Speaker 1: And that's what you really missed with Jenna.
Speaker 2: And Kevin an iHeartRadio podcast, Welcome to You, and that's
Speaker 2: what you really missed Today is a I know we
Speaker 2: say this a lot, but today I have someone I
Speaker 2: have known for forever. Jenna has known him for almost
Speaker 2: as long. But we have Chris Scott, the choreographer from
Speaker 2: Wicked and Wicked for good and just everything. He's done,
Speaker 2: lots and lots of things. Three time Emmy nominee. He
Speaker 2: did Dancing with the Stars and so you think you
Speaker 2: can dance at alex ste He was in the Glee pilot,
Speaker 2: a bunch of the step ups, I could really in
Speaker 2: the heights, lots of things. But he's so talented and
Speaker 2: so nice and so kind and it has been a
Speaker 2: wild ride to watch him take over the world. So
Speaker 2: we get to talk to him. It's a fascinating conversation
Speaker 2: about Wicked. We learned all the things. This is Chris Scott.
Speaker 3: FUA.
Speaker 2: How you doing good.
Speaker 3: I'm good. I'm still good.
Speaker 1: How y'all doing It's good to see you you too.
Speaker 2: Are you exhausted?
Speaker 3: I'm in the best way possible. I am exhausted, I'm rejuvenated.
Speaker 3: I'm all the things so great.
Speaker 4: Congratulations, yeah, congrats, and just having the biggest movie in
Speaker 4: the world again.
Speaker 3: It's crazy. I mean I think I do. I will
Speaker 3: say this is very full circle to me sitting here
Speaker 3: with you all, because I remember, I don't know if
Speaker 3: you guys remember, but before Lee happened, when you guys
Speaker 3: shot it, before it was ever out into the world,
Speaker 3: there was a birthday party, I think it was Amber's
Speaker 3: birthday party, and we all hung out. I was like,
Speaker 3: this group is so special and group of talent. It was.
Speaker 3: It was karaoke night and we're all like out of
Speaker 3: control talent, and I was like, this is amazing. So
Speaker 3: now to be here today chatting with y'all about wicked.
Speaker 4: So wild, Yes, Like I've known Chris since I was
Speaker 4: six fifteen sixteen, wow, something something like that.
Speaker 2: And it has been such like a gift to watch
Speaker 2: you and John sort of rise together through this and
Speaker 2: just do bigger project after bigger project, things that are
Speaker 2: so beloved by people all around the world, like it
Speaker 2: couldn't happen to anybody nicer and you just haven't stopped.
Speaker 2: And it's been just incredible to watch because you know,
Speaker 2: we've been around long enough where things don't always happen
Speaker 2: to the nice ones, and it's really nice when they
Speaker 2: do and deserved. And I'm just so extraordinarily proud and
Speaker 2: happy for you.
Speaker 3: Yes, thank you, thank you, and make me emotional already
Speaker 3: we're just starting. I can't get you.
Speaker 5: Already, you can let it out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's good to crect.
Speaker 5: Well, we're so happy to have you here, full circle,
Speaker 5: just to talk about all the amazing things. I mean,
Speaker 5: tell us a little bit about what the Wicked ride
Speaker 5: has been like for you. And I know you and
Speaker 5: John have worked together forever, So what were those like
Speaker 5: early conversations like and kind of getting in the room
Speaker 5: like you got in the room with us, What was
Speaker 5: it like gating in the room with like that cast
Speaker 5: and all those special people, because obviously the chemistry is
Speaker 5: similar and that it's electric.
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, it is. It is crazy. It's been it's
Speaker 3: been a journey.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 3: It is interesting because we you know, starting off, even
Speaker 3: just jumping in with John was like already it was weird.
Speaker 3: It was like this familiar feeling of like, Okay, cool,
Speaker 3: we're doing this just like we do anything. It's the
Speaker 3: web series of LEXD. It's a commercial that's the thing. Yeah,
Speaker 3: it's all just the same, you know, at the end
Speaker 3: of the day, at the core of it all, there's
Speaker 3: a story to tell, and that's something that John's really
Speaker 3: stilled in me as a choreographer and just as a
Speaker 3: general storyteller. So I think the first feeling I had
Speaker 3: was like, Okay, this is a very complicated story. This
Speaker 3: is a massive undertaking, but there's a it's a beautiful story,
Speaker 3: you know, and John's all over it. And John's going
Speaker 3: to get in there with a microscope and I'm gonna
Speaker 3: be standing off his shoulder and digest everything that he
Speaker 3: can throw at me. And he throws a lot at you.
Speaker 3: You know. John is like it's you can tell from
Speaker 3: the work like it really is. He is so thoughtful
Speaker 3: and so it is this kind of it. It was
Speaker 3: like a lot of anxiety of like, Okay, we're taking
Speaker 3: on this, this beloved piece. But it was also a
Speaker 3: lot of excitement because I was like, oh, I get
Speaker 3: to do this with John bringing me into this world,
Speaker 3: and I just can't wait to see what he's got going.
Speaker 3: So that was kind of the beginning stages. I mean,
Speaker 3: I went to his house, you know, the way that
Speaker 3: he invited me into the movie. Was just very casual,
Speaker 3: almost in like and how we are and he just
Speaker 3: I came over to his house one day he hands
Speaker 3: me it hat. I knew it was happening, but I
Speaker 3: don't ever ask, like, hey, like, yeah, what's going on
Speaker 3: with your next movie? Can I do? I don't do.
Speaker 3: He's got enough pressure on him. Yeah, and he just
Speaker 3: you know, he handed me a wicked hat and was
Speaker 3: like you ready to go to Odds?
Speaker 2: And I was damn wow.
Speaker 3: Let's go. And then that was at that point, it
Speaker 3: was like let's get to work.
Speaker 2: And now when was this? Was this like twenty twenty No.
