(casual jazz music)
- Blair Underwood is a Hollywood heartthrob
who also loves the lights of Broadway.
I recently sat down with the well-loved star
to talk about his latest project
playing an army captain investigating a murder
in the acclaimed drama "A Soldier's Play."
Mr. Underwood.
Good to see you. - Mr. Underwood?
I get a Mr. Underwood?
- Yeah, let's be formal. - Bring it, man.
- Broadway star Blair Underwood.
I love this, I'm so glad you're back on stage.
- Oh man, I'm so excited to be back.
- [Paul] So fantastic,
"A Soldier's Play." - Thank you.
- [Paul] What a beautiful production.
Are you really enjoying being a part of that ensemble?
- I'm loving every minute of it.
I'm literally trying to breathe in these last few moments
and last few weeks.
We were talking earlier, I think we first met,
when I did "Streetcar Named Desire" eight years ago now.
And you know what, I love coming back,
I love being on stage.
I started doing dinner theaters initially,
but anytime I can get back
and get a foot on the boards
and I'm back in the theater, I love doing it.
But it's gotta be the right project, the right time,
and the right commitment.
We're at the Roundabout now, so it's a limited run.
It was 11 weeks total, so it's just perfect.
- How did this project come in your lap?
Was this a Kenny Leon phone call?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - That's what he does.
He calls his dream cast. - Those Kenny calls.
- He calls his dream stars.
- So yeah, I got a call from Kenny.
Actually, I think he knew a friend of a friend
who knew my wife.
My wife texted me,
she said Kenny Leon's trying to reach you.
I said okay.
I had his number, so I called him back,
and he said we're doing "A Soldier's Play" on Broadway.
I could not believe it had never
been on Broadway before.
It started off-Broadway in 1981 through '83
at the Negro Ensemble Company, NEC.
Always wanna give them credit and homage to them.
It started there,
but had never been on Broadway.
So I wanted to be a part of that.
I knew David Alan Grier had signed on at that point,
to work with him, I never worked with him.
Always wanted to. - I was wondering.
Did you never cross paths?
- We crossed paths in passing.
I've seen his work.
I saw him in "Race" and "The Wiz Live!"
but also just a fan of his work.
And then afterwards, Jerry O'Connell came on board.
And the ensemble, I always give them dap
because these guys,
I call them these young lions.
They're just killing it every night on that stage.
It's an honor to be a part of it.
- Did you know the play?
Obviously, it's a film, a play.
- I didn't know the play.
I'd seen the movie "A Soldier's Story," of course,
but I had not seen the play.
I remember from the movie that,
of course playing a lawyer on "LA Law" many years ago,
so he was lawyer, trained lawyer,
so he's asking a lot of questions,
and then when I read the play,
I found out that he's the narrator of the play
and he has three monologues that set-up the story,
but also gives the actor a chance
to see how the story is affecting him.
I saw the opportunity to play more colors
and explore more sides to this character
than just the interrogator, the investigator.
- And you're military, you have military in your blood.
(Blair laughs)
Wasn't your dad in the army? - It's in my.
Yeah, my dad's blood is in me.
Yeah, my dad was in the army 29 years.
Retired army colonel.
- Is there a certain way to stand?
A certain--
- Well, there is that,
and we talk about that a lot, that military bearing,
as they call it.
The way you walk, the way you talk.
The way you present yourself, the way you salute,
which is very important. - Salute, uh-huh.
- Can't be all sloppy.
(Paul laughs)
- Proper salute. - That's right.
- It fits you.
- Thank you. - It works.
But you never dabbled
in your own life. - That's good to know.
(Paul laughs)
My brother was actually in the army
for a short period of time,
so it's been around me
in a lotta ways. - It's in your blood.
You've heard of the tile before.
We knew Charles Fuller won a Pulitzer Prize for this play.
When you actually dug into the script,
how did it feel reading it today?
Obviously, it was written in the early '80s,
but it really works for modern audiences.
- I have to come back
and tell you a quick story about this.
- Okay. - You said it fits me,
which is very funny.
It does work for modern audiences
and that's what's so amazing
when people come backstage afterwards
and they say this still resonates
and it's very moving by the end
and people are often moved when they come backstage
and they're moved because it speaks to them now
and specifically we're talking about race relations.
We're talking about an interracial dynamic
of black and white.
