Daniels adds, “I’m kind of walking in that now and a lot of that has to do with the show and the things in it.” The actor plays former dancer Wayne Fontaine in the uplifting dramedy that sees a diverse group of dancers take back what’s theirs and reinvent themselves. Much like the contestants in the show-within-a-show, Daniels, too, has taken a big leap in his life and has another one in mind. Continue reading for that and more on Daniels’ character in The Big Leap!
Mallory Jansen’s character Monica, who plays The Big Leap’s other judge, gives me Simon Cowell vibes. Who would you say Wayne is inspired by?
Are we talking about American Idol only? I see him as a little bit of a Tim Gunn, a little bit of Ru Paul… He’s like your cheerleader. He’s gonna look for the best in you. He’s a little Randy [Jackson] and a little Paula [Abdul]—a mix of those two, but Tim Gunn style and RuPaul pizazz.
I can totally see that. I was going to ask if you’ve based your performance on any specific reality TV persona.
I didn’t. He’s just kind of like he’s an amalgamation of what someone who has that much taste and lust for life would be. I joke that I’m the poor man’s Billy Porter. So I called Billy and was like, “Well Billy, they’ve got me doing this role. I guess you turned down. I guess you turned down!”
Did you actually call Billy and tell him that?!
I did. I did! [Laughs]
What did he say?
He just laughed…
That’s hilarious. Your character Wayne seems to have a soft spot for Teri Polo’s character. Why do you think that is?
I think Wayne actually is just empathetic for all of them. I think they’re all his children. Like he’s built this company of these dancers and we’re going to do something together. It’s about coming together, facing our obstacles. And when she brings up regret and she brings up feeling old, I mean, those are all things I think that everyone can identify with. And I think Wayne is like, “Oh, girl you got regret about feeling old? Let me tell you about my ex husband. He’s 28. I’ve been down that road. I’ve seen that, let me tell you, but we can move forward.” And he finds, I think, those moments with each of them. I love how, on one hand, he’s so just deeply funny and then [on the] other hand, he’s the rock. He’s the voice of wisdom. And then they all kind of teach him about himself. There’s a great scene coming up. We just got episode 8 and you get to see the facade fall away from Wayne, in ways and you’re like, “Oh, it’s all a front? He’s put this on?” And it’s kind of lovely to see. But they’ve kind of taught him that he is enough, which we all are. We all are enough.
You studied at Juilliard. Will we be seeing you sing and dance as The Big Leap progresses?
I did in fact go to Juilliard, but you know, if any of my musical theater friends ever told you that I had a musical theater background, they’ve lied to you, girl! I would be a great singer if I was better at pitch, tune, melody, lyrics—any of that. I love to sing. I sing all the time because it’s a great vocal warmup for me, but they’re always like, “Well, Kevin, do you want to hit all of the notes? Or do you want to just pick one? Do you want to pick just one key? That would be nice”…I would never call myself a dancer. There’s one episode that Liz [Heldens, creator of The Big Leap] gives me a little fun thing to do and I think she has something planned for Wayne later because he’s a former ballet dancer. So I’ve gone to the dance warmups. I’m like, ‘Oh I’m so old. I gotta stretch now. I gotta stretch.’
What did you study at Juilliard?
I studied theater. I graduated in ‘98. And we just kind of did a lot of voice and speech and movement and classical texts and just a lot of stage training, which has served me really well for this guy, because it’s all about this presentational voice, but then you’ve got to find out, what does he sound like when he isn’t in front of the camera? What does he sound like when he isn’t putting on an act for someone? What does he do? And I got all that from my theater training. And I watched Simone [Recasner, a Big Leap co-star], who is this unbelievable actress, who’s so charming and charismatic and beautiful, lovable, and you root for her and she’s like, “Look, I’m a big girl. I’m here to tell the story.” And she’s never gotten a chance to do that on such a grand scale and she’s blowing up—and again, theater actress. She’s so great. It’s such a joy to be part of this cast. I am in awe [of] each and every one of them.