Speaker 3: It was it was like twenty what was it, twenty
Speaker 3: twenty two? I think it was like, okay, you were
Speaker 3: because when did we film? I mean, it's been such
Speaker 3: a journey. I might be off a year. I can't
Speaker 3: even gotta get back.
Speaker 2: Also, the pandemics like time's not real and completely messed
Speaker 2: everything up.
Speaker 3: It messed up everything, but you know, getting back on track. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 3: it was like February March of twenty twenty two, because
Speaker 3: then I was out in London, you know, in like
Speaker 3: June July, so it was to start auditioning dancers, which
Speaker 3: was that was the first process, and I watched him cast,
Speaker 3: which was very interesting to me because yeah, him make
Speaker 3: these decisions and hear his thought process with you know,
Speaker 3: working with Telsea, and that was like a whole experience
Speaker 3: too because I got to see, you know, I'm very lucky.
Speaker 3: I feel like John always like kind of lets you
Speaker 3: if you're if you want to sit in that seat,
Speaker 3: he'll he'll provide it for you. Yeah, He'll open that
Speaker 3: curtain for you and you can see all the behind
Speaker 3: the scenes things because I remember him talking about Cynthia
Speaker 3: when she came into the room and it was he
Speaker 3: was just like, I mean, that's like, there's no question
Speaker 3: it is like and then he showed me her audition
Speaker 3: tape from his iPhone. He facetimed me and showed me
Speaker 3: the audition through a computer through a laptop as he
Speaker 3: facetimed the screen, so it was like a screen through
Speaker 3: a screen through a screen, and I'm still like, I
Speaker 3: was so deeply affected. I was like I was bawling,
Speaker 3: you know, Wizard and I and it was just some
Speaker 3: thing different. And then Ari was the same thing where
Speaker 3: it was just kind of like this thing where it
Speaker 3: was like is she Glinda? I don't know, like he was,
Speaker 3: he was trying to figure it out. And then I
Speaker 3: remember the moment is like she's she came back over
Speaker 3: and over and over again, put her through the auditions,
Speaker 3: and there was there was that point I remember him
Speaker 3: just being like, I mean she is like she the
Speaker 3: modern day Glinda, and she is, you know, invested in
Speaker 3: this in a way that like there's no there's no
Speaker 3: one else. Yeah, yeah, it's been a special And then
Speaker 3: just one by one, then Jonathan Bailey and you're like,
Speaker 3: this is Michelle yo, Jeff go is Just one by
Speaker 3: one they started flying and you're like, wow, this is
Speaker 3: a cast that no matter what happens in this movie.
Speaker 3: Like at that point, it was like they're special. You
Speaker 3: have all the pieces of the puzzle in place. Now
Speaker 3: we just got to go. We'll get to work.
Speaker 2: What what is that process like of because you assemble
Speaker 2: this sort of like All Star crew, but you don't
Speaker 2: necessarily know personality, is chemistry going to be there, how
Speaker 2: people's work processes when you all finally get together to
Speaker 2: start working through. Obviously everyone's super professional. I already know
Speaker 2: the answer, Like everyone's great and wonderful, but you know,
Speaker 2: like you've taught me before, Like things people learn differently,
Speaker 2: things fit on people's bodies differently. Like what was that
Speaker 2: dynamic like of finding a rhythm I guess and what
Speaker 2: you do and that that influence like what you were
Speaker 2: coming up with in terms of choreography for the movie.
Speaker 3: Yeah, one hundred percent. I mean I my mentality is to,
Speaker 3: you know, embrace the versions of the characters that these
Speaker 3: actors are playing. And I think that's something I developed
Speaker 3: through the years. I didn't always used to be like that.
Speaker 3: I think there was a time when I was younger
Speaker 3: as a boreographer where I was like, you know, get
Speaker 3: to the dance, tell the story that I'm picturing in
Speaker 3: my head right like presented to everybody, and hope it
Speaker 3: all kind of just locks them together right now. It's like,
Speaker 3: you know, these actors won their top notch, they're the
Speaker 3: highest level. They have a perspective like I have a
Speaker 3: version of Alpha, but in my head, we all do.
Speaker 3: But what's Cynthia Arrivo's version, because that's the version that
Speaker 3: we're going to tell, right then what is Jeff Goldblum's
Speaker 3: version of the Wizards? So then Ari's version of Linda?
Speaker 3: So we sat down, I sat down one by one.
Speaker 3: Before I started, I had ideas of choreography, but really
Speaker 3: it started with me asking them like how do they
Speaker 3: see their characters? And it was early on, so I
Speaker 3: know that their character is also going to develop. Yeah,
Speaker 3: so you ask the questions. But then you also, you know,
Speaker 3: with open ears, kind of just let it play out
Speaker 3: and yeah, just pivot as you develop more. And they
Speaker 3: each had so much interesting things to say. I mean,
Speaker 3: I canmer each way crazy, Like I remember Cynthia talking
Speaker 3: about like the realization that like alphab you know, she's
Speaker 3: not or like she comes from money, so like the
Speaker 3: idea that she doesn't know how to dance and this
Speaker 3: this idea that she's not elegant and that she's the thing.
Speaker 3: She's like, it doesn't that's not the case for her.
Speaker 3: I was like, great, got it, check and then that's
Speaker 3: that did it? Yeah, you know, played a huge helping
Speaker 3: hand for me to to create movement for her. You know. Jeff,
Speaker 3: I remember he started off the whole thing by just
Speaker 3: we were talking like this and then he just goes
Speaker 3: you know, because Chris, you know, I am a sentimental
Speaker 3: man and I always longed to be a father and
Speaker 3: and I'm like, oh, he's gonna do oh, he's doing
Speaker 3: it like a monologue. He's doing sentimental funny. So not
Speaker 3: only character, he explained the character. I'm like watching him
Speaker 3: tell like he's showing me the character efforts. And he
Speaker 3: did it a second time. He did it in loops like,
Speaker 3: so then he just kept going. I was thinking like,
Speaker 3: oh my god, am I gonna have to like cut
Speaker 3: Jeff golb Off because we also do a herse at
Speaker 3: some point. And the second time you did it, I
Speaker 3: was like, Okay, this is interesting. Take it all in.
