Max Crumm

From the beginning, Max Crumm was the charming underdog of the NBC-TV reality show You're the One That I Want. He'd played Doody and Kenickie in two productions of Grease in his hometown of Phoenix, but few initially expected him to win the role of Danny Zuko in Kathleen Marshall's Broadway revival of the show—until, week by week, Crumm took out one hunk after another on the road to the big casting prize. Doody? Eugene? Not this time! Of course, the 21-year-old actor didn't arrive on Broadway with an empty resume: The son of a community theater director, Crumm had played a huge variety of roles in the Phoenix area by the time he set out for Los Angeles after high school seeking a movie career. With talent and humor, he and his co-winner, Laura Osnes, now find themselves front and center at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre singing about the joys of "Summer Lovin'." Unspoiled and open, Crumm gave Broadway.com an update on his transition from L.A gym receptionist to Broadway leading man.

How was your first week as a Broadway star?
It was a blast! We did nine shows because our gypsy run was last Monday. It was a crazy, exhilarating, stressfully fun week.

Was it everything you expected?
Yeah, and then some! I'm learning so much about Broadway and how professional theater works, because I really had no idea. It's definitely so much work. But I'm living my dream.

What's been keeping you busy since you won the TV show?
I've kept busy finding a place, moving here and getting my house all set before rehearsals. Other than that, I've been having rehearsals up the wazoo for months. It's encompassed my life.

It must be nice to finally be in front of an audience! How are they reacting?
They love the show. It's kind of insane—there are always so many people outside the stage door waiting. It's fun that we're pulling it off; that's the greatest payoff. We have a pretty kick-ass cast and…well, it's just going so good.

Are you getting recognized around New York?
All over the place!

Have you had any weird fan interactions?
Yes. [laughs]. I'm getting followed from the stage door. The other day I had to kind of run out and go incognito so I could go to lunch because these little girls were running after me. It's really weird. Even after I take a picture with them and after I sign something for them, they'll follow me and talk to me. And it's a lot of people stopping their cars or getting out of their cars to say hi to me and Laura. There was one car that I thought was going to hit me, but they were just honking because they wanted to say hi. It's such a strange feeling.

Fame happened so fast for you.
Yeah, that's what so crazy. I was telling my friends I feel like I'm Harry Potter sometimes, because I'll come into a room and people are like, "Max!" It's like, "Oh yes, that's right. You've heard of my travels!" [Laughs.] One thing I kind of miss, though, is being able to tell people what I'm up to…because everybody already knows.

Does the attention bother you?
Not at all, but it's something I would never have expected for myself or reached for. I had no idea that the reality show would spark such a huge following, and I had no idea that I would win the show. My style is very low-key. My goal was just to be one of those actors that's in everything but nobody has any idea who he is. You know, like a John C. Reilly or a Philip Seymour Hoffman—before he won the Oscar. I never imagined that a project I did at 21 would go crazy.

Why didn't you think you would win?
To be honest, I love America but I thought they would vote for Barbie and Ken. I just never thought that they would pick me and Laura.

But Ruben Studdard won American Idol…
Right?! But Ruben Studdard has crazy pipes.

You're a fantastic singer!
Oh thanks. I just never saw it; I never expected it. I thought, "You know, that would be nice. But…"

You've been doing musical theater for a long time, right?
Since I was six. I grew up around it. My dad's a director, my mom's an amazing triple threat and my sister's a singer/dancer/actress. My dad owned a theater for a good portion of my life growing up, so I didn't know anything else. I'd do my homework at the theater. Well…I was supposed to do my homework, but I would always sit there and watch my dad direct. I did show after show after show. I was one of those kids who could tell my life [story] by shows: "That's when I was in that show; that's when I was in that show." Then I stopped because I had done a lot of musical theater and I was like, "I'm going to go be a movie and television actor!" So I moved to L.A. four years ago and pursued that, and then my first musical theater audition was this. So, it's nuts!

It was meant to be! What were some of your favorite roles growing up?
I was Cornelius in Hello Dolly; I was the Grinch in The Grinch. I played kooky, funny parts. This is my first leading man part other than Billy in Anything Goes. I was in a lot of original plays, too, by Gerry Cullity, at a theater called Desert Stages in [Arizona]. He passed away two years ago, but he wrote amazing stuff, and we always recorded albums for those shows, so it's kind of fun. Titanic was a really fun show. I played Henry Etches. I also loved playing Doody in Grease and I loved playing Kenickie in Grease.

Why do you think you're not the typical Danny Zuko?
The past stereotype of Danny has been 30-year-old muscle-y men with crow's feet. Not a lot of people can relate to that. I think the way I play Danny is much more of a real teenager that a lot of people can relate to. He's still a leader of the pack. He's still a cool guy.

And where did the "Slacker Danny" moniker you had on the show come from?
I don't know! I think it came from [director] Kathleen Marshall during the audition process. Originally those names were just for backstage, so they could tell us apart. Then somebody was like "Oh, let's put those on the show!" But I loved that I was Slacker Danny, because it gave me an edge on everybody else. Danny is a slacker, you know? It gave me something to overcome, versus Boyband Danny and Bellhop Danny. I don't know…Hot Danny? It was kind of weird.

Is it true?
Slacker? To an extent, it's true. I wouldn't say I'm a slacker but I'm a very laidback person. It is definitely a stereotype. I can see how they called me that. Those were the roles I played. I had long, shaggy hair and I lived in Los Angeles at the beach.

