How did you get started in acting and singing? Both of my parents are musical. My dad sings classical music and my mom’s a choreographer. So they got me into singing and dancing when I was probably about 7 or 8. I haven’t looked back since then. I did some theater in high school and started a couple of bands in high school. Just been singing and acting and dancing since then.
You just started on Broadway in “The Little Mermaid.” Were you a fan of the original movie? Big time. I wanted to play Sebastian because he has all the good songs, “Under the Sea” and everything.
Was it intimidating taking on the role of “Prince Eric”? It was cool. The role in the musical is a lot more fleshed out than the Prince in the movie. He’s got new songs that were written just for the show and I think he’s more of a 3 dimensional character. It’s been so much fun to bring him to life.
Do you have a favorite song you get to perform? There’s a song called “One Step Closer” that I love.
Do you have a favorite scene from the show? There’s the fish song, with the chefs and random seafood running around. That one’s always a lot of fun.
How long does it take you to get into costume? About 20 minutes or so probably. I don’t have all the crazy glitter and fish tails and everything. I’m one of the easier costumes in the show.
What’s the hardest part about transitioning to Broadway? In TV and film you do a two minute scene, then you get to go hang out at craft services for half an hour. This is like a 3 and a half hour marathon and you don’t get to stop, whether you want to or not. Just keeping it going from beginning to end and staying strong. It’s been fun and a good experience. It’s also fun because if you do mess up at one part or one night, there’s always the next show. With film it’s permanent. You get one shot and then it’s on film and you don’t get to redo it. You just have to be able to learn how to make the character work.
Any preshow rituals? Mostly silly handshakes and that kind of thing with the rest of the cast members.
What’s your favorite thing about NYC? Everybody says the energy of the city and that’s probably what it is. You get to do and find anything at any time of day or night. If there’s food you want you can order it to your apartment in the middle of the night. The live music here is amazing and Central Park is amazing. From what I hear, Summer is the best time of year to be here.
Any other concerts on the side? I have a show on August 13 in Iowa, the Iowa State Fair. I have a few concert dates, you can check drewseeley.net for a full list.
You recently filmed a movie called The Shortcut. Can you tell us anything about that? It’s a thriller and it was a movie I shot in Canada over last summer. It was a chance for me to do something out of the norm from what I’m used to doing. It’s not music related at all and I’m not necessarily the nice guy. I get the chance to show my darker side and do something a little edgy and that was a lot of fun. I think people will be surprised and hopefully like it.
What’s your favorite thing about summer? I just love being outside. I played sports for many years in High School and Florida so I’m used to the sun. I grew up in Toronto so I know the snow and the cold and then lived in Florida and I think I prefer the heat.
What’s something fans might be surprised to know about you? At one point I was going to be a professional baseball player. I thought that was my goal, career dream. I played baseball for a number of years but I was never really that good, but that was the game plan until music and acting came along.
If you could go back and be in any Disney movie, which would you want to be in? Flight of the Navigator. It’s a movie I loved as a kid and they’re remaking it, I heard the other day. That would be killer to be a part of it.
Any advice for upcoming actors and singers? Practice, practice, practice. Do shows, don’t rely on being young or cute. Make sure you put the music first. That will ensure a long career. Always start with the music and make sure it’s something you always believe in.
If there was a soundtrack to your life, what would have to be on it? That’s a tough question. Definitely something you can dance to. Some Jamiroquai, old school Michael Jackson, some Alicia Keys. A lot of her songs are very inspirational. The rest would be myself probably…Just kidding! [laughs]
Anyone you’d want to work with that you haven’t yet? Oh there’s a “laundry list” of people. [laughs] Musically probably…hmm there’s just too many people. As far as directors, I’d love to work with Steven Spielberg, anybody who was involved in The Notebook, like Rachel McAdams or Ryan Gosling, I’d love to work with. I’m working with some great people now on the show and learning new stuff every day.
Can we expect a CD any time soon? I don’t know about real soon, but I am working on it. I’ve got a lot of songs together and I’m still working on writing songs. Still working towards an album, but in the meantime I do have a lot of singles coming out on different albums. I have a song on “The Wizards of Waverly Place” soundtrack in August and I recorded “Her Voice” for DisneyMania 7. I will have an album out sometime soon though.
Any message for the fans? I love you guys. I’m very very grateful for all the love and support you’ve given me. If you can make it to NY and see “The Little Mermaid” before August 30th, I would love to see you there. I’m coming outside the stage door and signing autographs after every show. To keep in touch with me you can always check out drewseeley.net, myspace.com/drewseeley, twitter.com/drewseeley and youtube.com/user/DrewTubeVideo. Also, my SayNow number which is 818-237-9809. So plenty of ways to get in touch with me. I love hearing from the fans and I’m so happy to be doing what I’m doing.
Photos: Joan Marcus/Disney