Speaker 3: And then the third time he did it, he did
Speaker 3: it a third time, I'm like, surely he's not going
Speaker 3: to do a fourth. But for me it started going like, oh,
Speaker 3: he's not just showing me who the wizard is. He's
Speaker 3: experiencing the wizard in real time right now. I see
Speaker 3: him figuring it out. Yeah, yeah, yeah, conversation. And then
Speaker 3: the fourth time he was gonna he was starting to
Speaker 3: do it, and it was like, you know, I feel
Speaker 3: like I got the information we'rep and it was like Jeff,
Speaker 3: hold on, I got an idea, and then like we
Speaker 3: get it up on it speaking He's like, okay, and
Speaker 3: he's like, yeah, he the candy floor. He just started
Speaker 3: to play.
Speaker 1: Yeah wow.
Speaker 2: I mean that's what it's all about. Like to be
Speaker 2: at that level, right, like this is the biggest level
Speaker 2: you can do something, and to understand that, like you
Speaker 2: have to be able to allow that playfulness, allow that
Speaker 2: because like everyone's done their work. These are people who
Speaker 2: are at the top levels of their profession like you,
Speaker 2: and like everyone's done the research and they're coming in
Speaker 2: and just like what does this big soup look like
Speaker 2: when we mix it all together?
Speaker 3: Absolutely, and which I would be remiss if I didn't
Speaker 3: bring up my conversations with Jonathan Bailey because that was
Speaker 3: actually very interesting to me too. And I remember when
Speaker 3: he came in and we were talking about the depth
Speaker 3: of Fierro, which you know, typically there is a version
Speaker 3: where it's you know, it's this playoff of the scarecrow
Speaker 3: and that idea that he doesn't have a brain and
Speaker 3: that he's kind of like ditsy and the things. But
Speaker 3: with Jonathan, it was very like there was so much
Speaker 3: behind the eyes when he would talk about it, you
Speaker 3: just get this sense of like such a rich character
Speaker 3: that this like actor is about to die into and
Speaker 3: it really inspired all of it. I mean we were
Speaker 3: together like finding moments where it's like, oh, it's dancing
Speaker 3: recory and we're doing this, and then you know, it
Speaker 3: would be like in choreography a moment where he just
Speaker 3: kind of stops and looks at things and you see
Speaker 3: these moments and it's like whoa, and then he's back
Speaker 3: into the dances. Yeah, and it was interesting.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you talked about you know, all these all these
Speaker 2: people having perspectives of their characters. What was your or povs,
Speaker 2: you know, like what was your pee of your perspective
Speaker 2: of I guess like the language of dance through OZ,
Speaker 2: you know, like I feel like munch can Land or
Speaker 2: all these different places have yeses, They all have different people,
Speaker 2: they all have different demographics. Like did that come into
Speaker 2: like when you're all building every department building this world
Speaker 2: together on a dance level, Like how did that inform
Speaker 2: like what you were coming up? Like when we get
Speaker 2: to in the first movie, when we get to OZ
Speaker 2: for the first time, like when we get to.
Speaker 6: My god, it's the number I'm blinking one short day,
Speaker 6: one short day, And you're like, oh, that is a
Speaker 6: whole different style of choreography now, we're here and there's
Speaker 6: a little cameo and like, you know, I was like, oh,
Speaker 6: I love that we're switching this up, Like what was
Speaker 6: what were those decisions?
Speaker 2: Like, how did you like your creative process?
Speaker 3: No, definitely, I love first of all, I love y'all questions.
Speaker 3: You guys, it's different when you talk and a real deal. Yeah,
Speaker 3: you know, No, it was really you know it the
Speaker 3: first thing. Okay, it's like, well, this idea of world
Speaker 3: building was really strong to me because I'm like, well,
Speaker 3: that's what we're doing. You know, I'm here to support John.
Speaker 3: I'm here to support the things I should I need,
Speaker 3: and I'm watching him really build this world with all
Speaker 3: the other departments. So if I'm building a dance, what
Speaker 3: does that world look like? And the interesting thing, you know,
Speaker 3: one of the first thoughts I had was well, it's odd,
Speaker 3: so it's not of this world, so you want stuff
Speaker 3: to feel a little unworldly. But it's also like, you know,
Speaker 3: dances a human thing. Dances are very is a you know,
Speaker 3: it's been built through this world, through culture, through thousands
Speaker 3: of years of ritual and expression connections, so you're like,
Speaker 3: you know, it's all there as well, so it's funny.
Speaker 3: At first, I was like I wanted to feel like
Speaker 3: out of this world. And then I started gravitating more
Speaker 3: towards like, what's the inspiration I find from this world
Speaker 3: that's actually I can project into this world, which then
Speaker 3: became interesting. I'm very meta, as you can tell. Then
Speaker 3: it was like, well, this is like the whole one
Speaker 3: of this, Like is oz a real, actual place, like
Speaker 3: what you know? Is it like the idea of the
Speaker 3: Wizard coming from Omaha to hear what's his influence on
Speaker 3: the world. So it started to become like this really
Speaker 3: crazy journey. But it really started with each country in
Speaker 3: Oz really as I started to like break it down
Speaker 3: and I wanted to give each place its own style,
Speaker 3: its own identity, culture, its own identity, so you know,
Speaker 3: and munchkin Land was like, it's the working class, it's
Speaker 3: the the builders, it's the artist, it's the people that
Speaker 3: make the die, that make the yellow, the ricks and
Speaker 3: the thing. So it became like really grounded and like
Speaker 3: in the dirt, and I pictured, you know, I've been
Speaker 3: working with a friend Editrres Junior in the Latin dance scene,
Speaker 3: and I've gotten to know the history around Latin dance,
Speaker 3: so I kind of took a lot of elements from that,
Speaker 3: which comes from Africa, you know, the roots of it all.
