishes influence the way he sings. I do think that the reason Bing was so great in the role is because he loved to sing the songs. I hope the joy of Berlin’s music will play a big part in helping me find my version of the character’s voice.
Do you feel like the Energizer Bunny after 700 performances of the show? What do you do to stay focused and healthy for the duration and does it feel a bit “Groundhog-day-ish” after a certain number of performances?
Yes, the job of keeping a performance active and alive after that long is a much different job than opening a show. It’s a lot like a relationship, you have to learn how to reinvest in it every time you go out there. To stay healthy I try and limit my alcohol intake, I don’t eat too much sugar and I let myself be selfish in how much sleep I get.
Would you ever want to work in Europe on screen or on stage and if so where and on what with whom?
Absolutely, I’d love to film a movie in Europe with all my favorite European actors. It would be set in Lake Cuomo, a 1940’s mystery, with Sir Ian McKellan, Mark Rylance, Marion Cotillard and Christoph Waltz.
You said your dad was a huge influence on your acting; did you celebrate Father’s Day together, is he co-starring with you on anything upcoming yet and what do you love the most about your dad today?
My Dad doesn’t act anymore, but I’d love to come up with a reason to get onstage together again. He and my Mom came to visit the set of Mercy Street close to Father’s Day, so that counts I guess. The thing I love most about my Dad is his generosity. He will stay up all night building the sets so his high school students can have them ready for Opening Night of the Musical. He doesn’t get paid to build the sets, he just does it because he loves it.
What should everyone know about California and San Francisco in particular?
That it’s a place you should see before you die. It’s a city unlike any other. It feels like it’s perched on the edge of the world... and the Crab is really good.
How would you assess your team, the San Francisco Giants, since your last Whom You Know interview in 2013 and if you were in charge of them how would they be different?
I’d say over the past 5 years they have been the most decorated team in baseball. They’ve won three championships since 2010 and have grinded out each one. I admire their winning spirit and their beards.
What would you like to do professionally that you have not yet had the opportunity to do?
I’d like to write my own show.
Have you hired Daniel Day Lewis yet and if no, why not?
No, haven't heard back from DDL's people yet, I suspect he's in space training for his next role as an alien.
What do you take your sense of identity from?
My actions.
If you could have dinner with any person living or passed, who would it be and why?
The Buddha. I think he could help me stop worrying so much.
When (not if) you win a Tony, when can we expect to see The Bryce Pinkham footbridge complete, where would it start and end, and what brands would you like to sponsor it?
The footbridge is caught up in a lot of red tape right now, but we're working on securing Starbucks as a sponsor; they feel like they don't have enough locations in Manhattan
yet.
What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
I have a charity that supports at-risk middle schoolers in Madagascar by using theater as a tool of empowerment. They should visit our website and make a donation so I can help the 45 kids in our program graduate middle school. www.zaraaina.org
How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
Twitter/Instagram: @TheBryceCapades
