This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Donald Webber Jr.: This is Donald Webber Jr. and you are listening to Behind the Awards, baby!

[0:09] Donald Webber Jr.: Thank you so much! I love you and I love acting so much!

[0:14] Eila Mell: Hello and welcome to Behind the Awards. I'm Eila. As always, I'm here with Bruce. Hi, Bruce.

[0:31] Bruce Gotlieb: Hello there. How are you doing today?

[0:33] Eila Mell: I am good. So congratulations to Kristen Milioti on her win just, you know, very recently at the Emmys.

[0:41] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right. So, you know, most of our listeners know her from her Grammy-winning role on Broadway in Once, which she was also nominated for a Tony.

[0:52] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[0:53] Bruce Gotlieb: TV people might know her. I mean, she kind of shied out during How I Met Your Mother. She had a role in that.

[1:01] Eila Mell: Well, she was the mother.

[1:02] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes. Spoiler alert.

[1:04] Eila Mell: Well, I mean, it's been a while. But she also had two very memorable appearances on Black Mirror.

[1:10] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Now, I know you haven't had a chance to watch Penguin.

[1:14] Eila Mell: No, not yet.

[1:15] Bruce Gotlieb: But it is so good. She is just out of this world. So a well-deserved Emmy. I was rooting for her.

[1:24] Eila Mell: That's great.

[1:25] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, she's really, really special.

[1:27] Eila Mell: Well, so you recently saw a show, Bruce. I need a review.

[1:31] Bruce Gotlieb: I did. I went to see Punch. It's part of MTC's season at the Friedman. It is brought over from the West End. It is based on a true story. So you have all these, you know, kind of layers in there.

[1:46] Eila Mell: I think it has a built-in buzz because, obviously, having been performed elsewhere.

[1:52] Bruce Gotlieb: It's the same cast that did it there?

[1:55] Eila Mell: Some. Some are. You know, us theater people, no matter where a show starts, if they like it, they're on it, no matter what, which is great.

[2:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes.

[2:05] Bruce Gotlieb: It's an interesting story. I think that there's a lot of, you know, you sit down, the set appears like it's going to spin or move in some way, but it doesn't. It's really quite interestingly done.

[2:18] Eila Mell: There is a cityscape, a kind of abstract both in front of you and on the floor in design, and there are some lights that happen on both the floor and like, you know, windows and stuff.

[2:29] Bruce Gotlieb: So it's really quite interesting from that perspective. I expected it to do more than it did, but it's a really effective set.

[2:36] Eila Mell: And what's the basic story?

[2:38] Bruce Gotlieb: The basic story is this guy who's young and out partying and, you know, kind of winds up getting himself into trouble one night and he punches this guy.

[2:51] Bruce Gotlieb: And with one punch, the guy goes down and subsequent aftermath of that.

[2:57] Eila Mell: OK, I don't want to give too much away.

[2:59] Eila Mell: Is this the show Victoria Clark is in?

[3:01] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes.

[3:02] Eila Mell: OK.

[3:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes. And she's excellent. There's some really, really standout acting performances.

[3:08] Bruce Gotlieb: There were parts that were a little slow for me. I feel like it needs to tighten. I feel like the script even could use some just a little tuning, maybe.

[3:19] Bruce Gotlieb: There's one part that stood out to me in the second act where. And it could be based on because of where it takes place, the dialogue sentences were start and just felt like they kind of ended and then the next sentence began and I was like, but wait, where's the rest of that sentence?

[3:37] Bruce Gotlieb: Again, it could be because just speech patterns and things like that. Right. But it was a little distracting for me at one point because I just was like, wait a minute, but you didn't finish your thought.

[3:52] Bruce Gotlieb: So it is good. I just think it could use some fine tuning.

[3:57] Eila Mell: OK, so overall, should I go see it? Do you recommend it?

[4:00] Bruce Gotlieb: I think you'll enjoy it very much.

[4:02] Eila Mell: OK. All right. So it's a positive.

[4:06] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I would say, you know, we saw it very early in previews. Opportunity presented itself and sometimes you just got to grab those chances while you can. The theater itself, there's no bad seat in the house for this show.

[4:20] Bruce Gotlieb: I don't feel like you needed to be really up close. That might have even. I feel like that could have maybe been a little much to be so up close, but it's a cast of about I want to say there's like eight or so people.

[4:35] Bruce Gotlieb: And except for the gentleman who's playing the lead, everyone else is, you know, has a couple of different parts that they're playing throughout. So, you know, a hoodie versus a jacket versus a blazer, you know, kind of thing to differentiate.

[4:51] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[4:52] Bruce Gotlieb: Which is good for them, because if you're only playing one part and you're in like two scenes, what are you doing the rest of the show?

[4:58] Eila Mell: Right. Just waiting.

[4:59] Bruce Gotlieb: They probably appreciate being able to, you know, dig into different characters.

[5:04] Eila Mell: I'm sure.

[5:05] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Well, that sounds like fun.

[5:07] Eila Mell: So check it out.

[5:08] Bruce Gotlieb: It would be up my alley. Yeah, I'm excited to see that.

[5:12] Eila Mell: And even more exciting today, we have our friend from Our Town, Donald Webber Jr.

[5:22] Bruce Gotlieb: I mean, Donald is so talented.

[5:24] Eila Mell: He's just one of those people that you just want to watch and watch his career.

[5:28] Eila Mell: You know, he's not only was he in Our Town, but he's in Severance.

[5:35] Eila Mell: He has a recurring role in that.

[5:38] Bruce Gotlieb: I mean, he did Glengarry Glen Ross.

[5:40] Eila Mell: He was so good in Glengarry Glen Ross.

[5:43] Bruce Gotlieb: He has the upcoming at the Shed, Tom Hanks, his new play, which is exciting.

[5:47] Eila Mell: This World of Tomorrow, which I mean, a Tom Hanks project.

[5:53] Bruce Gotlieb: Tom Hanks wrote it.