Speaker 3: So it's like it started to like take the shape
Speaker 3: of like, oh, this is like the inspiration. And then
Speaker 3: then you get to Shiz and you're like, well, what
Speaker 3: do a bunch of anxious teenagers look like when they dance?
Speaker 3: That's why they go up. It wasn't just like cool
Speaker 3: movement with books. It was really like and that's why
Speaker 3: they hold on to them so tight, because you want
Speaker 3: to create this world of like, you know, frustration and
Speaker 3: anxiety so that then Fierro can come into this world
Speaker 3: and disrupt it all. You know. But then where does
Speaker 3: he come from? You come from wiki country, which is
Speaker 3: the military base. It's like, so that's why it's a
Speaker 3: lot of like stepping and footwork and things. But then
Speaker 3: you're like, well, what's but Fierra doesn't play by the rules,
Speaker 3: so you have to get deep into that and now
Speaker 3: he's I took a lot of inspiration from house dance
Speaker 3: because of how does he free that up a little bit? Yeah,
Speaker 3: and then it just kept going and then to get
Speaker 3: to and then Gillikin just to touch them all. Now
Speaker 3: that's where Glinda's from, and it's wealthy, and so you
Speaker 3: tap into the ballet and uh, that's a dance format
Speaker 3: was built in wealth and and it's you know, so
Speaker 3: you're in that world and then Emerald City comes in,
Speaker 3: and that's one of my favorite worlds because this is
Speaker 3: like how I grew up in a metropolitan city. And
Speaker 3: then you see all walks of life. That's why we
Speaker 3: have all these different styles together.
Speaker 2: That's so funny you say that, because when it got
Speaker 2: to Emerald City, I'm like, this is Chris.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Immediately I was just like besides seeing you like in it,
Speaker 2: just like this is like this is the Chris I know,
Speaker 2: and like a really like joyful you know it was,
Speaker 2: which also then shows how capable and like deeply thinking
Speaker 2: about thinking about everything else too. Yeah, because I think
Speaker 2: it's just like an actor where you can like lose
Speaker 2: them in a character. It's beautiful to be able to
Speaker 2: see dance or the choreographer do that as well, and
Speaker 2: the different switching up the different styles.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 5: You also you had mentioned it before, but like this
Speaker 5: is a massive undertaking for something that was so beloved
Speaker 5: for so many years and was already a phenomenon. So
Speaker 5: how do you how was that for you? And how
Speaker 5: do you take something so iconic and and established and established, yeah,
Speaker 5: and then flip it on his head, but also keep
Speaker 5: the integrity of what you know, the people who created this,
Speaker 5: you know, did, while also putting you know, the stamp
Speaker 5: of your what your influences were, and the storytelling that
Speaker 5: you guys are choosing how you're choosing to approach it,
Speaker 5: Like what is that?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 3: Yeah? I mean you know, I'm I'm I'm a lover
Speaker 3: of the story, Like I'm a fan of the property myself.
Speaker 3: So then it kind of just turned into like, well,
Speaker 3: just take care of it like you would want to
Speaker 3: if I'm an audience member, which i am, I'm like,
Speaker 3: take care of it for anybody that loves this property.
Speaker 3: That really was the first audience I was thinking about personally.
Speaker 3: I mean, I feel like we all kind of were
Speaker 3: in that world for all the other department heads or anything,
Speaker 3: but it just felt like this innate responsibility to give
Speaker 3: these people that have already been so deeply affected by
Speaker 3: this show something that they'd be proud of. You know.
Speaker 3: Another thing early in my career, like I wasn't as
Speaker 3: aware of an audience I was just making stuff, and
Speaker 3: I think now I'm like, oh, we're making stuff for
Speaker 3: people too. People like work really hard and I and
Speaker 3: I to buy the ticket to the theater to like
Speaker 3: have an experience, and we owe them that. So and
Speaker 3: then you add Wicket on top of that, and it
Speaker 3: just became like a mission to of like how do we, yeah,
Speaker 3: like get the people what they want?
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a line from the movie.
Speaker 2: Well, I imagine it starts with or like at the top.
Speaker 2: I feel like John is such a fan of things
Speaker 2: and respectful in that way, like you guys had already
Speaker 2: done in the Heights, which again is another beloved property,
Speaker 2: right it means a lot to so many people, and
Speaker 2: you guys successfully did that. And so I feel like,
Speaker 2: do you think, like knowing him for so long and
Speaker 2: also how you work of like when you come into
Speaker 2: a project like that out of the respect of war
Speaker 2: fans of this, then it just sort of trickles down
Speaker 2: to every department or like everybody in it just wants
Speaker 2: to has the same mission or approaching it in the
Speaker 2: same way.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely, I mean John really does create an environment
Speaker 3: that is no matter what it is, Like I'll do
Speaker 3: a commercial with him. It's like we're all leaving, like,
Speaker 3: oh my god, you're like hugging, You're like almost a tear.
Speaker 3: It's you know, it's an interesting thing. And I think
Speaker 3: it's such a testament to what a leader he is
Speaker 3: as well as a creative genius. And I don't say
Speaker 3: that word like some people, but like he really And
Speaker 3: I'm so proud that I feel like I've gotten to
Speaker 3: watch his growth in all of it. You have like
Speaker 3: row seats, front row seat, and it's like, I remember
Speaker 3: when we did Step Up to the streets.
Speaker 2: Yes, it was a big look amongst all of us.
Speaker 2: That was a big deal.
Speaker 3: Yes, no, it was a big deal and and it
Speaker 3: was amazing and it felt like this special thing. And
Speaker 3: I remember, I'll never forget Once John told me about
Speaker 3: Step Up three was gonna happen. He came to my apartment.
