海角大神

BUNHEADS is the story of what happens when life takes a Vegas show dancer in an unexpected direction when she accepts an unusual proposal. Leaving the bright lights of Las Vegas and finding herself in a cozy small town teaching at a ballet dance studio, the life of Michelle Simms will never be the same.听 Fortunately the young dancers provide Michelle with a unique opportunity to explore a new life and rediscover her love of dance.听Taking a few minutes to chat with press in a recent conference call, star Sutton Foster explains what drew her to this remarkable, heart-warming series and what exactly is a 鈥淏unhead!鈥�

听Could you run through some of the things in BUNHEADS that we鈥檙e going to see that you bring to a larger television audience that people may know about from seeing you on stage?
听SUTTON: There are a couple reasons I was drawn to BUNHEADS.听 One was Amy Sherman-Palladino being one of my favorite writers, but also that the show is based around dance, and it鈥檚 affording me a lot of opportunities to do some pretty cool stuff.听 I鈥檝e already done one song and dance routine, and I know there鈥檚 more down the pike. But the thing that I鈥檓 most excited about is really the character and the writing and being able to really showcase my comedic stuff and delving into it. She鈥檚 just a really awesome character who鈥檚 a dancer.听 So I鈥檓 sure as the series grows they鈥檒l be throwing lots and lots of stuff at me, and I always say I鈥檒l try anything once.听 They鈥檝e already thrown a bunch of stuff my way, so I鈥檓 sure that a lot more will be coming.听 But I don鈥檛 think theater fans will be disappointed.
听听
听What is something that you get to do in BUNHEADS or that you鈥檇 like to do in BUNHEADS that most people would probably be surprised to see you do?
听SUTTON: Well, there鈥檚 some cool stuff coming.听 I don鈥檛 want to give too much away.听 I started dancing when I was four years old and then was in class until I was about 20 years old or so, and then primarily was dancing just in shows that I was doing, but not really studying and training.听 听But the one thing that I鈥檝e done because my character is she鈥檚 a ballet dancer trained at ABT.听 Although, when you discover her, you find out that she鈥檚 a showgirl in Vegas.听 So she kind of loses her ballet way.听 But the one thing that I鈥檝e done is I take ballet every day.听 So I have this incredible teacher, and she comes to the studio, and I have a ballet barre in my dressing room and it kicks my butt.听 So I鈥檓 studying ballet everyday and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one鈥檚 seen before.听 Even I haven鈥檛 seen that, so I鈥檓 really excited.

听What exactly is a 鈥渂unhead鈥�?
听SUTTON: A 鈥渂unhead鈥� is someone who spends a lot of their life with their hair in a bun, meaning it would be someone who has dedicated their life and their time to the art of ballet.听 Ballet is an incredibly difficult, beautiful art form that takes a lot of training, a lot of time, and a lot of hard work.听 And so when someone is deemed a bunhead, that鈥檚 what it means. I live near Alvin Ailey Dance Studio and I鈥檒l see a bunch of girls walking down the street with their hair in their buns, and I鈥檓 like, 鈥淥h, they鈥檙e ballet dancers.鈥澨� It鈥檚 like a symbol.听 You can go, 鈥淎h,鈥� and say, 鈥淚 know what they are.鈥澨� That鈥檚 a bunhead.
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听Did you watch GILMORE GIRLS, and if so, why should GILMORE GIRLS fans tune into BUNHEADS?
听SUTTON: I did watch GILMORE GIRLS.听 GILMORE GIRLS was my favorite.听 This is before I even met Amy or worked on BUNHEADS.听 But it was my favorite show of all time, and I own all the DVDs. I think Amy Sherman-Palladino has a very specific voice; it鈥檚 unlike anyone else on television.听 And BUNHEADS has her voice again.听 You have a whole new set of characters, a whole new town, a whole new base, but you鈥檝e got the rapid-fire dialogue and that wit and the humor that GILMORE had. So it鈥檚 exciting.听 And it鈥檚 exciting to hear Amy鈥檚 writing again on TV.听 I think GILMORE fans are going to love it.