[5:54] Eila Mell: Most people are signing me up, right?

[5:56] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. Not only did he write it, but he's in it.

[5:58] Eila Mell: And, you know, our friend Kenny Leon, the great director, is directing it.

[6:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Kelly O'Hara, Ruben Santiago Hudson.

[6:06] Eila Mell: I mean.

[6:07] Bruce Gotlieb: I love Ruben.

[6:09] Eila Mell: Donald's in pretty good company.

[6:10] Eila Mell: Plus, there is another film announcement he talks about, which is so exciting.

[6:16] Bruce Gotlieb: So let's bring Donald out so people can hear.

[6:19] Eila Mell: Absolutely.

[6:22] Eila Mell: So, Bruce, today we not only have on an actor who we just think is incredible, but someone who we call a friend.

[6:29] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right.

[6:30] Eila Mell: Welcome Donald Webber Jr.

[6:32] Donald Webber Jr.: Hello there.

[6:33] Donald Webber Jr.: Hello. Hello.

[6:35] Donald Webber Jr.: Thank you so much for joining us.

[6:37] Donald Webber Jr.: You guys are welcome.

[6:38] Donald Webber Jr.: Thanks for having me.

[6:39] Donald Webber Jr.: This is like a really cool thing. I love that we get to talk about theater.

[6:43] Donald Webber Jr.: And I just love what we do.

[6:45] Eila Mell: I know. It's the best.

[6:47] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah.

[6:48] Donald Webber Jr.: So, boy, you've had a busy year.

[6:51] Donald Webber Jr.: Two Broadway shows. You're in Severance.

[6:54] Donald Webber Jr.: How's it been going?

[6:56] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, exactly.

[6:58] Donald Webber Jr.: Right.

[6:59] Donald Webber Jr.: So it's so funny because my wife and I, we were just talking about this last night. We were like, you know what? It feels like it's amazing, first of all. But everything went by so quickly.

[7:10] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[7:11] Donald Webber Jr.: So we were on the road and we were doing Hamilton together. And we were in the Aunt Peggy company. We were out there for five years, including the pandemic, which is wild.

[7:21] Bruce Gotlieb: Wow.

[7:22] Donald Webber Jr.: And it's the longest time either one of us have ever been on the road. And the longest time either one of us have been in a show.

[7:30] Donald Webber Jr.: Once we got back, it was like we immediately hit the road running. We had two kids. We started the tour with zero kids.

[7:36] Donald Webber Jr.: We had two kids and we had to move back to our home here in New Jersey. Our entire lives had been on the road for so long.

[7:46] Donald Webber Jr.: We moved back. I started rehearsals for Pearlie the next day.

[7:50] Eila Mell: Wow.

[7:51] Donald Webber Jr.: Which was wild. And it was incredible because, you know, to jump right back in the Broadway scene, especially with people I love, Leslie and Cara, who I hadn't met yet. I got to watch her in rehearsal and I was like, who is this?

[8:08] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[8:09] Donald Webber Jr.: Right, right. You know what I mean?

[8:11] Eila Mell: And now the world knows.

[8:12] Donald Webber Jr.: Now the world knows. And anyway, you know, to go from that. And then we left to go and do Preacher's Wife in Atlanta for a couple months and came right back here and I started rehearsals for Our Town.

[8:25] Donald Webber Jr.: I mean, crazy. Of course, right after Our Town, went right into Glengarry. And here we are today.

[8:30] Eila Mell: So Pearlie Victorious, you understudied Pearlie.

[8:34] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah.

[8:35] Donald Webber Jr.: That's a huge job. What an honor, too.

[8:37] Donald Webber Jr.: Oh, yeah. I mean, like when they presented it to me, you know, I like to say words like presented. That's not normal, you know what I mean?

[8:45] Eila Mell: Right.

[8:46] Donald Webber Jr.: It's one of those things because Leslie and I go way back.

[8:48] Eila Mell: OK.

[8:49] Donald Webber Jr.: We go way, way back. In fact, a lot of the reason that I'm even in New York City is because of Leslie.

[8:55] Donald Webber Jr.: And we can talk about that a little later.

[8:57] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[8:58] Donald Webber Jr.: But Leslie said to me, these were his words, I want someone, I know there's a couple of shows that I'm not going to be able to do. And I need someone here who I know is going to love this material, want to work hard to do it, and also deliver. So I want you to come.

[9:13] Eila Mell: Wow.

[9:14] Donald Webber Jr.: And I was like, I'm there.

[9:15] Eila Mell: Wow.

[9:16] Donald Webber Jr.: I mean, with that endorsement, right?

[9:17] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[9:18] Donald Webber Jr.: How did you know?

[9:19] Eila Mell: Exactly.

[9:20] Donald Webber Jr.: Exactly. He's believed in me from the beginning and I believe in him too, you know?

[9:24] Eila Mell: That's incredible to be handpicked by the star, but also the producer.

[9:27] Donald Webber Jr.: He was one of the producers as well.

[9:29] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[9:30] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah. And it also helped that Kenny Leon was directing it.

[9:34] Eila Mell: The best.

[9:35] Donald Webber Jr.: And I had a chance to work with him.

[9:36] Eila Mell: Oh, man.

[9:37] Donald Webber Jr.: I had a chance to work with him way back when I did Holler If You Hear Me.

[9:40] Eila Mell: Yes.

[9:41] Donald Webber Jr.: The Tupac musical, right?

[9:42] Eila Mell: That's right.

[9:43] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah. You guys go way back.

[9:45] Eila Mell: We go way back.

[9:46] Donald Webber Jr.: And the Wiz Live you did with him, right?

[9:48] Eila Mell: The Wiz Live we did together.

[9:49] Donald Webber Jr.: That's right.

[9:50] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah. And he's got so many amazing stories, things that either I didn't audition for or I wasn't even going to get seen for. Kenny was like, no, no, no. I want to see you. I want to see you do this part. I want to see you do that. And yeah, because of that, we've kind of grown artistically together. And he's been such a big, big deal for me and my family and what I've been able to do on stage.