Speaker 3: Now we're all friends, we've done we've all battled Miley
Speaker 3: Cyris on YouTube. You were we didn't get you in there,
Speaker 3: we got but you know, he told me before Step
Speaker 3: Up three he was like, you know it's going to
Speaker 3: be like that again. Step Up two is special, Okay.
Speaker 3: He was preparing me for this new version of a
Speaker 3: movie because he just thought, you know, through the system
Speaker 3: of Hollywood, it was going to become now like oh,
Speaker 3: we're making the sequel. Things are going to change, there's
Speaker 3: gonna be different treatment, yeah, personalities, you know. But it
Speaker 3: wasn't the case. It really was just as special and
Speaker 3: it felt like, again, we're just making this beautiful thing,
Speaker 3: you know, with John at the helm, creating this energy
Speaker 3: that you just want to give your heart and soul
Speaker 3: to it because you see him doing it. I mean,
Speaker 3: he's like in that rain scene, that young director was
Speaker 3: running in and out of the rain, fixing things and
Speaker 3: pulling things again, and he'd be back at the monitor
Speaker 3: like here we.
Speaker 1: Go, and and he was like, yeah, this is yeah.
Speaker 3: And from them, I mean, it always was like, oh,
Speaker 3: this is these are the people I want to work for. Yeah,
Speaker 3: and now I've been able to get to work with
Speaker 3: this specific person for over eighteen years now, and it's like, man, yeah.
Speaker 2: I think one of the best signs of a leader
Speaker 2: is knowing how and where to delegate and trust the people.
Speaker 2: And like he trusts you clearly, and like you know,
Speaker 2: obviously John deserves all the praise, but you also have
Speaker 2: been doing a huge part of all these projects, and
Speaker 2: you know that comes with you're not continuously getting hired
Speaker 2: for something if you're not good people putting the right
Speaker 2: vibe like he is out there. Because you're also in
Speaker 2: charge of a lot as a choreographer, especially in Wicked.
Speaker 2: You had a hell of a lot of dancers. Yeah,
Speaker 2: doing a lot and all these like crazy scenes and
Speaker 2: sets that you guys built, like how And I feel
Speaker 2: like because of the progression of different films you guys
Speaker 2: have done together in projects, are you comfortable now like
Speaker 2: being in charge of running that department because it is
Speaker 2: a full ass huge thing.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, I've grown up a lot. This was a
Speaker 3: big one for me to grow up on. But it's
Speaker 3: funny because you're you're the pressure is so high, you like,
Speaker 3: you can't grow up on the project. You got to
Speaker 3: kind of.
Speaker 2: Just like you got to get through it.
Speaker 3: You got to get through it. And I and I
Speaker 3: learned a lot, and you know, I feel more comfortable.
Speaker 3: It's funny. I get to do all these like extra
Speaker 3: you know, Wicked promos and these shows and the things,
Speaker 3: and I can feel how much I've grown up since,
Speaker 3: you know, and you don't do it alone. You know,
Speaker 3: I had an amazing team of associate choreographers and assistant
Speaker 3: choreographer you know, comfort for Dokey was with me.
Speaker 2: Yes, it's not like.
Speaker 3: Bill Loft. This was with I've been working with for
Speaker 3: it for you know, fifteen years. And then Emilio La Saul,
Speaker 3: who's like my guy, that's like, you know, he's the
Speaker 3: one in that tornado wheel, like doing all the things
Speaker 3: that I can't physically do. Yeah, he's doing I mean,
Speaker 3: blowing my mind every day. And who was out in
Speaker 3: London who I met and she was like an incredible
Speaker 3: assistant with me from day one and help me cast
Speaker 3: all those dancers, and I mean to learn to get
Speaker 3: to know the community in London was scary for me
Speaker 3: because I'm like, I don't know these people like you
Speaker 3: represent the movie. And she'd opened my eyes to an
Speaker 3: incredible world of talent. I love the dancers in London
Speaker 3: so much. It's a beautiful community, but so much talent. Yeah,
Speaker 3: Like I'm like dying to do more jobs in London.
Speaker 3: I'm like, get me back out there. I love it.
Speaker 3: Like I mean, I'm repping with the hat right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's yeah, It's just I'm so grateful to those
Speaker 3: dancers that really came, they showed up, because that's that's
Speaker 3: all it takes, too, right, Like I can do everything
Speaker 3: I want to do and work hard and stay up
Speaker 3: till in the morning trying to figure out these dance numbers.
Speaker 3: But if I come in and these dancers don't invest right,
Speaker 3: it's not going to work, you know, right, It's it's
Speaker 3: incredible when things just like sparky yeah set, You're like, wow,
Speaker 3: it all came together one short day. Eight was crazy
Speaker 3: because we had one hundred and sixty dancers, we had rain,
Speaker 3: we had the sad strike which shifted the schedule, we
Speaker 3: lost dancers that were featured, we had to restage, reblock it.
Speaker 1: It was wow.
Speaker 3: We were breaking up wonners because it wouldn't work in
Speaker 3: the space with all the dancers and the timing that
Speaker 3: we had to shoot it Like it was this weird
Speaker 3: like number that was like this is going to be
Speaker 3: a big dance number, and then you know.
Speaker 2: It turns into like the biggest Yeah yeah.
Speaker 3: John right there We'll be like yeah, I think I
Speaker 3: think we could just keep it, you know, bigger, bigger,
Speaker 3: and you're just like, okay, here we go, whatever you want.
Speaker 2: I also love like all the planning that goes into
Speaker 2: this right, like you're building these massive sets, you're hiring dancers,
Speaker 2: you're there for months, like and then you get to
Speaker 2: the day of doing it, you're like, what's happening?
Speaker 4: Are what?
Speaker 2: What do we have to do now?
Speaker 3: Oh? It's raining? What that's cool? So what you shoot
Speaker 3: on the other day? Well, the strike? So that's and
Speaker 3: then we had Kristen and Anda Like that was razy
Speaker 3: because then you have these icons joining the thing. You're
Speaker 3: like you're sitting there going like, what is happening one day?
