Interview: From Hamilton to Hannibal on VINYL, Daniel J Watts is Non-Stop

After making his rounds in NY's Broadway Scene, Daniel J. Watts has stormed onto VINYL as the incomparable funk singer, Hannibal. I had the chance to speak to him last week. Pardon me, while I swoon.

Mr. Watts grew up in Indian Trail, North Carolina. At the age of 13, he decided to audition for a play. Up until this point, basketball was his main interest, but his trusted Mom saw something else. Needless to say, he was hooked. He began tap dancing at around the age of 15 and went on to study at Elon College. After performing in local community and regional theaters, he moved to New York in 2006. Unlike most New York dreamers, success didn't take all that long to find him. He arrived in January, had his Equity card in July and was cast in THE COLOR PURPLE that fall. He followed that up with THE LITTLE MERMAID, MEMPHIS, IN THE HEIGHTS, GHOST, MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL, AFTER MIDNIGHT and a tiny show that you may have heard of called HAMILTON: THE MUSICAL. (I played it cool...ish...) He joined the concept of the production back when it was at the Lab. He did not do the Off-Broadway production as he was doing a play at Second City, but rejoined the cast on Broadway. I asked him if with all the new found fame and attention in the media if anyone in the cast was feeling the pressure. Mr. Watts told me that all they have to do is trust the material. From the moment they read the script, they knew what they were doing. None of this attention is surprising, it's fun to sit back and enjoy the ride. He pointed out that the logo is literally a silhouette. The fame of this show isn't based on anyone's faces, the most famous images are silhouettes which leaves the interpretations of casting and performance up to the discretion of the director for any future productions. It is written in a way that is pliable and flexible, kind of like that document they mention at the end of Act One (The Constitution). He is currently a swing who covers Samuel Seabury and General Lee and is rehearsing to learn George Eacker. He is a part of the unspoken heroes of HAMILTON, the ensemble who don't stop moving and changing characters and costumes from the second Burr steps on stage until the curtain call. Today he is with the cast in Washington D.C. to perform at the White House.

I warned him that I could talk about HAMILTON all night (and I usually do), but he is so much more. On the side, Watts has created a showcase with his band "The Jam." His great grandmother used to make jam. Whatever she wanted to eat, she ate, but the rest, she gave away. He has found this to be a great metaphor for living his life. Do what you have to do to survive, but give the rest away, to share what he has and encourage people to figure out what they have to "spread." As he performs "Watts Words" as a spoken word artist, he likes to focus on social similarities instead of differences as he feels that telling stories is how we learn about each other the most. He along with other Broadway vets in "The Jam" perform whenever they can manage to find time in their "Jam"-packed schedules

On VINYL, Watts plays the character of Hannibal. His fashion sense is based on Sly Stone, but he pulls from many funk artists of the time to portray the fictional amalgamation of the movement. Watts himself, a huge James Brown fan, had no problem delving into some of his favorite music and footage such as Curtis Mayfield and the Brothers Johnson to get prepared for the role. With other real life musicians showing up as characters in the series such as Alice Cooper and Andy Warhol, Hannibal was a little bit more freeing as they were not limited by actual history and he could create the character from scratch. As we saw on last night's episode, he is quite an antagonist for Richie and in the end, decides to sign with Jackie Jervis after Richie failed his "test." I asked if this was the last we would see of him. He declined to state as I'm sure his contract forces him to, but I, for one, am DESPERATELY hoping Hannibal is around for a long time. Funk in the 70's is a major part of the decade and Hannibal is definitely the person who needs to be leading the charge.

With so many talents (as well as being an adjunct Professor at NYU... non-stop, I tell you...), I asked if there was one he preferred in his free time. He told me that he is fortunate to have so many options and he just has to go with where his inspiration is. If he feels like singing, he sings. But one thing is for sure, no matter what, he's got to keep moving. And what keeps him going?

"I don't like to have excuses and I never want to say I waited or didn't try." Great words to live by, but at the end of the day, his biggest inspiration is to make Mom proud. (See what I mean? Swoon!) Growing up his mother always fed his drive but encouraging him to try everything to see what he sparked his interests to explore.

As for what's next, he will be revisiting a project out in Los Angeles to hopefully anniversary last year's "Broadway at the W" at the W Hotel in Hollywood. He knows there is a good theatre community out here and he would love to explore that as well. No definitive plans at this time, but it's always good to look at what's coming.

You can find Daniel on Twitter and Instagram @dwattswords and on his website http://www.wattswords.com.

(He hasn't jumped on SnapChat yet, but if he does, I encouraged him to learn from the master, fellow cast member, Andrew Chappelle @achapphawk.) If you're lucky enough to scrounge up a Hamilton ticket, at this point do I need to recommend it? Mr. Watts is one of those rare breeds nowadays who can pretty much excel at anything he touches and yet can always find the drive to keep going and get better; an example we should all follow. His mom must be BEAMING with pride.

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