[10:17] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[10:18] Eila Mell: I mean, I've said this to you and I've said it on our show, but I'm going to say it again, that what you brought to the role of Simon Stimson in Our Town was just so beautiful. It was just, I mean, it's not a huge role, but it has such depth and you just, if you could have been nominated for a Tony for it, you would have, but it's just not that kind of role, but it was just, you know, I'm sure that it was an honor to get to play a role like that.

[10:42] Donald Webber Jr.: Oh yeah, it was. I mean, you know, I think about roles like that all the time. Lately I've been doing, so as we talked about, I had a chance to play Burr for five years and that's a big role.

[10:52] Donald Webber Jr.: That's a big role.

[10:53] Eila Mell: Yes, that's huge.

[10:54] Donald Webber Jr.: And so, but I've always approached every role that I've done. I think my mentors have always kind of preached this. There are no small roles. You know what I mean? Everything should be full-fleshed and can be full-fleshed. You know what I mean?

[11:09] Eila Mell: Yes.

[11:10] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah. So that was one of the things that I really enjoyed. Well, what if I pretended this show was about Simon Stimson? What would that require of myself? How deep would I need to go, you know, in reading the script over and over, learning about, like, what type of alcohol might he be drinking? How does your body respond to different types of alcohol? You know what I mean? And anyway, so I got a chance to like really dive deep into Simon because I thought, yeah, I'm going to treat this as if it's Burr. I'm going to treat this as if it's Hamlet. I'm going to treat this, you know what I'm saying?

[12:00] Donald Webber Jr.: And when you've got a good director like Kenny who can like mold the things that you've got going on and he says, all right, great. Yeah, that's dope. But I needed to fit into this. Right. I mean, so like, that's the kind of energy that I love. And that's the collaboration. I think that's beautiful, especially on the smaller roles where you're just like, look, I got five lines. I want to get my stuff off. You know what I mean? But I don't want to, you know, take away from the show or, you know, be in a comedy and you guys are doing a drama. Well, exactly. Right. I mean, even that one scene in the graveyard at the end, yeah, you're just up there and you don't say much. But man, it's what you're doing is just volumes.

And I mean, that entire act three, if you want to call it is just it wrecks you to begin with. But, you know, you and then Zoe and then like all like the layer upon layer of it all. I was like, yeah, I'm done. Yeah. Good. Yes. Oh, he's so dope, by the way. Yeah. Oh, we love her. Oh, my gosh. Every rehearsal she was on. There was one. Kenny was like, she started so like, he had like a quick note. He was like, Oh, actually, I think I want you to like, walk over this way. And she was like, okay. And you know, it's Zoe. So she's like, very happy. She goes, okay. And then she starts the scene. She immediately starts like falling. She was and I was like, Joe, that's amazing. Kenny goes, hold on, hold on.

You could just turn that thing off. She was like, yeah. Wow. That's pretty good. She's amazing. And that was her Broadway debut. I hope she does more. I do, too. Yeah, I think I think not only does she deserve it. I think the audience deserves to see more of her on stage. Yeah, absolutely. All right. So then after Our Town, you don't rest because they go into one of the biggest shows of the season, Glengarry Glen Ross. Yeah, yeah. Wow. And this role you had, there are no small roles in this show at all. So everybody has to be at the top of their game. And so Kevin Spacey played the role you played in the movie. Had you been a fan of the movie?

[14:07] Donald Webber Jr.: Okay. I hadn't seen the movie before. Okay. I know that's crazy. But I hadn't seen it. And I got the audition. And I thought, man, I should watch this because, you know, at least kind of see what world we're in. And anyway, but I was like, you know, and I need to get this tape in. So I did my audition. And I, you know, of course, I read the script as much as I could in a couple of days. And I went out with all the other things we had going on. But I read it. And I was like, Oh, I know who this guy is. Yeah. So I'm gonna lay this tape down. My wife helped me out. And then we did the tape. And then we were done. I was like, Great, let's watch it. So we turned it on and watched it. And I was like, Yeah, I think I got that right. I think I got that one right. So it was dope. Because that was the tape we sent out. And that's that's yeah, it was the good one. It was a good one. And the show opens with a huge scene between you and Bob Odenkirk.

[15:02] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah. And it's crazy because I've actually so I didn't see Glengarry Glen Ross. But I did see all of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Oh, my gosh. That was that was pretty cool to sit across the table from Bob. And Michael McKeon's there too. Michael McKeon's there. I mean, like, it was pretty awesome. It was like, you know, we there was a moment Michael and I were going upstairs together. And we're coming towards the end of our run. And he goes, Well, you know, Donald, it's been a real pleasure. I was like, Oh, man, you don't say that to me. Yeah, right. I say that to you, man. Oh, my God. I mean, that guy, right? First of all, Laverne and Shirley, let's not forget that. Sure. Spinal Tap. And then, you know, all the stuff he's done. He's just he's kind of a legend. Kind of. Yeah, he's a legend for real. And, oh, man, the stories he has are amazing.

[15:59] Donald Webber Jr.: Oh, I'm sure. And he's a nice guy on top of that, too. He is a nice guy. Anytime I met someone who knew him or knew I was in the show with him. They said the same thing. They were like, Oh, my God, please tell Michael and said, Hi, I ran into Kelly O'Hara. Random. Sure. After, let me just pick up the net. But we were talking about her because I was talking about the Pajama Game that he was in. And I actually was doing the Pajama Game in college, my senior year, when he was playing it on Broadway.

