Grantham Coleman on 'Not Impersonating' Martin Luther King Jr. in The Great Society

Grantham Coleman is currently doing something he never thought he'd do; playing Martin Luther King Jr. alongside Brian Cox in The Great Society on Broadway. Eight times a week, Coleman helps bring history to life in the continuation of Robert Schenkkan's Tony-winning All the Way and he stopped by Broadway.com's #LiveatFive to talk about the experience. "I am a bit of a history buff, so when I got the script, I needed to know more," he said to Paul Wontorek. "I got into a wormhole and kept thinking, 'Wow, this is still happening today.' Growing up, I always looked up to Martin Luther King Jr., so I knew a lot of his history, but I didn't know about him and LBJ and how it all crumbled."

Playing one of history's most well-known and respected men is something that Coleman took extremely seriously. "You can't just impersonate somebody," he said. "You have to get your mind and heart behind them. You have to give it up to your scene partner and hope that if your scene partner believes me than maybe all these people out here will believe me, too. It's been a really great response, especially from the black community. It's definitely been humbling."

Not only does Coleman find himself inside history on stage at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, but he gets to do it opposite Emmy winner Brian Cox, who headlines the show as Lyndon B. Johnson. "He's always been the bad guy in so many things," Coleman said of Cox. "He is the nicest person I've ever worked with. He's a genuine sweetheart of a man. But you know, LBJ was a bully. He had this big presence, and he pushed people around. Brian definitely brings that intensity."

After doing such a deep-dive into King's legacy, Coleman knows exactly what he would say to the social leader. "If I could, I would tell Martin Luther King Jr. thank you," he said. "He was really aware that the challenge he was facing was not going to be achieved in his lifetime. It's an overall human effort, it's not so much a utopia but the idea of equality. The more we fight for it and pursue it and come against the ugly parts of humanity, the more we are able to understand and accept them. I think that's what he wants for us. I would just say thank you."

See Coleman in The Great Society, playing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Watch the full #LiveatFive episode below!