If you want to see a phenomenal performance, look no further than Andrew Garfield in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s fantastic 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 streaming on Netflix, I recently got to speak with Alexandra Shipp and Robin de Jesús. During the interview, the talk about how playing these roles impacted their lives, the way Larson tackled real world issues in his music and productions, which scene they’d show him if he was still alive, what it was like watching Lin-Manuel on set, and more.
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 (Shipp) —who dreams of a life beyond the city limits and teaching ballet to wealthy kids—and his best friend Michael (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 Joshua Henry, MJ Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, Tariq Trotter, Judith Light, and Vanessa Hudgens. 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.
Watch what Alexandra Shipp and Robin de Jesús had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about
Alexandra Shipp and Robin de Jesús
- If he could show Jonathan Larson a scene from tick, tick…Boom! which scene would he show him and why?
- Did being part of the film and playing these roles impact their lives and the choices they will make in the future?
- What was it like watching Lin-Manuel Miranda on set with how much Jonathan Larson meant to him?
- The way Larson tackled real world issues in his music and stories.