[16:22] Donald Webber Jr.: Oh, wow. Were you also, were you Sid? I was Sid. I was Sid Soroka. Of course you were. And but yeah, it was great. And so I got to, you know, talk with him about it and stuff. Anyway, he starts to talk about Kelly O'Hara and how wonderful she is and happened to run into her like two nights later at some Tony Awards gathering party thing. And she was like, Oh, my God, please tell Michael McKean I'd love to have more spaghetti and meatballs with him. I was like, I don't know what that means, but I will. And I did. I walked back on stage the next day. I was like, Kelly O'Hara says she'd love to have more spaghetti and meatballs with you. And he goes on this amazing story for 15 minutes about what that meant to them.

And he's a great guy. He's got all the time in the world for everyone. That whole cast is just, you know, it was so incredible. Like I thought when I heard who was playing who, I thought Kieran Culkin is playing Richard Roma. That's so different from any way it's been done before.

[17:27] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, actually had Joe Mantegna on our show. So we got to talk to him about it a lot. And it just, but it worked so well. So good. Yeah. Kieran's dope. He's I mean, you know, he's like, he just kind of is like, All right, well, this is what it is. It's real to me. And this is why it's real. Yeah. Wow, that worked. Okay, great. Right. Move on. It works so well. So, you know, um, did you feel any, a big conversation this season? Now, you have nothing to do with this, but with the ticket prices, the show is expensive. Did you feel any backlash against the show because of that?

[18:03] Donald Webber Jr.: You know, I don't know. It's so interesting, because like being an actor in the play, you know, you hear about the grosses and stuff. And not all the actors are benefiting from exactly money side of it. Yeah, sure. However, that being said, you know, you do know what's going on outside. And, you know, I had a lot of friends who were not able to see it. And that's tough. That's really hard, especially in a show like this, where, you know, as we've talked about already, you know, I've done a bunch of smaller roles. Yeah, that I have enjoyed, like, putting my whole heart and soul into. So it was really nice to do a not as small role. No, a lead role. You know what I mean? But not have your friends be able to get in there to see it.

Now, there's a lot of factors that go on with that, right? I think, like, oh, man, how beautiful how wonderful it is that people support theater enough to want to pay an amount to come and see it. You know what I mean? And let's not get it twisted. Like those guys, a big box office, you know what I'm saying? Bob Kirk, Kieran, Michael, Bill Burr, those guys, those four guys alone, without any of us, they could have written their own thing and tickets for however much they ended up going for. And, you know, so there's also that too. And like, it's a weird thing that, you know, you kind of have to just go, well, I hope you can see it. I would love you to see it, but I won't be offended. You know what I mean?

It's one of those things. So but I do hope that I think as we continue on and Broadway continues on and continues to be beautiful and wonderful, that there is a way to get audiences that would love to see these shows that maybe can't afford them.

[19:43] Donald Webber Jr.: I mean, one of the things that they did with Good Night and Good Luck, that having that live stream on CNN, I think, really opens up the conversation about ways to get more people to be able to see things across the country. And it makes it affordable and all of these other, you know, words that you want to use. But it just accessibility to live theater is so important. And that they were able to do that. It just it makes you wonder, how can we grow that? And how can we make that become more available to people?

[20:14] Donald Webber Jr.: Absolutely. I watched Good Night, Good Luck downstairs at half hour while I was getting ready for Glengarry Glen Ross, paused it, and then came back and finished watching it during intermission. And then, of course, watched again at the end of the show. Like, it was just like, yeah, this is amazing. I can't believe I'm watching a Broadway show getting ready for my Broadway show right now.

[20:34] Donald Webber Jr.: That's amazing. How cool is that? That's very surreal. Yeah, it was amazing. And yeah, you know, I think there are certain companies that do it really well, like National Theater at Home. Yes. I have a subscription to them. I watch them all the time. I watch just about everything they do because I'm obsessed with them. And I love theater and I love to be able to watch it. And anyway, I know Broadway HD is a good program. Subscribe to that, too. I know they have The Wiz Live on there. That's right. That's right. But yeah, I think it's important. Theater for everyone is really cool because I think everyone needs theater. And especially as an actor, don't you feel like you get so much out of just watching other people's performances?

[21:13] Donald Webber Jr.: Yes, 100 percent. I think that's one of the hardest things as an actor. You know, it's hard to see other people's shows if you're on the same schedule. Right. And so, you know, it's like I couldn't wait to go and see. I had friends in Pirates of Penzance, Preston Floyd. I finally got to see him. I finally got to see Tatiana in Real Women Hackers. I can't wait to see everybody.

[21:40] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, that's right. You know, and I'll have a chance to see that. But I can't deny the privilege that I have had because I've been able to work. And so now I'm able to go and see these shows, you know, and so I it would be amazing to continue to for Broadway to continue to push for, you know, all levels of income. Yes. You know what I mean? One thing that I did really like that Glengarry did do is that they did rush seats for forty dollars.

[22:11] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, that's amazing. You can't beat that. And I say rush seats. I think it was actually standing room. So you did have to stand. Yeah. But I think it was reasonable because it wasn't a three hour show. You could do it. Right. Yeah. So if theaters continue to do that and I think we, you know, that's that's OK for now. We're going to keep pushing the envelope. That's right. You know, but it's OK for now. It's hard, right? Because you do want audiences to come. You need audiences to come because there is no theater without the audience. But the shows cost so much to run, you know, so we don't know the answer. It's just a difficult thing.

[22:49] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, it is. It is. But let's keep making theater. Absolutely. You know what I mean? And make it everywhere. That's right. And, you know, right. All different kinds of theater to new stories and old stories. That's right. And also let's keep making TV like Severance. How did you get involved with that?

[23:05] Donald Webber Jr.: Through a theater, believe it or not. OK. I was doing I was playing Burr with Lynn in Puerto Rico. We were out there to raise funds for the hurricane that had come through. Oh, right. I remember that. And I mean, that was an experience unlike any other because it was not only are we doing this amazing show, we're doing it for a reason. We're doing it for a purpose, you know, and like that just changed everything in my mind about why we even are here. Right. So we were doing the show and this was like a random there really were no random days because, you know, every day it was like a big deal. Lynn is on. He will come out and say Alexander Hamilton and we'd have to wait and pause for like two minutes.

