Interview: Jonathan Hadley Talks THE BODYGUARD

THE BODYGUARD, March 7-12, 2017, at Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Tickets available: 704 372-1000. A Breathtakingly romantic thriller with Grammy ® Award nominee and R&B superstar, Deborah Cox.

THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including "Queen of the Night," "So Emotional," "One Moment in Time," "Saving All My Love," "Run to You," "I Have Nothing," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and one of the biggest selling songs of all time - "I Will Always Love You."

Jonathan Hadley, who plays Sy Spector, in THE BODYGUARD, is a Charlotte native. His next stop is Charlotte. It's been a few years since our last interview when he was appearing in JERSEY BOYS.

LAW: Where are you now?

JH: We just opened in Baltimore last night and the crowd went wild!

LAW: As a former resident of Charlotte, how many of your family and friends are coming to see THE BODYGUARD at Blumenthal Performing Arts?

JH: I'm not sure exactly how many are coming, but it looks like every night there will be a group of people I know. Either family who are coming in from all over North and South Carolina or old friends from high school. It's going to be like a weeklong reunion!!!

LAW: Tell me about your character, Sy Spector.

JH: Sy is Rachel Marron's press agent and his main goal in the show,... as it is in his LIFE,...is to get Rachel to win an Oscar!

LAW: What stands out the most for you about this character?

JH: I guess what struck me first about Sy when I read the script was his single-minded focus on his job as Rachel's PR guy and his sophisticated sense of humor. One friend of mine described Sy as "endearingly annoying," which is quite accurate, which I take as a compliment!

LAW: What has been the best experience you have had on the road so far with this show?

JH: I think the best experiences have been seeing how the audiences react to this show in each part of the country we've been in. Some are more vocal than others, some react differently to a joke than others, but they ALL LOVE these songs and go crazy by the end!

LAW: I remember in the JERSEY BOYS interview, you said, you would do different things on stage each night to keep the role of Bob Crewe fresh. How do you keep the role of Sy Spector fresh every night?

JH: Since we just hit our 100th show here in Baltimore, it's still relatively early for a long run and things haven't gotten into a routine yet. But you are right, after five or six years in a show, like the run I did in JERSEY BOYS, it was important to find new things each night, even tiny little moments, that would keep things fresh. But you can't go too crazy or you get a knock or your door from the stage manager with that look of "What the heck was THAT?" LOL!!

LAW: When you're in Charlotte where's the place you have to eat?

JH: Price's Fried Chicken and Mert's, which is dangerously near the stage door of the Blumenthal!!

LAW: What's the strongest piece of advice for upcoming actors?

JH: I'd have to quote the Nike ad and say "Just Do It." Get out and audition for everything you can. Even if you don't book a job, the experience is invaluable. And when you're not working, take classes to work on scenes and songs, do student films or work as an extra to get experience around a camera, volunteer to be a reader at auditions so you can see what it's like to be on the other side of the table. And try,... although it's very hard,...try not to take things personally. It is a business after all.

LAW: Is there anything you would like to do, produce, direct, act, that you haven't done yet

JH: Right now I'm really enjoying performing again, after having spent some time directing and working as the Interim Producing Director of the Depot Theater in Westport, NY. But I think I'd like to explore working in Children's Theatre again, which is how I got my start right here in Charlotte. 'Perhaps directing and creating works for kids.

LAW: What will audiences take away from THE BODYGUARD?

JH: Audiences are going to have a great time at this show. They are going to walk in knowing all the songs and I guarantee there will be dancing in the aisles! Add to it, the amazing performance of Deborah Cox and her extraordinary renditions of these songs and you have a memorable experience!