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听Amy writes a lot of pop culture references. Have any popped up in the script yet that you鈥檝e been stumped by and you鈥檝e been like, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to Google that; I don鈥檛 know what that is?鈥�
听SUTTON: Yes! 听What鈥檚 so great is that a lot of them I鈥檒l get, and then there鈥檚 some I鈥檓 like, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what that means.鈥澨� And when I read the script for the first time, I just 鈥� anything I don鈥檛 know, I just look up, and then I鈥檓 like, 鈥淥h, okay.听 Okay.鈥澨� A lot of them I know, but some of them are just so crazy.听 But then once you read it, you鈥檙e like, 鈥淥h, got it.听 Got it.鈥澨� But yeah, I think she鈥檚 just a genius.听
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听The long, gold earrings you鈥檙e wearing in the pilot look really cool.听 Can you tell us a little bit about your character鈥檚 sense of style and how she dresses?
听SUTTON: Sure.听 The thing about a dancer鈥檚 life is usually it鈥檚 about comfort, and because as dancers you鈥檙e wearing tights and you鈥檙e in like tight costumes or your feet are shoved into weird shoes 鈥� so when I was talking with Brenda 鈥� who鈥檚 our wardrobe supervisor 鈥� and we were like, 鈥淢ichelle should be comfortable.鈥澨� But yet, she鈥檚 a Vegas girl.听 She鈥檚 living in Vegas, and so those gold earrings were Vegas.听 So she always had a little bit of Vegas with her.听 But I wear a lot of flowy, comfortable tops, cute jeans.听 I rock a lot of TOMS.听 She鈥檚 pretty natural and laid back, very easy-going, but really natural.
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听You worked with Kelly Bishop in ANYTHING GOES and now again on BUNHEADS. Could you talk a little bit about the relationship that the two of you have?
听SUTTON: Well, when she came into ANYTHING GOES, I freaked out because I鈥檓 such a fan of hers, and she鈥檚 just such an awesome lady.听 She鈥檚 Sheila from 鈥淎 Chorus Line.鈥澨� She鈥檚 awesome.听 Our relationship on the show is very specific, and we鈥檙e like sparring partners.听 But off-set, she鈥檚 very motherly, actually, and is always making sure I鈥檓 okay, and taking care of me.听 She鈥檚 just a wonderful woman.听 I鈥檒l do a scene, and I鈥檓 like, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe I鈥檓 acting with Kelly!鈥澨�
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听Do you see yourself in the young actresses that you鈥檙e working with, both in their fictional roles and as young actresses as well, as young dancers?
听SUTTON: I do actually.听 The girls are in their teens, 16 and 17, and as the character definitely and in my life too. I go back to when I was 17 years old and when I was just sort of starting out, but they are far better dancers than I ever was.听 They are the most beautiful, beautiful ballet dancers.听 They鈥檙e extraordinary.听 And they鈥檙e doing things on a show that are so exciting.听 And it鈥檚 them doing it, you know?听 There鈥檚 no body-doubles coming in to dance for them.听 They鈥檙e, like, the real deal, and they鈥檙e really great young women.听 It鈥檚 exciting.听 It鈥檚 exciting to see them have this opportunity, and I think it鈥檚 going to be a great thing for them in their lives.听 听Michelle, my character, I think she sees in them and wants to impart to them ways to do things better than she did because I think Michelle lost her way.听 When you meet my character, she鈥檚 very lost, and so she wants to impart some better judgment and wisdom into the young kids so that maybe they don鈥檛 make the same mistakes she did.
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听You鈥檝e done a lot of TV work here and there, but here it鈥檚 really your first really big lead role.听 How are you feeling taking this step?听 It could be a huge shift I鈥檓 sure.听
听SUTTON: Yeah, I have to say that I鈥檓 loving it; I really am.听 I am having the time of my life, and I think it鈥檚 because it just feels like the right role, the right writer, the right project, and the right timing.听 I鈥檝e been living in New York for about 15 years.听 I absolutely love the theater.听 It鈥檚 my home.听 It鈥檚 what I always wanted to do.听 听But I was coming to a point where I just wanted a new challenge and something new, and this came across my path, and already it鈥檚 just been an incredible experience.听 And I鈥檓 learning every single day something new, and it鈥檚 exciting.听 It鈥檚 exciting that I鈥檓 37 years old and I鈥檓 learning so much.听 And it鈥檚 really cool.听 It鈥檚 a whole new challenge, a whole new chapter of my life.听 听
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听I know the theater community is a really tight community, and a lot of those before you have made this move.听 Have any of them like Matthew Morrison, Cheyenne Jackson, Kristin Chenoweth, or Megan Hilty 听鈥� any of them given you advice about making this sort of a transition to from the big stage to the small screen?