[23:58] Donald Webber Jr.: The show's three hours. Sit down. But no, anyway, so one night, on a random Wednesday night, we had a guest there who goes by the name of Ben Stiller.

[24:12] Eila Mell: Oh, sure.

[24:12] Donald Webber Jr.: And he was there. This was our first time meeting. He stuck around with his daughter, Eila, and they had just seen the show. They wanted to meet us. And we all, you know, I was so amazingly geeked and jazzed. Don't meet him. Because, you know, I've watched everything he's done. And not only that, my mother is obsessed with his movies. I mean, obsessed. There was a time and, you know, she would literally watch a movie of his every night just to fall asleep. Because it made her happy. You know? Yeah. But anyway, so I met him. And I told him that I said, Oh, man, I'm so honored to meet you. You won't believe this. My mother, she won't go to sleep unless she watches one of your movies. Which to him, his movies were boring.

And I was like, Oh, no, no, no, no, she loves, she loves your movie. It makes her happy. And, you know, I was backtracking the whole time anyway. But he was very complimentary. He loved the show. And he wanted to keep in touch. And the next thing I knew, I had an audition for Severance. And here we are, you know.

[25:18] Eila Mell: That's huge. It's such a huge deal show. And it's great. I love it.

[25:22] Donald Webber Jr.: Oh yeah, it's a great show. And it's gonna be even greater as we continue.

[25:29] Eila Mell: All right. We don't even want to, we're not going to ask you what's coming up, because I don't like any spoilers. I don't want to know.

[25:35] Donald Webber Jr.: Well, what's great is like, they kind of treat it like Marvel.

[25:38] Eila Mell: I know what I know. I know nothing else.

[25:43] Donald Webber Jr.: And you're not severed in the show. So you're in the room.

[25:45] Eila Mell: I have no idea what you're talking about.

[25:47] Donald Webber Jr.: That's right. But I will say this. So my wife and I were watching the show. And we were just like, she was like, oh, and I did the same thing. I was like, oh, she was like, but don't you don't know? I was like, baby, no. I didn't know that was happening. Like, we're like, both like, we're fans of the show. I told Ben, when he came to see Bling Gary, I told him I said, man, this was the first time I'd seen him since being on set with him. I said, man, I cannot believe that I am in my favorite show.

[26:14] Eila Mell: Yeah, that must be the coolest thing.

[26:16] Donald Webber Jr.: That's really cool. You know, as much as I love theater, and that's my first love, and I love it more than anything, but there's nothing like a good TV show, too.

[26:24] Eila Mell: I know. I know. I know.

[26:26] Donald Webber Jr.: It's just comforting.

[26:28] Eila Mell: Yeah. I mean, and there's like different types, right? There's some you could turn on and also be on your phone. Severance, you want to like, I need to put my phone down. Do not disturb.

[26:38] Donald Webber Jr.: Exactly.

[26:39] Eila Mell: For an hour, because I need to get all of it.

[26:41] Donald Webber Jr.: I know. So much happening.

[26:43] Eila Mell: Totally. Yeah. Hey, so since you love Ben Stiller so much, did you ever see him in House of Blue Leaves? He was amazing in that.

[26:49] Donald Webber Jr.: No, but-

[26:51] Eila Mell: It's recorded. You can.

[26:53] Donald Webber Jr.: What do you mean?

[26:54] Eila Mell: PBS recorded it. The original one that he did when he was-

[26:58] Donald Webber Jr.: Yes, yes.

[26:58] Eila Mell: He played Ronnie. Oh, yeah. You can Google that and find it.

[27:01] Donald Webber Jr.: I did Ronnie's monologue. I did a monologue when I was in high school.

[27:04] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh.

[27:05] Donald Webber Jr.: That was actually my first introduction to Ben Stiller, because I'm in Sam French Booklet, it has his name next to Ronnie, so-

[27:12] Eila Mell: That's right. Oh, my God.

[27:14] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, so you can see that production and it's so good.

[27:17] Eila Mell: Amazing. Okay, I will.

[27:18] Donald Webber Jr.: Glenn Mahoney was Artie and he was just perfect, right before Frasier.

[27:23] Eila Mell: Amazing. Isn't that great?

[27:25] Donald Webber Jr.: Yes.

[27:26] Eila Mell: State theater, man. It's like-

[27:27] Donald Webber Jr.: I know.

[27:28] Eila Mell: You know, right before Frasier, that's a huge deal.

[27:32] Donald Webber Jr.: I'm sure it got him Frasier. Yeah.

[27:34] Eila Mell: Right. Wow.

[27:36] Evan Zach: Hi, I'm Evan Zach.

[27:39] Jesse Robb: And I'm Jesse Robb.

[27:40] Evan Zach: And we are the director and choreographer of Ginger Twinsies, and we'll be right back to the Pioneer Awards after this break.

[27:51] Donald Webber Jr.: So when you're obviously doing a TV show or film, you're calling on different, I guess, different skills than you are on stage, different styles of acting or recording. On stage, different styles of acting are required. How do you find that balance? Like when you get to set for a TV show, if you're filming during doing theater, is it a minute to kind of like get your brain to be like, oh, wait, I don't have to like, it's all right in front of me. I don't have to go project out to the back of the house.

[28:23] Yes. Yes. In fact, I've done that so much that like, there was a time I had a mic on, and I said to the sound guy, I was like, I'm so sorry, I probably am really loud because I'm coming from the theater. This is one of my first things I did. I was on The Punisher on Netflix. And he was like, hey, man, I'm a professional too. I got this. You do what you do. I was like, really? He was like, yeah. He was like, all right, bet. So then I was free to like, just be, you know what I mean? And then let the pros handle how loud it can be and all that stuff. You know, I think honestly, I've been lucky to work with so many people who just emphasize truth and being truthful. And so, yes, sure. There is a technical difference between theater and film and TV for sure.