You had a very emotional moment on the show where you talked about having Bell's palsy at age 11. Did it take a long time to recover from that?
I was really young. I kind of didn't get it when it happened. I didn't ever really have confidence issues, just because I was so out there. I've always been such a weird kid and had such a crazy imagination. Kids would never want to play with me—they would get scared because I would get so into it and so specific. And that's something, I think, that helped carry me through. Being in plays was my way to feel like nothing else mattered. My family was very supportive of me around that time. It only lasted a year. I was pretty lucky.

Do you regret sharing really personal things like that on TV?
I don't have a problem with it, but that was just such a weird moment. I was in an interview for so long and they pushed me to my limit. Right after that, it was done. I was like "Wait…what?" But it's all right. Ultimately, it's a good thing because it helps some kids. It's like therapy on TV.

Did you get into the competition of the show?
No. I mean, it was very tense, but to be honest, almost everybody else went a little nuts except for me and Laura.

In what way?
Just like, going around saying, "Why did he say this? Why are we here?" They thought they were cut. I sort of got into that, but I never got too crazy about it. I just never thought I was going to win, so I was like "I have nothing to lose!" I thought I was going home every week. It was pretty funny.

What is performing on a reality TV show actually like?
It's terrifying! You're done with your performance, you have no idea what you just did, millions of people watched you, and then you stand there and get judged. And you kind of don't even hear them because it's so loud in there. Then you go offstage and are like, "What the hell did I just do? Was that good? Was that bad? I gotta watch that back later!"

Then it's on YouTube forever!
Right?!

But you made it! So, had you seen Grease on Broadway before?
Never.

Had you seen anything on Broadway?
Yes. I came once with my family. The first Broadway show I ever saw was Cats! I also saw The Wizard of Oz at Madison Square Garden with Roseanne Barr as the witch [laughs]. And I saw Julie Andrews' very last performance in Victor/Victoria. These were all shows my dad wanted to see.

How do you think your version of Grease is different from the way we're used to seeing it?
Mainly it's different because it's not campy. It's not making fun of itself. It's the first time, I think, professionally, that people have looked at the show and gone, "Why don't we focus on the story and make these people real people?" There's a story to be found there, if you play for the truth versus playing for the laugh. I think that's what our show does. We go for the truth. It gives Grease a good heart.

What do you think is at Grease's heart?
Friendship! Fun! Just being there for your friends and growing up. And I think it's also about a lot of people's firsts—their first experiences with drinking, smoking, sex. Stuff like that. It's a coming-of-age story.

Did you have any challenges in rehearsals?
Not really. The cast is a great group of people. There was no people in the cast I felt like I had to work to become their friend. If anything, it was, "Can I pull off doing eight shows a week and keep consistent?" That's how I'm proving myself now. Other than that, I was pretty prepared. I had been working with Kathleen before. You just do it.

It must be nice having Laura there to go through all of this hoopla with. Someone who knows what you're going through…
Laura and I feel like we're war buddies. And it makes for great chemistry when I see her on stage, you know, because it really is…"Hi!" It's great to be with one of my greatest friends. She's a good lady.

Do you have to do anything to make sure you don't get tired of each other?
No, we really don't get sick of each other. She was the first person I met out of all the finalists and my best friend through the whole Grease show experience. It's kind of crazy, actually—if you look back at all of Laura's pictures, it's me and her next to each other in all of them. It's really helpful to have her there.

What's the best advice you've gotten on surviving in New York?
Probably, like, don't eat at a chain restaurant. And live like a nun. And that's from Kathleen: "Live like a nun or a priest so that you can do eight shows a week."

There's a faction of people who aren't crazy about the idea of casting a Broadway show through reality TV. Are you worried at all about the critical reaction to the show?
I don't read reviews or anything like that. I like to just go off the audience and the feel of what I get back from them every day. Laura's very much the same way. It's just one person's opinion, no matter good or bad.

Do you ever have people tell you they were rooting for someone else to win?
I have, once. Somebody was just like "I don't like you." And I was just like "Thanks? Do you feel better?" But mostly it's a lot of happy people and a lot of gracious faces.

What kind of fans do you have?
They come in all shapes and sizes! From old men and ladies to little boys and girls. The show was on a family timeslot, so I get a lot of families and a lot of teen girls. I would say generally good American families.

Do your fans have a name?
I think there's a group of Slacker Backers…

Yeah, I've heard a couple like that. What would you name them?
[Laughs.] The Maxi-pads. No! That's not a good one. I don't know. Crumm-Bums?

Careful, Max! If you say it, it will happen.
I know. So, never mind! The Cool Kids!

Obviously winning this role was a big deal for you. Outside of that, has there been another moment that made you feel like this was really happening?
It's been so much so fast. It's like a combination of 15 moments. The first time I went to Central Park was amazing. And the first time I saw the billboard. That's probably it. I had just moved here and I put on my iPod and just wanted to walk, and I walked up Times Square and I saw it, and I was just in awe of it because it's just, like…way too big [laughs.]. It's huge. That was it for me, like, "I'm really going to do this." It's such an exhilarating experience. It's intense.

What are you most looking forward to now?
I'm looking forward to meeting all the people who come to see the show—all the famous people! That'll be cool. I'll have them sign my little booklet. I can't wait to be seen by a lot of people and make a lot of great relationships. I'm very happy and excited and grateful to be here, but I'm always wondering what's on the horizon.

See Max Crumm in Grease at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.