听SUTTON: You know who gave me advice?听 It鈥檚 so funny because my ex-husband, 海角大神 Borle, is on SMASH, and we actually talked about it.听 We鈥檙e very good friends, and he鈥檚 the one that gave me probably the most advice 鈥� which is so weird.听 But he was saying 鈥� because I was asking him how SMASH was going and he was saying like, 鈥淵ou just got to keep moving forward because there鈥檚 so much material, and as soon as you finish a scene, you have to let it go and move on to the next one.听 You can鈥檛 keep holding onto it.鈥澨� Like with the theater, you get a scene and you do it over and over and over and over and over again for years sometimes.听 听And with TV, everything moves so quickly.听 So you might spend three hours on a scene and then it has to go away because you have to make room for a whole new scene, a whole new moment.听 And in many ways, it鈥檚 a blessing because you can鈥檛 get in your own way.听 You have to, like, act fast, and you have to go, and there鈥檚 40 people in a room staring at you with cameras.听 So you can鈥檛 get scared, and you can鈥檛 go, 鈥淥h, I don鈥檛 know; I don鈥檛 know if I can do it.鈥澨� You have to just do it.听 And in a way, that鈥檚 been a real blessing for me just as, like, an actress because I鈥檓 like, 鈥淥kay, I鈥檓 just going to dive in and do it.鈥澨� And it鈥檚 been scary and fun at the same time.
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听You memorize a script for a Broadway show, and you repeat the same lines every week, eight times a week, over and over for a year, and Amy is famous for her rapid-fire, just constant dialogue.听 I鈥檓 curious as to if it鈥檚 intimidating and if it鈥檚 been a huge adjustment to try and grasp the new pages of the script every day?
听SUTTON: It鈥檚 definitely a whole new challenge, and it was the thing that I was probably the most scared about because I thought, 鈥淗ow am I going to do it?听 How am I going to it?鈥澨� Because I also want to do her writing justice as well, so that means you need to know it.听 You can鈥檛 just look at it that morning; it鈥檚 impossible.听 听So whenever we get a new script, I鈥檓 daunted.听 I go, 鈥淥h gosh.听 I don鈥檛 know how I鈥檓 going to do it.听 How am I going to do it?鈥澨� But it鈥檚 just about work.听 It鈥檚 my job.听 I鈥檓 just constantly working, and I love to work.听 So I鈥檓 a bit of a workaholic so I鈥檓 always working on the script, working on memorizing.听 I grab anybody I can when I鈥檓 off-set and run lines.听 听And my best friend lives here in L.A., and she has eight-week-old twins and so I spend a lot of time here with her and the babies, and she runs lines with me.听 And it鈥檚 just part of it. I want to do the best I can at really honoring the writing, and honoring Amy, and honoring everybody in the show, so I just work, work, work, work.
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听Did it take much persuading when Amy offered you the role?听 Did you need to be convinced, or were you just kind of like, 鈥淵es, I鈥檒l do it,鈥� and, 鈥淚鈥檓 ready,鈥� or was it more of a process?
听SUTTON: Amy and I met at the end of the summer last year, and I was, like, a superfan.听 But I didn鈥檛 know that she had a project in mind, because at that time I don鈥檛 think the pilot had been picked up by ABC Family.听 But she wanted to meet me because she had me in mind for the show, but she didn鈥檛 mention it because she couldn鈥檛.听 But I was like, 鈥淥h my gosh, GILMORE GIRLS!鈥澨� I was just, like, freak of a fan.听 She probably thought I was this weirdo.听 听And it was right before I was doing a performance of ANYTHING GOES, and I hadn鈥檛 eaten, and she was meeting someone for dinner.听 So she just sat there and watched me eat.听 I was eating chicken fingers, and we laughed because she was like, 鈥淚 just sat across from you and watched you eat chicken fingers, and I couldn鈥檛 tell you why I wanted to meet you.鈥澨� But then two weeks later, my agent called and said, 鈥淎my has written this pilot, and she wants you to star in it.鈥澨� And I was like, 鈥淲hat is it?听 I鈥檒l do it.鈥澨� And he鈥檚 like, 鈥淲ell, read the script first.鈥澨� And I鈥檓 like, 鈥淥h, okay, alright.听 Sure.听 Send me the script.鈥澨� 听And I had already made up my mind before I even read the script.听 It could鈥檝e been about 鈥� I don鈥檛 know 鈥� it could鈥檝e been about anything and I would鈥檝e been like, 鈥淵es, I want to work with this woman.鈥澨� But then I read it, and I was like, 鈥淥h my gosh.鈥澨� And then it just seemed like a no-brainer.听 So it really didn鈥檛 take much convincing.