But I think if you're operating from a place of truth from the beginning, it won't matter. It'll kind of, you know, things will even themselves out where they need to. And I think, you know, if you've got a good director, when you're in theater, they'll say, hey, we can't hear a word you're saying. Or it's so small, the nuanced thing you're doing, that we're not reading it five rows back. Is there any way you can bring that up or whatever? You know what I mean? You really got to, you know, trust your director and go with it.

[29:44] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[29:44] Donald Webber Jr.: But I would think that modern day theater, the style of acting has changed somewhat because of microphones, because you don't have to, you know, you really don't have to project to the back of the house anymore.

[29:55] Eila Mell: Yeah, back in my day.

[29:57] Donald Webber Jr.: That's right.

[29:59] Eila Mell: No microphones.

[30:01] Donald Webber Jr.: No, you're right. And like, that's a big deal, you know, especially when you're with folks. So for Glengarry, for example, we're working with guys who are used to film and TV and like, you know what I mean? They can talk like this and the last row will hear them. You know what I mean?

[30:15] Eila Mell: Right.

[30:16] Donald Webber Jr.: But now this is a different medium. So we really do need to hear you. So yes, we have mics, but like, it was fun watching Bob. You know, we have that first scene together. He's like, so he would stop like after every couple of lines when we were in tech because he'd be like, so Patrick, Patrick, our director, Patrick Marber. Right. Patrick, will they be able to hear me in the back if I, and he'd be like, no, Bob, they won't. He's like, all right, all right. So I kind of have to say it like this. Yes, Bob, like that. You know, it was so it's fun though. And, you know, for all, I think everybody's really good at what they do and everybody's a really good listener. So then we're able to apply those things that we've heard or need to do.

[31:01] Eila Mell: Yes.

[31:01] Donald Webber Jr.: And then we all match each other.

[31:03] Eila Mell: So when did you first meet Leslie Odom Jr? Tell us about this.

[31:06] Donald Webber Jr.: Yes. So we, so way back when I was in Los Angeles, I had just, actually I hadn't even graduated college yet. I was doing my senior showcase. And so I went to the University of Southern California and we were doing a senior showcase. And we had a guest artist come in and help us with our showcase pieces. And this guest artist, her name was Joan. And she happened to be a manager in the business. And she brought three people to come and talk to us about like what it's like working professionally in our business. And one of the three people she brought was someone named Leslie Odom Jr. And of course, this is before he's Leslie Odom Jr. You know what I mean? It's like, but I saw him, he saw me and I was like, oh no, no, I need to connect.

I need to connect with him. So after, you know, I was like, yo, so nice to meet you. Thank you for coming and talking with us. It's so funny because I'll never forget this. One of the things he had said to us, he was like, I'm finally doing projects. He was talking because he had graduated college a little while ago. And he was like, and I'm finally doing projects now that I've wanted to do. And I thought that was such an interesting thing to say. And you know, he had done like guest stars on like Law & Order and like maybe like something like Blue Blood, something like that. You know what I mean?

[32:26] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[32:27] Donald Webber Jr.: Like little, like little bit parts.

[32:30] Eila Mell: Right.

[32:30] Donald Webber Jr.: He wasn't starring in movies yet. He wasn't the lead of the musicals yet. Like, you know what I mean? And I just found that such an interesting thing to say for someone who looked like in that moment, a star.

[32:42] Eila Mell: Right.

[32:42] Donald Webber Jr.: Someone who looked like a headliner, someone who looked like it should be Leslie Odom Jr. in. You know what I'm saying?

[32:49] Eila Mell: Yes.

[32:50] Donald Webber Jr.: Right. And I just thought that was such an interesting thing to say. So fast forward a few months later, one of my best friends in the world, Nicolette Robinson auditioned for this part in a show. She got it. He was in the show. I came to see the show and I was like, oh, I'm obsessed. They fall in love. Then in the middle of all of them falling in love, getting married, we're all still hanging and being best friends. And then so we've been best friends forever. Oh, fast forward to I was I graduated college by now. And I was teaching high school. I thought I was going to, like, jump up and run in New York City and be a star.

[33:26] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[33:26] Donald Webber Jr.: After graduating. But my theater teacher in high school was like, I'm retiring. You should come and interview for my position. I was like, no, I'm not doing that. And he was like, just try. Just come to the thing. So I walk into my principal's office that I was, you know, he was my principal when I was in high school four years before. He goes, what are you doing here? I said, well, I'm interviewing for this position. He goes, go get your classroom ready. I was like, OK, so I went and got my classroom ready. Fast forward three years. Leslie Odom Jr. calls me one day. He says, hey, man, what are you doing this weekend? I said, well, I'm just grading papers. He goes, well, there's this show. I can't tell you the name of it, but they just need a few guys to come and read it.

Would you be interested? It's like, sure. So I show up and in the email, this is back. You had to, like, print out your direction. So I had my MapQuest print out. I printed out the email with directions. The email said, like, when you get to first of all, it was in Bel Air. And I was like.

[34:27] Eila Mell: Somebody's got somebody got money.

[34:29] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, right. Anyway, so anyway, so the email was like, when you pull up to the gate, announce yourself, the gate will open. I was like, this is crazy. You're right. So I get up to the gate. I say, Donald Weber, the gate and opens up. I walk in. The email said, you're going to walk past a rock mural. And then when you see that, you'll see the next house. It's the penthouse. That's where we'll be having our reading. I walked past this rock mural. The murals got, like, paintings of, like, recognizable figures. There were, like, five little black boys with afros. Two of them were holding guitars. One had a mic. What? There were three ladies. One had really big eyes in the middle. I was like, is that? No way. And there was another guy with braids and glasses. I was like, well, that's Stevie. I was like, ain't no way. Stevie, Supremes, Jackson 5. I get to the penthouse door. I open it. And literally sitting there is Barry Gordy.

[35:26] Eila Mell: Oh my God.

