Matthew Morrison On ‘Finding Neverland,’ ‘Glee’ [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]

Matthew Morrison, who is likely best known for playing William Schuester aka Mr. Schue on Glee, has always been and always will be most at home on Broadway, where he’s currently starring in Finding Neverland as J.M. Barrie.

Matthew Morrison On ‘Finding Neverland’

J.M. Barrie, a Scottish author and dramatist, created the beloved character of Peter Pan, whose story he turned into both a play and a novel during the early 20th century. Before the success of his Peter Pan work and the many literary successes to follow, Barrie was in a bit of a creative slump, something to which Morrison says that he, like most people, can relate.

“I do definitely relate with him. You know, he’s going through this incredible writer’s block when we meet him in this show, and I’ve been in that place where I’ve just kind of felt in a rut in acting or in singing, and you just kind of have to break through those walls,” Morrison told uInterview in an exclusive interview. “I feel like every artist – not every artist, every person – kind of has those moments in their lives. The story at the end of day is how you pick yourself back up after being knocked down.”

One of Morrison’s costars in Finding Neverland is Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, who plays the villain Hook in the Broadway production. For Morrison, who had long been a fan of the thespian, it came as a welcome relief and a gift to learn that Grammer was even more impressive once one gets to know him.

“He’s so boisterous and he’s got that booming voice and he’s such a great singer as well,” said Morrison. “I think the greatest part for me though is I’ve been a fan of his for a long time and sometimes you meet people and they kind of let you down, but he’s just the most amazing human being, and I’m so thankful that he didn’t let me down because I’m such a fan of his – even more so now.”

For a few years, Morrison had taken a bit of a leave from the theater stage to star on Fox’s hit musical comedy-drama Glee. On the show, Morrison had plenty of song and dance numbers – even showing off his rapping skills. When asked whether or not playing the Spanish teacher/glee coach on the show helped him at all with playing Barrie, Morrison said, “Not really,” but there was one advantage.

“Maybe just a bigger audience,” laughed Morrison, who’s gained quite a following from the show. “I think my name now, I guess, carries a little more weight, so a much bigger range of fans now are coming to see the show. That’s been great, but for me I really grew up on the stage.”

Morrison first took to the stage as a child, and after that first experience, there was no looking back.

“My parents sent me to Arizona to hang out with my grandma and aunt and uncles and cousins. And they kind of threw me and my cousin into this children’s theater for the summer, and it blew me away how into it I was, and just really finding my passion at such a young age,” Morrison revealed to uInterview. “It was remarkable. So from that moment, I came back to my parents in Southern California and said, ‘I want to do children’s theater’ and it just never stopped.”

Finding Neverland is currently showing on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

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