This man who is this office, this captain
in 1944, Louisiana,
and how Jerry O'Connell's character,
another captain of equal rank, cannot see him
and does not give him the respect he deserves.
Then, from his perspective,
he's like it's just the way it is.
You can't go under into
these southern towns interrogating people.
You think they're gonna, you, as a negro,
is gonna arrest somebody?
They don't respect you.
So that's just one of the things
that my character is confronted with.
And then there's the intraracial dynamic,
especially with David Alan Grier's character,
Sergeant Waters, who is filled with self-loathing
and self-hatred.
It's a line of self-love that is completely maligned
and completely distorted.
- So what was the story you wanted to tell me about?
- Oh no, I was just thinking that was funny.
My first movie I did was called "Krush Groove" in 1985
when I first got out to Hollywood
and I remember auditioning for that part
and a producer told me this later, so it was '85.
The movie came out in '83, "Soldier's Story,"
and they had cast another actor in the male lead
and he said, "You came in and you auditioned,
"and we liked you,
"but we didn't know if you were gonna be sexy enough
"or if the woman would like you or not.
"So we want around the office,
"we showed all the girls your picture
"and they said,"
and the producer Doug McHenry said,
"He looks like one of those "Soldier Story" negroes.
"I don't think he's gonna sell on the big screen.
"So what do you think?"
I don't know what they said,
but I ended up getting the part.
It was ironic all these years later
said you look like one of those "Soldier Story" negroes.
- You've actually been tied to this project for many years.
- Inadvertently, yeah, apparently.
- [Paul] By the way, that was good work in "Krush Groove."
- [Blair] "Krush Groove?" (laughs)
- [Paul] Oh, that was some.
- [Blair] Paul got jokes today.
- [Paul] That was some good work.
Where's the Broadway musical?
- Wow, yeah, man.
We need to have that.
That's what we need
on Broadway. - I'm into it.
- "Krush Groove" the musical.
- This is a fun group of actors.
There's a lot of drama on stage.
What's it like building your little family
at the Roundabout there for a few months?
- You know, it's been amazing.
I tell you we have fight call, of course,
before every showing.
Come out and go through any physicality.
They're out there warming up
and David Alan Grier is so hilarious every day.
He's on.
J. Alphonse Nicholson who plays CJ, he said,
"If you ever wanna laugh, come to fight call."
Gets us all in a great, you may be tired, beatdown,
but then he always puts you in a great mood.
- Can I buy tickets to fight call?
- You need to. - It sounds like
it should be another show. - That's a show in
and of itself, I'm telling you.
- What's the Broadway lifestyle like?
Do you like being in New York?
- Oh, I love it.
- Tell me about it.
You do a lot of film and TV work out in California,
but when you come to New York for a few months
to do a show like this,
what are those times mean
in your overall scope of your life?
- It's a beast, first of all.
You're doing eight shows a week.
A lot of actors who come from LA
and they do it, that's the first thing.
Dude, how you holdin' up doing eight shows a week?
It's a challenge, but I love it,
so if you love it, it pulls you through.
I live in the theater district in Hell's Kitchen,
so I can walk to work.
They've been nice enough to give me a car,
but I can walk to work
and I often do
'cause I just like the walk.
Especially after a show.
Last night I walked home just to clear your head,
two show day, just clear your head and enjoy.
It's the electricity, literally and figuratively,
of this theater district
and Broadway and everything that comes with it.
- You've been in the business for a long time.
What kind of projects get you fired up
and make you wanna-- - Anything that challenges me.
I don't like to repeat myself too much.
But if I'm challenged
and Broadway's a challenge in and of itself
and then on top of that, the character is so rich.
This character, Captain Davenport, to be able to,
there are times early on when he puts his glasses on
and how he interacts with Jerry O'Connell,
there are funny moments where you say
and do things and the audiences laugh
and then there are moments when they
react to different things in a fun way.
But by the end, if we do our job right,
if I do my job right, that same character
gets to make people laugh, think, and cry at the end.
So that's a challenge to do it every night.
So I jump at those opportunities.
- Laugh, think, cry.
What else do you need? - Right?
Right? - You got it all.
(both laughing)
- Well, enjoy the rest of your run.
- I will. - And don't be a stranger.
- No. - I'm gonna hold you to it.
- All right. - Good to see you.
- I'd love that, Paul.
Always a pleasure.
(casual jazz music)