[35:28] Donald Webber Jr.: I was like, what are you doing here? He goes, you're going to read my script. I was like, what? So I go in. Leslie's sitting there with Nicolette and all those friends that Leslie had assembled to read this untitled Motown project.

[35:41] Eila Mell: Oh my God.

[35:43] Donald Webber Jr.: Los Angeles, California. Wow. And anyway, we finished the week of reading. The director, Charles Randolph Wright, who I just met, he was like, oh, you're in the family now. We're going to do another reading in New York City sometime in November. Would you be interested in coming? I said, of course.

[35:57] Donald Webber Jr.: I show up. That's where I meet Rebecca, my wife. But, you know, we were friends then. And then, of course, once we were having our Broadway debut doing this show, Motown the Musical, we fell in love and blah, blah, blah. But that's the story of how I got to New York City. Wow. Got to Broadway. Wow. Leslie called me one random day and said, what are you doing this weekend? Life changing. Life changing. So I was so excited about Motown the Musical because my dear friend, Emilio Sosa, did the costumes for it. Yeah, he's so something. Exactly. Exactly. I know him from the Project Runway days. I wrote the Project Runway book. Oh, dope. And that's how we met. And we've been great friends ever since.

And, oh, so that was such a huge deal for me at the time, just going to see that for him. Yeah. He was great. He was great. Then he's great now. We saw him at the Tonys. I'm so proud of him. Well, you love to share. Yeah, I was like, what? The American Theatre Wing. I know. He's gotten very fancy and I couldn't be happier for him. Yes. Yes. Yes. Well deserved. Well deserved. Absolutely. So is there anything coming up that you can tell us about or is it too soon? Well, I can tell you guys about three wonderful projects that I'm working on next.

[37:09] Eila Mell: Okay. We'd love to hear it.

[37:12] Donald Webber Jr.: Two of them are feature films. Amazing. My first time in a feature film. I'm really excited about it. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. One is directed and written by the beautiful, amazing, talented Katie Holmes. Wow. I know. Amazing. She wrote an incredible, incredible romantic comedy. It's a trilogy, believe it or not. So there's three films. And I get to play a wonderful character that she wrote with me in mind. And yeah, that's going to be wonderful. And then there's another movie that I'm working on, by the way, that trilogy shooting over the next few years. That's amazing. How nice that you get that, you know, you're going to have work for that long, but also your friend from Our Town.

I mean, that's great to get to be together. We all really hit it off. The whole Our Town family really did. So, you know, Bruce and I were there for a little bit of it and we could just see. You felt it in the room. It was different from other shows. Yeah. When we were at the rehearsal, like you could just feel like, yeah, you guys were there to work, but just in the moments before it started in the moments after the way you guys interacted with one another, you could tell like, yeah, this was family. This was, you know, everybody was comfortable and just, you know, free to be themselves and all of that. Our Town kind of did that. I mean, you know, when you talk about every day, are people really experiencing life every minute of it?

Do you really? You know what I mean? Are we really in these moments? And I think our cast really understood that and it really like kind of hit home for all of us. So, yeah, you know, every rehearsal, every moment of rehearsal was meaningful because it was happening right then, you know?

[39:01] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[39:01] Donald Webber Jr.: And that's just like, you just don't get that everywhere. Meanwhile, in Glengarry, everybody's saying the F word. So what are the other two projects?

[39:12] Donald Webber Jr.: OK, so there's another film. It's directed by a good friend of mine, Peter Lawson, who actually became a friend after he saw Glengarry. They actually this is really cool. That's my first time experiencing this. They have filmed the movie. The movie's done with the exception of one role. They had one role that wasn't cast and they couldn't find whoever this guy was. The person is someone to play his brother, his younger brother, who, you know, not to give too much away in the movie. He's only in a couple of scenes for reasons that, you know, you can understand. Anyway, so they were trying to find the brother and he happened to see Glengarry and he said he looked up on the stage. He was like, that's him. And so apparently that's, you know, next thing I knew, I got a phone call from my manager and agent and I had gotten to offer this amazing role.

[40:05] Bruce Gotlieb: That's great.

[40:06] Donald Webber Jr.: And this film. So we got a chance to talk and he came back to see Glengarry with the director and we talked briefly on the stage and it's a really nice project. I think it's going to be a really good deal. I got a chance to read it, of course, the script. And I'm like, oh, this is great. And I'm so thankful that something like that could just fall into the audience. You never know. You never know. And yeah, that's just I think that's a test and it's my career. It's just always like, wow, I happen to just be doing this because I loved it and because I wanted to and because I love the work. And it just so happened that there was a job waiting for me.

[40:44] Eila Mell: Yeah, it's incredible.

[40:46] Donald Webber Jr.: You know, and then the last thing this is also really excited. This is theater. We love it. OK, so I don't know if you guys ever heard of this guy. His name is Tom Hanks.

[40:56] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, oh, OK. Is this going to be at The Shed?

[41:01] Donald Webber Jr.: This is going to be at The Shed. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, amazing. Yeah. Tom Hanks wrote a show. He co-wrote a show and he's going to be in it. And it's a new play. It's called This World of Tomorrow. It really struck me when I read it and Kenny Leon's directing it.

[41:19] Bruce Gotlieb: The best.

[41:20] Donald Webber Jr.: And you know what I mean? Ruben Santiago Hudson will be in it as well.

[41:24] Eila Mell: I love Ruben.

[41:25] Donald Webber Jr.: Amazing. He's so great, right? Yes, yes. Michelle Wilson, Our Town. Love her. And a few other friends of mine who I've worked with before, Jay Sanders. It's a fantastic cast. And Kenny, once again, reached out and just was like, hey, you know, he's always so proud of it. You know what I mean? He saw me, man. He saw me. He saw me when some people didn't.

[41:49] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right.

[41:49] Donald Webber Jr.: You know what I mean? And so this is another one of those moments where he's like, hey, look, I got this thing. I won't be offended if you can't do it, you know? But he knows, man. He knows. I love to do it. So just to be in the room with folks like that, I'm like, I'm a yes.