What’s the pressure of getting into and through Juilliard like compared to what it must be like to audition and compete on a show like The Big Leap?
I think they’re very similar. [Laughs] You’d be surprised… I think it’s pressure in any type of audition situation [where] you’re trying to put your best foot forward and be the best that you can be whatever your gift is, but you’re also aware that they have, I guess, a preconceived notion of what they need and what they’re looking for. And they’re looking for their own archetypes… And the beauty of this is, it’s really just about the people. No one has to fit a certain mold or style. It’s just like, we’re all connected. We’re all different. The beauty is in our diversity. It’s not like one of those contestant shows where everybody is 5'10" and blonde, and then you’ve got the one Asian girl. Everyone’s a different shape, size, body and beauty to them, and we can celebrate all that together.
One of your earliest acting jobs was a role in the Twelfth Night. Do you have a dream Shakespearean role?
Oh my god. I think I want to play, well, I know I want to play King Lear when I’m in my 80s or 70s. Just the idea of this mad king who needs to be affirmed by his daughters and some of the language in the play. I’m just a ham anyway. I saw a production of it when I was like 17 in Dallas… Lynn Mathis was the actor who played it and to this day, I’ve never seen the role done the way he did it and I was like, I want to grow up and do that. So I would love to do that. It would be great.
Manifest it. Manifest it!
Manifest it. Twelfth Night was a great experience too. I got to work with Paul Rudd and Helen Hunt and Kyra Sedgwick. Helen got me my SAG card. I had just gotten out of drama school. They were doing the last season of Mad About You and they were shooting it in New York because she was there doing the play. And I was like, “Well, Miss Hunt, Helen, you know, I’ve never seen a TV set before. I sure would like to come visit.” And she’s like, “I’m sure you would Kevin.” And the next day, her executive producer called in [and] they invited the entire ensemble of the production to be guest stars on that episode. So we’re all like guest stars and that’s how I got my SAG card. And I was like, that’s the sweetest thing in the entire world… She was like, “Kevin join SAG. Kevin join SAG.” I’m like, “Yes, ma’am.” And here we are 20 years later.
What’s the biggest leap you’ve ever taken in your life?
I think moving to New York when I was 17 for Juilliard. I lived in Texas my whole life. My mom wanted me to go to school in Texas and I was like, I want to see what else is out there in Los Angeles or New York. And there was this little postcard for Juilliard. I filled it out, got an application, got an audition. My grandmother worked for Continental Airlines at the time, which is now United, and she flew me out there on a buddy pass for my audition, and it was an all-day thing. I got home and like a week later, I got a letter inviting me to join the school. I was 17 when I moved to New York City and left everything I knew to figure out how to be an actor. I think that was the biggest chance, leap that I took, that my family took and thank God we did.
What do you think your next big leap will be?
I hope it’s a big leap in love. I hope that I’m able to open up to somebody and find a way to share your life. This is so exciting to get a chance to do your childhood dream and be an actor and all the success and the fun things, but it’d be really great to share that with somebody and settle down and raise a family. This last year and a half has really taught me how it’s the experiences that matter. It’s the relationships with other people that really kind of get you through and so I think that’s kind of where my focus is now. I’m like, “Hey, what else? What can I do to be a complete human being, a complete person?” I think, maybe opening myself up to someone else, may be my next big leap, and not being so afraid.
What do you want viewers to walk away from The Big Leap feeling?
Well, hopefully they also look and see themselves and know that every second, every day, every moment is a chance for them to reinvent themselves and to go for the thing they’ve always wanted to go for, and know that they are enough and they can do it. I was like, “Beyoncé’s got 24 hours in the day, so do I.” [Laughs] We can all do it. We can all do it. This interview has been edited for length and clarity The Big Leap premieres Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. ET on FOX. Next, everything you need to know about The Big Leap!