Speaker 3: Because the rain and the strike and you're going like
Speaker 3: it's a night shoot. You're like, okay, yeah, good luck everybody. Right,
Speaker 3: they're like John like action and then all works and
Speaker 3: you're just like, well, you hope it works because then, yeah,
Speaker 3: you don't know until you see it on this.
Speaker 2: When you have every department firing on all cylinders, you
Speaker 2: got it. When it comes time to actually the cameras.
Speaker 1: On, it just works.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: What about what about Dancing through Life?
Speaker 5: Like that's such a massive undertaking too, like different locations,
Speaker 5: different pieces, Ozda's ballroom with the ladies, Like, that's that's
Speaker 5: huge too.
Speaker 1: What was that one?
Speaker 3: Like it was that's the first song I started with
Speaker 3: when John told job, I was because I love that song.
Speaker 3: I've always loved it. I love the melody. I think
Speaker 3: I'm anything where they say the word so like it
Speaker 3: warms your heart a little bit. I was like really
Speaker 3: excited to do that number into like and I knew
Speaker 3: in my mind. I was like, you know, on Broadway,
Speaker 3: I think what Wayne did is brilliant, and I think
Speaker 3: there's so much brilliant, so much he did. But when
Speaker 3: you're like, okay, we get to take a camera now
Speaker 3: and like be in. It was very exciting where that
Speaker 3: number could go.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you took it there.
Speaker 3: Thank you. I'm proud of it. You know, even like
Speaker 3: people ask me all the time to like did Jonathan
Speaker 3: Bailey do all that? How did he do? He did
Speaker 3: all of that? Like anytime we had dance doubles or whatever,
Speaker 3: it's just to like line up the shots. They this
Speaker 3: cast was not letting a double grab a book with
Speaker 3: the yeah, and you know and every little the flip
Speaker 3: of the thing. I mean, he just did. And you know,
Speaker 3: I was watching like pure excellence from each performance, and
Speaker 3: it was it was really gratifying. Yeah, but it was
Speaker 3: it was hard, you know. The tornado wheel itself was
Speaker 3: like we didn't have it for a long time. I
Speaker 3: was getting I had a model, a three D model,
Speaker 3: and it's spinning and it's electric and I'm like with
Speaker 3: a little action figuring up in there. It helped me
Speaker 3: like kind of see sure at the end of the day,
Speaker 3: nothing's happening. Yeah, kind of like nothing really happened until
Speaker 3: you get inside that wheel. And then we only had
Speaker 3: one for so long, so wow, see the layers, it's
Speaker 3: a lot of Alice Brooks, the incredible cinematographer. We would
Speaker 3: get together and talk about how we're going to shoot
Speaker 3: it because you can't do a lot of things because
Speaker 3: there's ladders around, so you can't you can put a
Speaker 3: train arm through it. Yeah, you got to time it out.
Speaker 3: I mean that could be a disaster. And we did
Speaker 3: do that. We did put a crane arm in there
Speaker 3: and that thing was rotating and we timed it perfectly.
Speaker 2: It was just it's like really.
Speaker 3: Special. All hands on deck. Yeah, because at the end
Speaker 3: of the day, you know, John John wanted something. He
Speaker 3: does this thing I think where there's like that element
Speaker 3: not to put any pressure on his next job, but
Speaker 3: he creates you know, with the production designer Nathan Crowley,
Speaker 3: They're like, what's the really crazy thing that no one
Speaker 3: will let us do? Like see that they'll let us
Speaker 3: do it?
Speaker 2: And then yeah, we do it.
Speaker 3: And this was that moment. And you know, there'll be
Speaker 3: times where I'm like, we've been talking about it and
Speaker 3: is this going to work? Like I don't know?
Speaker 2: So how does that? My question is like how do
Speaker 2: those conversations happen? Because like is he talking to the
Speaker 2: production designer and it comes to you and be like, oh,
Speaker 2: so this dance has to is going to happen within
Speaker 2: a set or in a wheel like and like you
Speaker 2: have to figure it out?
Speaker 3: Or is it?
Speaker 2: Like hey, is it more? Is it a collaboration of
Speaker 2: we're thin, yeah, we we're thinking about this. What would
Speaker 2: you want for this? Like how does that work?
Speaker 3: Yeah? I mean it's all collaboration, this whole thing really is.
Speaker 3: It's funny. Everyone's a lot of people like who made
Speaker 3: that move up? Where'd that come from? Where that I'm like,
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, we have so much
Speaker 3: conversations taking us in.
Speaker 2: This best idea wins in the moment, the.
Speaker 3: Best idea wins, And to be honest, it's all inspired
Speaker 3: by the conversations that we're having, so it all kind
Speaker 3: of forms together. You know that that Paul Taswell designed
Speaker 3: will inspire a whole thing. So it's like, you know,
Speaker 3: it's a really it's a beautiful thing, you know, looking back,
Speaker 3: And that's why I did really feel like a once
Speaker 3: in a lifetime thing because you know, or again it's
Speaker 3: like or a John che thing because it just seems
Speaker 3: to happen with him where it's just not always the case.
Speaker 3: But you know that that tornado. I remember he told
Speaker 3: me the idea, and I feel like, you know, sometimes
Speaker 3: I'm in there with him when when the structure idea
Speaker 3: is happening. But this one I remember him like, I
Speaker 3: think he's been talking to Nathan already and they like
Speaker 3: had this thought. But I know he wanted something that
Speaker 3: felt like an Ossian bookcase. Literally, I think that became
Speaker 3: the O and then the if you look the ladders
Speaker 3: see and there was a moment where we did actually
Speaker 3: line it up like you can see the word oz
Speaker 3: in it, and you're just like, that's the level of thinking.
Speaker 3: But then he when he told me about it, was
Speaker 3: like he's like, do you think you can work with that?
