Kevin McHale and Harry Shum Jr Interview

Kevin McHale (Artie) and Harry Shum Jr (Mike) are hitting Australia this weekend, alongside their fellow Glee stars Ashley Fink and Dot Jones. On the eve of their Australian visit (they’re hitting Sydney and Melbourne for the ‘Gleek On’ convention), BEN HARLUM caught up with the two to discuss.

Things are a bit different for you since you came to Australia when the show just started in 2009…
Kevin: [laughs] Not at all! What could possibly happen in two years?

Kevin, You were originally in the boy band NLT. Is that what you wanted to pursue as a career or was acting always an interest for you?
Kevin: It was definitely something I wanted to explore, but music presented itself first. I’ve always done music and acting, and I’ve always wanted to do both, so it was lucky that Glee happened where I can do both on a daily basis.

And at what point in the audition process did you learn that Artie would be in a wheelchair?
Kevin: I knew before my first audition that he’d be in a wheelchair. I just wanted to make sure I played it realistically, that you didn’t see my feet moving for example, and do the role justice.

Do you have people that do the second take because you’re actually walking around in real life?
Kevin: It used to happen a lot more. Now, people know I can walk.

I guess after seeing you perform Safety Dance on the show, they realise you can actually walk…
Kevin: Yeah [laughs].

Harry, what was the journey like for you because you started as a one-day character and you’re now a series regular for season three…
Harry: Everything happened really organically. Somebody on the show recommended me because they were looking for someone with a strong dance background, it was very weird because it felt as if they needed this character cast quickly. I didn’t know what the show was because it hadn’t aired yet and slowly over time they kept asking me back, then into rehearsals with the cast. My first rehearsal, actually, was with Kristin Chenoweth which was kind of surreal. Every episode my character keeps growing so I’m excited to see what happens going forward.

You filmed the first half of season one without knowing how successful the show would be. What was it like going back to film the second season after Glee exploded everywhere?
Kevin: The only thing that was different was that there was a lot of expectation, but we can’t really worry about that. I think the more successful the show got, the closer the cast became because more people knew who we were so we latched onto each other more. It was super cool, because we were so close from the get go anyway. It was also nice to know that we were doing the show for people who cared, and that there were people actually watching, because when we filmed those first thirteen episodes we had no idea if anybody would want to watch it.

I guess it would be worse to go back after the first thirteen episodes were a flop and that nobody was watching.
Kevin: Oh yeah, because there’s so much effort that goes into the show – from the cast to the crew to the writers. To know that people are enjoying it makes it all worthwhile.

What has it been like going on tour, because you have the 3D film coming out next month, was it fun to get out of the soundstages for a bit?
Kevin: It was fun, we did a smaller tour last year which was a great warmup to what we experienced this time. We did forty-four shows in four countries in six weeks, and every show was sold out which felt crazy to us. It was nice to see the immediate reaction from the crowd, they may watch the show and buy the music but to see them there singing along with us was great. And now thanks to the movie people in places like Australia, who couldn’t see the concerts, can see the production.

Did you have the 3D cameras there, in your face?
Kevin: It was filmed in 3D so if we ran backstage quickly enough, we could watch it as it was being shot. We’re used to the cameras, so it was very natural for the cameras to be there. They were filmed from real shows so I imagine it will feel just like a concert.

Is there one particular song that you feel translated really well from the TV Show to the arena setting?
Harry: Well I have this love-hate relationship with PYT because it’s so scary to perform to a Michael Jackson song. Michael is Kevin’s idol, and I look up to him in so many ways, so it’s hard to try and pay homage to this legend while putting your own stamp on it. On the other note, Kevin does it justice vocally and it’s just so much fun to perform live.

This is your first convention, are you prepared for the questions that’ll be asked?
Harry: I don’t know what to expect, but it’s going to be pretty intimate unlike something like Comic Con which is all about a range of different films, games, comics…
Kevin: [laughs] I have no idea what they’re going to ask, but I’m excited. I presume there’ll be questions that are more detailed than I’ve gotten before, because sometimes you have interviews with people who haven’t seen the show. People occasionally come up to me and ask what I meant by a specific line in a certain episode, and I have no idea what to say!

You need to have the writers there with you to explain the meaning…
Kevin: Yeah, exactly! I’m looking forward to seeing what the fans come up with.

Is there anything you didn’t get up to last time that you’d like to see or do while you’re in the country this time around?
Harry: They’ve actually brought in some koalas for us to pet as we speak to you, so we get the best of both worlds. [laughs]
Kevin: I did all the tourist stuff last time, and I’m actually doing it again this time. My best friend has flown down with me so we did the BridgeClimb which I love; it was the twilight climb which was beautiful as the sun sets. We also went to the zoo which has this awesome education centre where you can pet the animals. I didn’t get to spend time in Melbourne in 2009 so I’m looking forward to spend more time there.

I like that you actually pronounced Melbourne correctly…
Kevin: I had to make sure it wasn’t Mel-born.

Well you’ll have time to shop in Melbourne, it’s famous for shopping.
Kevin: Oh really? And beautiful people! Last time we were there, we were in shock because everybody was so beautiful. It’s more of an artsy town, which I love.

Well I have my Q&A question for you, if you could spend the day as another Glee character who would it be?
Kevin: That’s a good question! I might say Kurt because he dresses so awesome. I’d like to go through his closet and choose between the Gucci sweater and the Dior coat [laughs].

I don’t know how he affords those outfits…
Kevin: I know, right? What exactly does his father do for a living?

He must be a mechanic for some very expensive cars…
Kevin: Yeah, in the middle of Ohio. [laughs]

Finally, do you get recognised as the pizza boy on the American Office that gets kidnapped by Steve Carell?
Kevin: Oh! It does happen, not frequently, but it’s funny. I was so lucky to be a part of the show for that one episode; it was my first time getting recognised so it was insane.

How about you, Harry. You were in an iPod commercial once; could you recognise your silhouette when it was on TV?
Harry: Oh yeah! It was very surreal because I did about nine commercials, and all of them were very different so you could pick me out. One of my friends didn’t know I had done it, and asked whether it was me in the iPod ad. So that was really insane, it’s such an iconic ad campaign.

You can meet Kevin, Harry, as well as the other members of the Glee cast, at Gleek On in Sydney and Melbourne this weekend. For tickets and more information, visit www.thehubproductions.com