Anthony Rapp rents out life story, advice
By Jen Pontzer, Staff Writer
May 18, 2007 | 10:39 p.m.
Anthony Rapp, best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the musical "RENT," paid a visit to Ohio University on May 17 to give a free lecture, answer audience questions and sign books. He was very well received, as the audience clapped and cheered for him. The event was sponsored by UPC, the LBGT Center and Residence Life. Cohen took a moment to chat with SpeakeasyMag.com.
How did you get started with acting?
"I was six years old in a summer camp where my mom was a nurse, and I auditioned for the show which was for the kids -- the younger kids -- which was "The Wizard of Oz," and I got cast as the Cowardly Lion. I started doing more theater when I went back home to Joliet [Ill.], which is where I grew up, and then I started getting encouraged to go to Chicago to do professional work. It just sort of happened and I got wonderful encouragement from mentors."
Do you prefer to act or to sing?
"I prefer to tell stories. I've been asked this question before and I don't know if it's kind of the 'Sophie's Choice' where I could pick one over the other, but I suppose, ultimately, I don’t know. It's hard to think about what I'd never do again. So I prefer to have characters and tell stories, but I love doing that with song when it's good. A lot of musicals aren't necessarily great, so I'd rather do a great play than a bad musical."
What's your favorite musical?
"Well, I sort of think of different eras. In terms of old-fashioned, classical musicals, I like 'Gypsy' or 'West Side Story.' I think those are incredible. Modern musicals, I would say 'RENT,' 'Avenue Q,' 'Spring Awakening.' They all tell really bold stories and they all are fairly theatrical and find a way to use all the elements."
If a movie were made about your life, who would you want to play you?
"I mean, the person that people mistake for me is Alan Tudyk, but he's got a lot more muscles than I do so…I don't know…I mean, in terms of that I suppose he's someone, but there aren't too many people who are as pale as I am."
Who would you most like to work with?
"Some of the directors I'd love to work with are [Martin] Scorcese, even before he won his long, long overdue Academy Award. David Lynch. I mean, I say this not knowing exactly what they're like to work with. Alfonso Cuarón -- he's a genius. And there's a lot of actors, but you never know who's going to be fun to work with. The older I get, the more it becomes about having a really good experience working with people, no matter who they are. This is the only life you have, so if you're going to spend hours and hours and hours and weeks and days working on a project with those people who are wonderful to work with, that time spent is a good experience. It's not spent in constant drama, and heartache and trouble."
How did you prepare for the role of Mark Cohen in "RENT"?
I just go over the material, because so many of the facts of it were so close to my life that I didn't really have to do research. It was just a matter of absorbing myself into the world of the piece itself with my fellow actors, with Michael Greif the director, with Tim Weil [musical supervisor], and with Jonathan Larson [the writer and creator of 'RENT']."
Do you identify with the character of Mark?
"Yeah, more so then than I do now, because I'm older and I've gone through a lot of the stuff that Mark was in the middle of and come out on the other side of it."
What was it like working with Jonathan Larson?
"He was a great person and a great collaborator and it's insane that there are so many people I'd much rather see keel over than a 35-year-old, an incredibly talented, gracious guy."
Which did you like working on more, "RENT" the musical or "RENT" the movie?
"The movie was really enjoyable, and there were times when the play was really hard. So the movie wasn't as hard as doing the play, it wasn't as physically difficult. My mom was also very ill during that time, outside of going to the theater every day. During the movie, we were all sort of calmer and more settled in ourselves, and ultimately we probably had more fun doing the movie. So, doing the play was the ultimate -- of everything -- and the movie was a bonus, a gift."
Who has been the most inspirational person in your life?
"In terms of work, there's a teacher I worked on and off with for a number of years named Sande Shurin, who's fantastic. I mean, I was already working for a number of years when I met her and it felt like, through working with her, everything just sort of opened up and expanded, but um, if it weren't for my mom, none of this would have happened. It was a different kind of inspiration, just the fact that she was so supportive and helpful."
Rumor has it that you're getting married.
"Yeah, part of the problem is we [Rapp and partner Rodney To] got too excited because New Jersey Supreme Court passed a thing that they said it has to be equal to marry…so what would have happened is people could get married there and move back to their home state. In Massachusetts, you can only get married in Massachusetts if you live in Massachusetts, gay or straight, whereas New Jersey doesn't have such a law, that was what was so exciting about it, but now it's just civil unions. So, if you're a New Jersey resident, you get all the same benefits, but if you're a New York resident it doesn't mean anything. Our new governor has said that he would support gay marriage in New York, so hopefully that will happen. I really want us to wait until it's an 'official' official thing because I am a public figure so I want it to be a partly public event. We're committed anyway, but I'd like to be a part of that, too."
What was it like writing your autobiography and reliving all of those memories?
"It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but also one of the most rewarding."
Do you have any advice for students looking to break into the entertainment industry?
"Know that everyone's path is very different…there's no path -- there's no magic pill -- but I think what you could find with everybody is a deep dedication and a desire to keep going, the best ones anyway. Some people are just in it for power and fame. Always nurture your growth, keep finding ways to enrich the source of why you're doing this."