[42:08] Eila Mell: Right.

[42:09] Donald Webber Jr.: You're looking at the calendar going, yeah, I'm like, what needs to move to make this happen?

[42:13] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[42:13] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah. Yeah. I was like, can we do this?

[42:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Great.

[42:16] Donald Webber Jr.: Boots. And, you know, I know Tom Hanks loves theater. He gets it. It's special to him. So it's going to be a really good show. And I've heard a lot about it so far. So I know that it's going to be great. I'm very excited to see that.

[42:29] Eila Mell: And we'll be there for you.

[42:32] Donald Webber Jr.: Yes. Congratulations.

[42:33] Eila Mell: Yes. Yes. Yes.

[42:34] Donald Webber Jr.: Thank you. Thank you. Oh, my God. It's another role that is, at least as of now, at the time of writing, it is a smaller role that I will look forward to doing what we do.

[42:48] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right.

[42:49] Donald Webber Jr.: Well, so diving completely into it. If it stays a smaller role, then you're going to squeeze out every ounce of everything there is in that role. But if it gets bigger, you're going to do the same thing. It doesn't matter.

[43:00] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[43:01] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah. Yeah. It's my point. You're going to knock it out of the park no matter what, because that's what you do.

[43:06] Donald Webber Jr.: Thank you, guys. Absolutely. Thank you.

[43:08] Eila Mell: So one last question. I know we've kept you a long time, but has being a dad changed your, not your career, but how you approach the work?

[43:18] Donald Webber Jr.: Yes. Even our podcast right now, I'm talking to you, but on the side view right here, I've got the monitor up because the kids are taking naps, and I'm just like, okay, wait, we're still good? Yeah. Being a dad has completely changed everything. It changes the way that I think about anything. The other day, there was a commercial on, and it was just two little girls. They were with their dad, or with their grandfather, rather, and they were walking near a lake. I'm sitting there, and I'm just starting to tear up. Because it's just like, man, it changes everything. I know that moment's not always going to be here. I know they're not going to be little forever. The things that are such a big deal and mean the most to them right now are things that might make me laugh, but I try to treat them as though they are the most important thing in the world, the things that they're talking about, and wanting, and frustrated with. It just added a whole other shelf of empathy that I didn't even know I had, you know what I mean?

[44:22] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[44:22] Donald Webber Jr.: It's like, boy. When I think about roles, and I think about the stage, I'm just like, if I were sitting in an audience, right? Usher said this. This is so funny how different types of artists just influence what you do, or can influence what you do. One day, he said something in an interview. Honestly, what you see me do on stage is stuff that, if I were in the audience, would make me melt. And I was like, that's what I'm talking about. I like to read stuff, and I like to be like, if I'm sitting in the audience, what would make me melt right now? That. And so my kids, they make me melt. And so anytime I can be in a state of that much empathy, that much awareness on stage, I feel like that's the person that I would love to watch.

I just find that so interesting. Who's the person that is so there, and so in this moment? Because the audience are the kids, or the words, the script is the kids. Probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense right now. I'm just trying to make it make sense out loud. But it makes sense in here.

[45:33] Eila Mell: That's good.

[45:36] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, they do. They influence a lot of feelings and emotions. And obviously, your wife, Rebecca Covington, she has her own career. Do you have to sort of, now that you have kids, sort of work when the other one isn't working? How does that happen?

[45:49] Donald Webber Jr.: No, that's what Granny's for.

[45:51] Eila Mell: OK, good.

[45:54] Donald Webber Jr.: No, I'm kidding. But we have a wonderful family. Our Granny, Gigi, Granddad, Papa Cub, Mimi, everybody. They'll watch the kids. Cousin Kennedy. And we've got some amazing babysitters that we can call when we need to. But yeah, we love that. We love being able to be working parents. Our kids don't love it as much when it's time for us to both go out the house at the same time. Sure. But it's OK. And that's also something that I think that is good for them, too, to see. It is. Both Mommy and Daddy are, you know, we have to go and work.

[46:25] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[46:26] Donald Webber Jr.: And we want to. We want to go work.

[46:28] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, that's the thing.

[46:29] Donald Webber Jr.: That's going to make them care about what they do.

[46:32] Donald Webber Jr.: Exactly. You're doing something you love and so passionate about.

[46:36] Donald Webber Jr.: Yeah, exactly. And they love it, too, which is so funny. It's not like I couldn't predict it, but Donald and Lillian both sing all the time. They love dancing. We did The Preacher’s Wife because that was probably the only show that they could, like, actually come in and watch a lot of. There was no chance they were singing any of Glengarry Glen Ross. Right. And a very slim chance that they would see Our Town just because I don't think they've sat in their seats long enough. Right. But The Preacher’s Wife was great because there were little kids in it, too. And so that, you know. But anyway, they started to act out the scenes. Donald started to act out the scenes for The Preacher’s Wife. Written by Titus Burgess. Amazing. I can't wait for that to get its premiere in New York when it does come. I think it's going to be a really, yeah, fingers crossed, special.

[47:24] Eila Mell: Yes.

[47:25] Donald Webber Jr.: Absolutely. Well, I mean, you will have to come back because you have so much going on. And we love you.

[47:30] Eila Mell: Always something new.

[47:31] Donald Webber Jr.: So, yeah.

[47:32] Eila Mell: Yes.

[47:33] Donald Webber Jr.: So we look forward to having you back as soon as you're ready. And thank you so much for joining us. This was such a thrill for us. And you know your family. So anything you need, we're here for you.

[47:44] Donald Webber Jr.: That's right.

[47:44] Eila Mell: OK.

[47:45] Donald Webber Jr.: All right. You guys are amazing. Thank you.

[47:48] Eila Mell: Absolutely.

[47:49] Donald Webber Jr.: And we will see everyone next time on Behind the Awards.

[47:52] Eila Mell: Bye-bye.