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听How have you had to change your physical routine from doing Broadway to doing television?
听SUTTON: Well, and I will say from going from ANYTHING GOES to the show, I was like, 鈥淯h-oh, I鈥檓 going to get fat,鈥� because in ANYTHING GOES I was moving so much.听 I was walking in New York and everything.听 And that鈥檚 another reason I鈥檓 taking ballet every day, and I鈥檓 trying to stay super in shape and healthy because I鈥檓 like, 鈥淚鈥檓 a dancer.听 I have to look like a dancer.鈥� But the biggest change in my life is probably the hours because I wake up at, like 4:30 am. We shoot on location about half of the week.听 We work on a studio lot for about three days a week, and then we work up in a location spot that鈥檚 about a 45-minute drive away.听 And they鈥檙e like, 鈥淥kay, your pickup is at 5:45.鈥澨� So that鈥檚 just different, waking up at 4:30 a.m. and being awake while it鈥檚 dark.听 听Last night I went to bed at 8:30 because I was just tired.听 We鈥檙e in production for roughly three months, and my life right now is this.听 It鈥檚 intense, and the hours are intense, and I work 12-14 hours a day.听 It鈥檚 hard but different, obviously, than doing a Broadway show.听 听A lot of people are asking me, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the difference between a Broadway show and doing TV?鈥澨� And I say, 鈥淲ell, the hours.鈥澨� It鈥檚 just when you do a show, it鈥檚 two-and-a-half hours of bam, intense.听 And then with this, you still work, but you have a lot of lag time where you鈥檙e waiting for them to do setups, and then it鈥檚 like you have to be on.听 I鈥檝e become addicted to Coke Zero and coffee.听 I drink a lot of coffee.听 It鈥檚 just different. I have a totally different lifestyle, but it鈥檚 fun.
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听Psychologically as an actress is there anything that鈥檚 similar or is it just a totally different world for you working with a giant green ogre versus these cute ballet girls?
听SUTTON: Oh, it鈥檚 just a totally different world.听 In BUNHEADS, all of our main cast, it鈥檚 all women, which is very exciting and it is fun too.听 The girls 鈥� they鈥檙e awesome.听 They are awesome, and they are so talented and so sweet but they鈥檙e also youthful and full of energy, and they are so excited about 鈥� and it鈥檚 different.听 I鈥檓 getting older, and I鈥檓 tired, and it鈥檚 just different energy.听 But they鈥檙e really, really great, great kids.听 They鈥檙e not even kids; they鈥檙e young women.听 How about that?听 It鈥檚 totally a different vibe, but a welcome vibe.
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听What type of preparation did you do to get ready for your role of Michelle on BUNHEADS that was maybe different than how you would prepare for your other roles?
听SUTTON: It鈥檚 all very similar.听 I mean, the process is just faster, so preparation for different characters and stuff because with different roles I鈥檝e done different things.听 But with this role, a lot of it was just really, really getting the script and the words in my body and in my brain so that Sutton and her were one and the same.听 听And I鈥檓 still discovering more and more about her every day.听 What鈥檚 exciting about playing a character like this is that you sort of discover her at a real crossroads in her life.听 She鈥檚 really letting go of one life and beginning at a whole other one, and as audiences are discovering her, so am I.听 So a lot of it鈥檚 just about remaining really open and bringing as much of my sensibility and sense of humor to her as I can, and then just really getting inside the words.
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听How was it working with Alan Ruck?听 Were you a 鈥淔erris Bueller鈥� fan, and what was that like?
