When the producers of the new film "Rent"
asked Wilson Jermaine Heredia if he could still play the demanding
part of Angel nearly a decade after originating the role of the
HIV-infected, cross-dressing performer in the Broadway production,
the 34-year-old Williamsburg native offered a sassy reply worthy
of his beloved alter-ego: "Hire me, and I’ll let you know."
"They wanted to know whether I was still up to it and whether
I would be in that position again to be that character again,"
the actor told reporters in Manhattan Saturday. "[They asked]
’Are you ready for the heels? Are you ready for the makeup?’"
The answer, thankfully, was "yes."
Directed by "Gremlins" and "Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer’s Stone" filmmaker Chris Columbus and co-starring
Rosario Dawson and "Rent" original cast members Taye
Diggs, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, the film opens
Nov. 23.
Inspired by Puccini’s classic opera, "La Boheme,"
the rock musical "Rent" won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize
for Drama, the Obie Award, four Tony awards and three Drama Desk
awards. The accolades were bittersweet for the cast, however,
because they came after the show’s creator, Jonathan Larson,
died unexpectedly before the first dress rehearsal of "Rent."
At the heart of the story about a community of Bohemian artists
dealing day-to-day with poverty, AIDS and fractured relationships
in New York City’s East Village in the 1980s, is Heredia’s unforgettable
character, Angel. For his stunning portrayal of the transvestite
with a heart of gold, Heredia won the Tony and Drama Desk awards
for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 1996.
For Heredia – and most of the show’s original Broadway cast
– being hired to star in a Hollywood version, 10 years after
creating their parts on the stage, was a dream come true.
"We were thrilled," he confessed, noting how stage
casts are almost never called upon to star in the film adaptations
of their shows. "[My first thought] when we knew it was
going to be turned into a film was, ’I hope that we get hired
for this.’ But I didn’t cross my fingers. I just waited until
I got the call."
Although most of the other 30-something actors say their real
ages didn’t interfere with them playing younger characters, Heredia
admits there was some concern that he would not be up to task,
since his drag queen role is arguably the most physically challenging
in the show and requires exuberant singing, dancing and drumming,
all while wearing perilously-high heels.
"Law & Order" star Jesse L. Martin, who plays
Angel’s devoted boyfriend, Tom, says he will never forget the
moment when Heredia convinced the filmmakers he could still soar
as Angel.
"I remember when he was doing ’Today For You,’ they were
just blown away that he could run around all over that room with
those heels on," Martin explained. "They just couldn’t
believe it. They were like, ’Wow.’ We’re used to him doing it,
and we were like, ’Wow, Wilson, you the man!’"
"My cheering section," quipped Heredia, an actor
whose film credits include "Flawless" and "Went
to Coney Island on a Mission from GodBe Back by Five."
"I never played the part age-specific," he continued.
"I was 24 back then and really didn’t play it as a 24-year-old.
I just played it as a human being who happened to be a drag queen
with HIV who was very generous, open and made a conscious decision
to live life moment to moment, as opposed to lamenting about
the past and worrying about the future. Everything that was right
there in the present. It was more about that. That was my character
choice. It really had nothing to do with age. . . I’m always
childish anyway."
Asked if he thinks Middle America is ready to see a gay couple
of color sing a bubbly love song to each other on film, Heredia
says he thinks his character’s glamorous, feminine appearance
makes it easy to focus on the pair’s affection for each other,
as opposed to their race or sexual orientation.
"I think it’s easy to forget color on screen," he
noted. "Actually, I forgot myself. Really. I was watching
it and [thinking]: ’Oh, that’s me. I’m so beautiful. Who’s that?’"
Heredia then went on to point out how many people from different
backgrounds have seen the Broadway show and connected with its
characters and story.
"It’s about timeless, universal themes encompassing real
people," he observed. "These people in the film were
all Jonathan’s friends. He wrote about his life. He wrote about
his friends, his environment. Some of these things happened,
and I think people identify with them. If you don’t identify
with the drag queen, you’ll identify with Colin’s character.
If not with Colin’s character, you’ll identify with Roger. If
not Roger, Mimi.
"There’s something in this film for everyoneIt was a celebration
and now the film will be an eternal celebration of his work and
his life and the life of everyone represented in the movie, with
all the issues."
Although "Rent" has been Heredia’s biggest success
to date, he took a break after playing the role on and off for
several years, so he could regroup and figure out what he wanted
to with his career.
"I didn’t give up the stage," he reassured a reporter
who wondered where he went after collecting his awards. "I
just took a break for a year just because I needed to. I think
very few people take that opportunity for themselves. They identify
themselves with what they do, and I knew I was identifying with
what I did, and if I didn’t get what I wanted at that moment,
it would really tear me up. I knew I just needed a break, and
it was a self-imposed vacation. I knew that if I didn’t take
that break, I don’t think I would have been ready to do [the
film]. So, I’m glad I took that year break."
Now on the promotion trail for "Rent," Heredia also
recently starred in and produced a film called "Johnny Was"
with Vinnie Jones and Roger Daltrey, and wrapped another movie,
"Manwitch," which he describes as a "sort of a
horror thriller."
"I play the lead character and it’s still up in the air,
still in post-production," said the son of a seamstress
and a super. "And, of course, I’m just auditioning for everything
that comes my way. I definitely want to do things that are completely
opposite to this character – not because I’m worried about being
stereotyped. More it’s just that, as an actor, I want to be challenged
more.
"I’ve already done this," said Heredia. "I did
it on stage on and off for four years, and I did it on film,
and now I want to experiment with other characters."
