Student Blog: Finding Grandpa Joe

If you had asked me a year ago what kind of roles I saw myself playing in college, Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka wouldn’t have been my answer.

Not because I don’t love the character, but because I didn’t even think to go for him.

Going into auditions, I had already made assumptions about where I fit. I’m a freshman. I’m 18. And while I’ve played older roles before in high school (roles I absolutely loved), I guess I thought college would be different. I assumed I’d need to “work my way up” before being considered for characters like that again. So I didn’t audition for Grandpa Joe specifically. I didn’t really let myself imagine it as a possibility.

And then I was cast.

That moment alone felt like a shift. It challenged this idea I didn’t even realize I had, that there were certain roles I wasn’t “supposed” to step into yet. Suddenly, I was being asked to do exactly that. 

Now that I’m in rehearsals, I can say with full honesty: it’s been one of the most creatively challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve had.

Grandpa Joe is such a specific character. He’s older, yes, but more importantly, he carries this mix of weariness and joy, humor and heart. He’s someone who has been through a lot, but still holds onto hope in a way that feels almost childlike. I have always seen acting as transforming into someone else, but finding your truth in it. Discovering that balance has been the real work, not just “playing old,” but building a person who feels truthful. 

At first, I struggled.

I kept getting caught up in the external pieces. How do I move? How do I sound? How do I make this believable without pushing it too far? There were rehearsals where I felt like I was trying on a version of the character that didn’t quite fit yet. And that feeling, of not having it figured out, was uncomfortable. Even now, I am still working on figuring him out. Finding a character means adapting and evolving, finding new motivations and discoveries. 

But that’s also where the creative risk came in.

Instead of retreating to what felt safe, I had to lean into that discomfort. I started experimenting more, letting myself make choices that might not work. I played with physicality, slowing down, adding weight, letting small movements carry more meaning. I shifted my focus away from “looking older” and toward understanding Grandpa Joe’s perspective; his love for Charlie, his sense of humor, his resilience.

And somewhere in that process, something started to click.

I stopped trying to prove that I could play the role and started to try to live in it.

There have been moments in rehearsal where I can feel the difference. A line lands with more honesty. A reaction feels more instinctive. A scene has more connections. Those moments don’t come from playing it safe. They come from taking risks, from being willing to look a little unsure before things fall into place.

What’s been most surprising, though, is how much I love playing this character.

Even though I didn’t initially see myself in this role, it’s quickly become one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had as a performer. There’s something really special about stepping into someone so different from yourself and finding pieces of truth within them. It reminds me why I was drawn to theatre in the first place.

This experience has also changed the way I think about opportunities moving forward. Just because something doesn’t seem like an obvious fit or feels out of reach, it doesn’t mean it isn’t worth going for. Sometimes the roles you don’t expect are the ones that teach you the most.

I didn’t audition for Grandpa Joe, thinking I would play him.

But now that I am, I’m learning to trust the process a little more, to trust myself a little more, and to take creative risks even when I’m not completely sure where they’ll lead.

That’s something I know I’ll carry with me long after this show is over.

Willy Wonka at Minnesota State University, Mankato

April 9-19

Tickets available at msutheatre.com