Bradley Gibson on Flying High as Simba in The Lion King & More

Bradley Gibson is thankful for this time of rest. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway, Gibson was the prince of Pride Rock as Simba in The Lion King, something he's been doing for almost two years. Gibson took a break from watching his current bingeworthy favorites like Smash and Insecure to talk to Paul Wontorek on Broadway.com's #LiveatFive. "I have not stopped for seven years," Gibson said. "I'm thankful for that, but it's definitely been a nice time to relax and create. I think that we have to press pause. The world is pausing, so it's okay to bingewatch some shows and eat some snacks and spend time with my fiancé. I definitely miss the Great White Way, though."

Before joining the hit Disney musical, Gibson appeared on Broadway in Rocky and A Bronx Tale, which prepared him for the "nonstop moving train" of The Lion King. "Doing eight shows a week requires you to always keep it fresh never get too settled," he said. "We're always keeping it fresh and rehearsing to make sure it's all clean for audiences. I love being on Broadway, it was my dream as a little kid to be here. We don't usually get a chance to reflect because we're always moving. I'm always going or preparing for something else, so I'm just in awe all the time of what's happened since I got off the bus from college seven years ago. I never imagined that I would be in one Broadway show, and now I've been in three. That's the coolest thing in the world."

One thing Gibson has learned over those seven years is that every job he has taken has challenged him in a different way. What he didn't expect was that The Lion King would force him to face his fear of heights. "People don't realize that Scar and Simba fly up to do the final fight, and I'm terrified of heights," Gibson said. "They kind of tricked me. All rehearsal process, they talked about how learning the fight is like a puzzle. In the rehearsal room they'd be like, 'They're gonna put on the harness and you'll go up and it'll be fine.' On the stage the first day, they flew me up in the air all of a sudden after being strapped into a harness. I was terrified and screaming, it took so long for me to get comfortable. I'm sure when we go back I'll be the same way again. Thankfully, I'm very comfortable up there with Stephen [Carlile who plays Scar], so that helps. Some days I just have to be like, 'Get over yourself, Bradley.'"

Watch Gibson talk about his dream roles (Ragtime!) and more in the full episode below.