Daniel J. Watts Talks HBO’s ‘Vinyl,’ The 70s Look, And Broadway’s HamiltonPosted by Wilson Morales
March 9, 2016
Currently airing on Sunday nights on HBO is the new drama series “Vinyl,” created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen and Terence Winter.
The 10-episode drama series is set in 1970s New York. “Vinyl” is a ride through the sex- and drug-addled music business at the dawn of punk, disco, and hip-hop.
Richie Finestra (played by Bobby Cannavale), the founder and president of American Century Records, is trying to save his company and soul without destroying everyone in his path. With his passion for music and discovering talent gone by the wayside, and American Century on the precipice of being sold, he has a life-altering event that reignites his love of music, but severely damages his personal life.
In episodes #4 (“The Racket”) and #5 (“He in Racist Fire”), Ritchie meets up with one of his top selling artists, Hannibal, and tries to persuade him from signing with another label in the midst of Ritchie slashing production costs.
Hannibal is played by Daniel J. Watts, who in the last two years has also guest-starred on other TV series such as Boardwalk Empire, Person of Interest, Broad City, The Good Wife, and Blue Bloods.
He is also a veteran of the theater world, having appeared in productions of After Midnight, Memphis, Motown, The Little Mermaid, In the Heights, The Color Purple, Ghost, and Whorl Inside a Loop.
Currently, he’s performing as part of the ensemble to the hottest show in town, Hamilton.
How would you best describe Hannibal?
Daniel J. Watts: He’s fashioned after Sly Stone. He’s a Funk superstar and commands attention everywhere he goes. He’s like Bootsy Collins with that early 1970s feel. He’s at the top of his career right now and wants to see how he can further it.
How much did you know about that time period?
DJW: I think that my era would be the 70s. I’m a big Jazz fan but I also love Funk. The era from ’70 to ’75 is my musical love, so this is like a dream.
How did the role come about for you?
DJW: It was crazy. I was in Los Angeles at the time and I put my audition on tape and sent it back to New York. Then after a month, before I heard anything, I was asked to come to New York for a producer’s session. At that moment, I couldn’t come back for it. I had pretty much let it go and then a week and a half later, I found out that I’m in the finals with someone else. Then, I happened to back in New York that following weekend at a weeding in New Jersey and I got a phone call during the toast my from agent saying, “They need to see you tomorrow! Could you get here?” I went in and they had already done the table read and that character needed to shoot in two days. So, I auditioned and found out that night that I got the part. Two days later I was on the set.
How does it feel to be on a series that is executive produced by some big names?
DJW: This is one of my favorite networks, which had The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire. I wasn’t watching Boardwalk Empire and then I saw the first episode of Season 5. I immediately went back and watched all of the episodes before the second episode aired. Then I got to be in one of the episodes in the final season of the series so it was like a dream come true. Then, a year and a half later, to be part of the same team with this show is amazing.
Can you talk about working with the cast?
DJW: It’s definitely a family oriented set. By the time I got there, they had already built their relationships. The woman who plays my wife on the show is a long time friend of mine, Tamika Lawrence. Ephraim Sykes is also on the show and he’s one of my best friends. He plays Marvin. On my first day, I was already among friends and family. Bobby Cannavale was super welcoming to me and is one of my favorite actors. That was just icing on the cake.
How was fitting in the wardrobe?
DJW: Costume designer John Dunn and his team have done an amazing job. Most of my clothes were hand made and custom designed for me. They had a few days to whip everything in shape for me. It was velvet and leather. It was quite incredible. The mix of texture was interesting. I think I had a suede jacket, velvet pants and a silk shirt. Just playing dress up was fantastic. I also had these platform shoes that were six inches. That was a trip getting used to that.
Having a theater background must have helped out especially with the lack of time to prepare.
DJW: Yes. S.J. Clarkson was the director for that episode and she initially saw whatever she saw in me and was like, “This is the guy. This is the guy.” New York or theater actors are used to getting called in with short notice. There’s a certain craft to it that we developed out here. It definitely shows in the work.
What’s next after this?
DJW: I’m parlaying this into whatever is next to come. It’s still pilot season and lot of auditions to do. I was working on two auditions prior to this conversation. It will be interesting to see what happens after this airs. Right now, I’m in “Hamilton” the musical. I’ll be there until I won’t be there anymore. It’s really an exciting time right now.
What role do you play on the show?
DJW: I came on as Samuel Seabury for three months and then I’m back and forth in as General Lee, who’s in the first duel with John Lawrence.
How exciting is it being in the show?
DJW: It’s Hamilton. It’s the household name right now. It’s the popular thing. It’s trending. People are talking about it. I’m very proud of Lin-Manuel Miranda. I worked on his previous play, “In The Heights,” and it’s great to see where he’s grown as well as the entire creative team. They did “In The Heights,” went off to college, and came back and did “Hamilton.” It’s what you assume it would be. It’s the hottest ticket in town. Hamilton is my 8th Broadway show and I have never experienced anything like this. It’s crazy.
For those who haven’t tuned in to “Vinyl” as of yet, what’s a good reason to start watching the series?
DJW: We had the pilot, which is a little under two hours, and it’s basically a show. People were like, “What else could happen?” Hannibal shows up and shakes things up a little bit. Bobby’s already rattled because he witnessed a murder and the heat’s coming down and you’re meeting these characters and trying to figure where they are. They are also trying to figure where they are at this point in time. Hannibal shows up and stirs the pot a bit. Not intentionally, but with his showing up, things change a lot. So, if you’re enjoying it now, things are about to get interesting.