听SUTTON: He鈥檚 awesome.听 He鈥檚 awesome and I am so lucky to be able to work with him.听 And he made my life very easy on-set, and he was just a lot of fun to play with, and we had a really, really good time.听 Yeah, he was a joy. 鈥淔erris Bueller鈥� is still one of the greatest movies of all time, and now I have a t-shirt with his face on it that says, 鈥淪ave Ferris.鈥澨� So I walk around, yeah, so he鈥檚 with me all the time now.
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听What would it have meant to you as a young performer if a show like GLEE or SMASH that were on TV?
听SUTTON: When I was growing up, we didn鈥檛 have stuff like that.听 I was trying to think of what I used to watch as a kid.听 I used to watch Carol Burnett Show, Fraggle Rock, Muppet Show, you know.听 I guess it was sort of different.听 Those were more like variety shows.听 听Well, I think it鈥檚 exciting because, you know, things like sports and law shows, doctor shows, all those type of shows get a lot of attention, but then there鈥檚 this whole other area of kids and adults that center around the arts 鈥� dancing, singing, painting, more artistic things 鈥� and to have scripted shows that are showing the lives of people who dedicate their life to dancing, singing, theater, it鈥檚 exciting.听 And I think it鈥檚 exciting for young people to go, 鈥淥h wow.听 Look.听 I could do that too.鈥澨� And to have that in their living rooms every week, I think it鈥檚 important.听 And especially as more schools and more programs get cut 鈥� art programs get cut 鈥� it鈥檚 just I think it鈥檚 more and more important to have outlets like this.听 听Oh gosh, if I had had YouTube when I was a kid to look up stuff, oh my gosh, I would鈥檝e been videoing myself every day and putting myself all over the video.听 I would鈥檝e been obsessed.听 But it鈥檚 such an incredible outlet for people, and it鈥檚 exciting.听 It鈥檚 bringing theater 鈥� people who maybe can鈥檛 travel to New York 鈥� it鈥檚 bringing all of that stuff into the living rooms of people all over the world.听 It鈥檚 exciting.
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听What do you think about the relationship that you have with these young female fans who really look up to you as a role model, and the responsibility that you feel towards them?
听SUTTON: It鈥檚 really important to me.听 And that was another huge factor of why this show just seemed right.听 I鈥檓 an adjunct faculty at Ball State University.听 I鈥檝e worked with kids at NYU in New York.听 I鈥檝e done a ton of master-class work with various schools and camps and programs, and it鈥檚 just really important to me, especially young women.听 听And I do realize the responsibility of a lot of young fans and young women who look up to me.听 I had that when I was growing up, I looked up to actresses and people, and I always want to impart a sense of humility and a sense of dedication and responsibility and integrity and kindness.听 That鈥檚 really important to me to say, 鈥淗ey, look.听 You can have an awesome career.听 You can be really happy, and you don鈥檛 have to be a jerk.听 You can get very far and be well respected.听 Keep learning.鈥澨� That鈥檚 so important to me.听 And be a real person and have real priorities and perspective, and don鈥檛 get caught up in some sense of fame or success or celebrity 鈥� or whatever any of that is 鈥� because it鈥檚 not about any of that.听 It鈥檚 about artistry and creativity and challenging yourself.听 听So with BUNHEADS with the element of Michelle being sort of a mentor to young people and them sort of looking to her, that鈥檚 something that I believe in, that Sutton believes in.听 It鈥檚 so important to me.听 So it was just another factor of why this show seemed like the right fit and the right time.
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听What is it about BUNHEADS that you think will appeal to a fan base for MAKE IT OR BREAK IT if they want to come over to the show?
听SUTTON: Well, I don鈥檛 know MAKE IT OR BREAK IT very well. 听The thing that I think will appeal to audiences 鈥� beyond those that tuned into MAKE IT OR BREAK IT 鈥� is that I think this show is very witty.听 I think it鈥檚 smart.听 I think it has incredible characters.听 I think it says something.听 It has a point of view, and I think it has some really great storylines that are going to make people want to tune in week after week.听 It also has a lot of heart, so I think viewers and audiences are going to tune in.听 I hope.

Tiffany Vogt blogs at The TV Addict.