Frozen's Jelani Alladin on Expanding the Role of Kristoff, Meeting Jonathan Groff & Scandal Saturdays

The other iceman cometh: Jelani Alladin is currently bringing ice salesman Kristoff to life on stage eight shows a week in the Broadway musical version of Disney's blockbuster animated film Frozen. After working off-Broadway and in regional shows like Sweetee and Choir Boy, the 25-year-old Brooklyn native made his Broadway debut when the Frozen opened at the St. James Theatre. Here, Alladin chats about his love for Shonda Rhimes shows, making Jonathan Groff cry and more.

Play Time
Growing up in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, Alladin spent most of his youth obsessing over new Power Rangers toys and acting out stories with his cousins on the playground. “We would go to the park and make up a story, like, 'Today, you’re going to play this.' We were just foolish,” he jokes. “Never did it cross my mind that I was theatrical—that what we were doing was theatrical. It was just play time.”

Take a Chance on Me
In a major blunder, Alladin flubbed his applications for New York City high schools and was rejected by all of them. Nevertheless, one program, A Better Chance, which places academically achieving students of color in prep schools, accepted him. He moved away from Brooklyn to a high school in New Canaan, Connecticut. It was there that Alladin’s theater career blossomed. Even though he was a regular on the track and lacrosse teams, he didn’t want to play football in the fall. Instead, he auditioned for musicals, nabbing central roles like The Cat in the Hat in Seussical and the Emcee in Cabaret. “I thought it was so much work,” the actor recalls, “So, I was never going to do it again; I was going to quit.” He says a determined mom of one of his best friends stopped him. “You can't give this up,” he remembers her saying. “You can't! You have something special.”



Justice for Kristoff
In addition to doubling the amount of music, Frozen also broadens the role of Kristoff, giving him three new songs. “I think Kristoff in the movie doesn't really get to sing a lot, and in this expanded version, you really get to hear his voice and get an insight into what he's feeling for Anna,” he explains. “That moment is something that's been resonating with a lot of audiences.” The newly minted Broadway star says stepping into a beloved character is “electrifying.” “To take this character that people know and love, and bring myself into it and really try to deepen who he is and and how he's transformed because of these two princesses, has been a complete joy.”

Spirit of the Character
Alladin was no stranger to color-blind casting before Frozen. In high school productions, he was usually cast in leading roles. “And they were also roles not played by a black man,” he explains. “They didn't care that I didn't look like what someone in Germany in 1942 looked like. They were saying, ‘This is a great part for you. Let's go for it.’” Now, Alladin says he’s making black history by taking on a character that is white in the movie version. “For me, that is a chance for children to now see themselves reflected in this piece they didn't think they could possibly be a part of,” he says. “To bring those smiles to the audience, to change their minds, to convince them that it is not about the way the character looks, it's about the spirit of the character. If I can accomplish that, then I've done my job.”



On Making Jonathan Groff Cry
During Frozen’s out-of-town tryout, Broadway favorite and original Kristoff voice actor Jonathan Groff paid a visit to the show. “It didn't faze me at all,” he says of Groff's presence. “Because what I'm doing is completely different from what he did.” Groff went backstage after the show to meet Alladin to compare notes on their shared character. “He was so supportive,” Alladin remembers. “He was just welcoming to what I had brought to the plate.” Thanks to Alladin’s performance, Groff didn’t make it through the show with dry eyes. “He did say that I made him cry,” he reveals. “And he was kind of like mad about that! He's like ‘You made me cry!’ And I was like, ‘I'm sorry. I'm sorry!’”

This Land is Shondaland
When he’s not hauling ice blocks or playing with Sven the reindeer on stage, the actor is probably in his dressing room catching up on the TV drama Scandal. “I love everything Shondaland,” Alladin admits, pledging his allegiance to TV producer Shonda Rhimes. “My dressing roommates call it Scandal Saturdays because between shows on Saturdays, I stay in my dressing room and I catch up on that. It's a weird geeky thing about me.” Now that Scandal’s seventh and final season has come to a close, what will he do? “You know, I'm gonna have to move on to working with Shonda Rhimes,” he laughs. “Start a new piece with her. That's the only way for me to keep my relationship with her going.”