Speaker 3: And I'm like, I think that's incredible.
Speaker 1: I'll figure it out.
Speaker 3: And then yeah, he lets me play. There was a
Speaker 3: moment when I had a different intro and I was like,
Speaker 3: do we because you know I also then I'm like
Speaker 3: I want to do and the everything in there, like
Speaker 3: when do I get this opportunity again? And I play
Speaker 3: around a little bit and then we go like, no,
Speaker 3: I think actually this is the part the original idea
Speaker 3: where it goes makes sense and going and and then
Speaker 3: you know, we shot a bunch of stuff that we
Speaker 3: had like some bt like I don't know where it
Speaker 3: is now, but there's a whole dance break inside of
Speaker 3: there that was kind of crazy with all these like
Speaker 3: parkour performers flipping around, jumping around, you know, release release.
Speaker 4: Wow.
Speaker 2: The storytelling through dance in this movie or movies is
Speaker 2: so important, and I think one of the most moving
Speaker 2: moments in both movies comes from one of the dance
Speaker 2: moves of them, like greeting each other, basically the hand
Speaker 2: on the head moment, and when it comes back and
Speaker 2: for good, it's really beautiful and moving. What was the
Speaker 2: genesis of that creating something like that that is so
Speaker 2: moving and story driven and like really important to the
Speaker 2: two main characters relationship.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean that moment at the ozdask was very
Speaker 3: important for all of us. So we just knew it
Speaker 3: were like, this is not you know, this is not
Speaker 3: to be like taken lightly. And so we had a
Speaker 3: whole process. But I had originally choreographed some stuff in
Speaker 3: a room with a bunch of dancers and it was
Speaker 3: like right, and they were all doing other stuff and
Speaker 3: I was just like trying to come up with, like,
Speaker 3: what's some oddsdesk movement, knowing it's just going to develop.
Speaker 3: And I didn't I don't know, I didn't really love
Speaker 3: this stuff. So it was one of those things where
Speaker 3: and this is how we are, you know. I'm like,
Speaker 3: it's like ten pm and we're in London and I
Speaker 3: hit up Comfort for dok. You know, I'm like, hey,
Speaker 3: are you down to like workshop some more stuff? I
Speaker 3: just want to like we're not there and we have
Speaker 3: sent it tomorrow. She's like great, I'm on my way,
Speaker 3: came over. We're up until like one in the morning,
Speaker 3: just workshopping stuff in like my living room of the
Speaker 3: place I'm staying in London, and you know, it started
Speaker 3: to develop. You know, it also started to really hit
Speaker 3: me that the movement that Alphaba would be inspired by
Speaker 3: isn't of of the human dance styles, because that's she
Speaker 3: doesn't connect with those those that's the group of people
Speaker 3: that push her away, but she does connect with animals, Like,
Speaker 3: let's create language that really does feel like it comes
Speaker 3: from animals. And I remember Comfort was moving around and
Speaker 3: she hit this posture with her on her head. I
Speaker 3: was like, I love that I was and they were
Speaker 3: like oh and then I'm like twinkled the fingers a little,
Speaker 3: and we found this thing and it just to me.
Speaker 3: I'm looking at Comfort and I'm like, she looks like
Speaker 3: a bird. And then it was like this is this
Speaker 3: is where? And it kind of was the move that
Speaker 3: broke through. Not only did it create this thing that
Speaker 3: was so meaningful, but it also kind of like pushed
Speaker 3: us forward and the rest of the choreography and then
Speaker 3: it was just like boom, let's go with that. And
Speaker 3: then it's like flickering the feet because you know animals
Speaker 3: do dance, yes, you know there's reality in that. So
Speaker 3: it became like this bird dance for a lot of it,
Speaker 3: and I didn't know that it was going to become
Speaker 3: the greeting yet because we took the process and we
Speaker 3: threw it on Cynthia and then we developed the whole
Speaker 3: dance together. So I was thinking beyond Cynthia first, because
Speaker 3: you know, you want to create on that Cynthia feels
Speaker 3: amazing feeling. Yeah, yeah, again, it's a collaboration. We're in
Speaker 3: the room, we're finding stuff with Cynthia. And then once
Speaker 3: the number felt locked and it was like she feels good,
Speaker 3: then we brought Ari into the process and then seeing
Speaker 3: you know, the storyline is like she has to learn
Speaker 3: the dance and imitate it, which I hate those moments
Speaker 3: in most.
Speaker 2: Yes, that's a hard moment to work around.
Speaker 3: Yes, you know, they got to make it believable, and
Speaker 3: I feel bad for these actors because you're like, you
Speaker 3: got to sell it. But we tried to create enough
Speaker 3: space where it felt believable and realistic.
Speaker 2: Totally. I totally agree with that. Yeah, the space in that,
Speaker 2: like the pace of that whole scene, right, I never
Speaker 2: had movies never have that much space to make those
Speaker 2: things work like that. It has to happen like very quickly.
Speaker 2: And because you had the time to do that, it
Speaker 2: felt earned, in natural and organic, and.
Speaker 1: It was so important. I mean, so it's pivotal, right,
Speaker 1: it's so so import.
Speaker 2: To cut you off.
Speaker 3: Sorry, No, it's true. You're right. I'm glad you're saying
Speaker 3: it because it's true of these movies, you know. And
Speaker 3: then people are like, oh, so the movies too and
Speaker 3: a half. I'm like that timeline, that number doesn't really
Speaker 3: mean anything, because if you're not telling the story right,
Speaker 3: then like what are we doing? Like exactly you did
Speaker 3: that space off? I could feel it. We're all looking
Speaker 3: like this is pretty long. I mean, chance, your life
Speaker 3: is long. It's very.
Speaker 2: Clows and it moves.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and but yeah, but then as soon as Ari
Speaker 3: did this back to her the way that they performed it,
Speaker 3: it was like, oh, that's a that's that's something special.
