If you want to see a phenomenal performance, look no further than Andrew Garfield in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut, tick, tick…Boom!. While Garfield has already proven himself to be a gifted performer with his previous roles on the stage in Angels in America and in films like Never Let Me Go and Hacksaw Ridge, he’s taken himself to another level in the way he brought Jonathan Larson back to life in tick, tick…Boom!. Not only did he capture Larson’s energy and zeal for life, but he also made it look effortless, including when he had to sing full force while delivering an emotional performance. Again, if you want to see a true "tour-de-force" performance that will assuredly be nominated for an Academy Award, you want to check out tick, tick…Boom!.
With the film now playing in select theaters and arriving on Netflix this Friday, I recently got to speak with Vanessa Hudgens and Joshua Henry about making the film. If you’re not familiar with tick, tick…Boom! and haven’t seen the trailers, the film—set in 1990—is a semi-autobiographical story of up-and-coming playwright Jonathan Larson. In the weeks leading to his thirtieth birthday, Larson is struck by self-doubt and fears about his lacking achievements, which leads him to question if he chose the wrong career path. On top of existential dread, he starts to feel pressure from his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp) —who dreams of a life beyond the city limits and teaching ballet to wealthy kids—and his best friend Michael (Robin de Jesús) — who has already abandoned being an actor for financial security.
Larson originally performed the work as a solo piece, but it was revived and revamped after his death and debuted Off-Broadway in 2001 and then went on a US Tour in the early 2000s. Larson went on to write the hit musical Rent but tragically died the day before that show’s first preview performance. The film also stars MJ Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter, and Judith Light. Tick, Tick...Boom! was written by Steven Levenson and produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard for Imagine Entertainment, Julie Oh, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
During the interview, they revealed the scene they’d love to show Jonathan Larson, if being part of the film and playing these roles impacted their lives and the choices they will make in the future, what it was like watching Andrew Garfield’s fantastic performance up close, and more.
Watch what Vanessa Hudgens and Joshua Henry had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Vanessa Hudgens and Joshua Henry
- Did being part of the film and playing these roles impact their lives and the choices they will make in the future?
- If they could show Jonathan Larson a scene in the movie, which scene would they pick and why?
- What was it like watching Andrew Garfield’s fantastic performance on set?