Speaker 3: That's that's that's going to be a thing. And then
Speaker 3: it did. And it wasn't planned for the other scenes.
Speaker 3: It just started to happen. And then like we'd be
Speaker 3: talking about the train scene and it's like, oh, they
Speaker 3: should do, you know, and and then it just yeah,
Speaker 3: developed from there and now seeing people do it you
Speaker 3: know on TikTok, it's like crazy Instagram and like using
Speaker 3: it as like a real little you know, connection between
Speaker 3: each other. Is like, that's really gratifying.
Speaker 1: Before we let you go, what is the feeling that
Speaker 1: Wicked leaves you with?
Speaker 3: Man, there it is. Now you're going to have me
Speaker 3: get all of this. I mean it like, I mean
Speaker 3: it's so cliche, but it's like the idea that it
Speaker 3: has changed me for good is like so real. Like
Speaker 3: it's really like, you know, we've been through so much
Speaker 3: to make this and now it's out in the world
Speaker 3: and it just feels like, you know, there is like
Speaker 3: a greater purpose for doing all this work. And because
Speaker 3: it is so it's not just you know, we didn't
Speaker 3: just make a movie that's entertained. It's to like really
Speaker 3: impact people and to like make people feel seen, you know,
Speaker 3: raise some questions that are challenging in certain parts of
Speaker 3: the world. You know, it's it's a lot, it's it's
Speaker 3: really deep, and I think being a part of that
Speaker 3: feeling like this great sense of purpose, you know, it's
Speaker 3: like definitely putting me on that path of like this
Speaker 3: is the type of work I want to do, and
Speaker 3: it should become harder and harder to be like yeah,
Speaker 3: I'll do that, I'll do this. Like it's changed me
Speaker 3: and I just like I'm nervous, like I don't want
Speaker 3: to chase the experience of it all because that's different,
Speaker 3: that's its own thing and that's going to live and
Speaker 3: y ever. But the idea of doing things that it's
Speaker 3: just you know, important to people, and that that yeah.
Speaker 2: Meaningful and that's that is a good feeling to chase.
Speaker 5: I guess to have that perspective to chase things that
Speaker 5: are meaningful and intentional and.
Speaker 2: In addition to creatively fulfilling and fun and of course, yeah,
Speaker 2: all those things I want because it's poss it's possible.
Speaker 3: We we've we've I've been lucky enough to experience it
Speaker 3: now and and through you know, we always comes back
Speaker 3: to John Quo.
Speaker 2: It's like everybody comes up, he like brings the hop
Speaker 2: because especially now, like everybody's at an age where everybody
Speaker 2: knows what they're capable of. We all know what each
Speaker 2: other is capable of. You trust those people, you know
Speaker 2: they do good work. You know they're good to work
Speaker 2: with and like you, it's you can't let this people go.
Speaker 5: Yeah, what a joy to watch you from working with
Speaker 5: you and you know those early glee days to seeing
Speaker 5: you grow and you know with you without John too,
Speaker 5: just your own career, and so you think you can
Speaker 5: dance watching your pieces that are have always been so
Speaker 5: meaningful to me, and like watching that and watching you
Speaker 5: flourish into a place where now you have a path
Speaker 5: and a purpose and you know where your next work
Speaker 5: is going to be and what it's going to mean
Speaker 5: to you is so important, and we're just so happy
Speaker 5: for you, and you know, it's just been such an honor.
Speaker 1: To chat with you again and reconnect.
Speaker 3: So thank you me too, you know, real quick before
Speaker 3: we got you know fun fact, do you guys know
Speaker 3: that I was in the pilot of Glee?
Speaker 1: Did you do one?
Speaker 3: I am in Vocal Adrenaline original number? I don't I.
Speaker 3: I was up on the top of the thing. I
Speaker 3: partnered U b parts ut miss that because I was
Speaker 3: like in the corner, because I was struggling because it
Speaker 3: was on these risers, my style.
Speaker 2: But because we were there, like I went and hung
Speaker 2: out with the Vocal Adrenaline dancers. It was so long ago,
Speaker 2: but like it was.
Speaker 3: So long ago because then we also did the what
Speaker 3: was the one in the mall that it was it
Speaker 3: safety dance, Safety Dance, I'm safe, So you know it.
Speaker 2: Was always so like that was doing the pilot. We
Speaker 2: didn't know what the show was going to be, and
Speaker 2: then having so many of my friends like you being
Speaker 2: there and vocal adrenaline was so surreal.
Speaker 3: It was just like, it's a huge flex of mine.
Speaker 3: I tell you all the time, like I was in
Speaker 3: the pilot. Oh g.
Speaker 2: We were all there together.
Speaker 1: We love it. I love it.
Speaker 2: Thanks for doing this. We love you. I'm so proud
Speaker 2: of you. It's like, what an incredible ride. And how
Speaker 2: many people in the world now get to see and
Speaker 2: love your work, Like that's just.
Speaker 1: Millions and millions and millions yea, all over.
Speaker 3: The world, beautiful work for them to see. And it's
Speaker 3: important and it's powerful, and I think that's the most
Speaker 3: gratifying thing. And I love y'all so much.
Speaker 2: You deserve it all.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Chris, Love you guys.
Speaker 2: See thank you again. That was the one and only
Speaker 2: Chris Scott. I love him. I love him so much,
Speaker 2: sweet man. Thank you Chris for joining us. Yes, we
Speaker 2: love to have him back, like literally known that man
Speaker 2: since we ran like a fake club at our friend's
Speaker 2: dance studio when we were like sixteen. We had bouncers
Speaker 2: and everything, so embarrassing. Thank you, Chris. Go see Wicked
Speaker 2: for good. If you haven't already, you probably have, and
Speaker 2: that's what you really missed. Thanks for listening, and follow
Speaker 2: us on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod.
Speaker 2: Make sure to write us a review and leave us
Speaker 2: five stars. See you next time.