Casey Likes on Playing the Villain in Heathers, How J.D. Is Like Hamlet and the Meaning Behind the Mullet

The three roles Casey Likes is best known for—William Miller in Almost Famous, Marty McFly in Back to the Future: The Musical and now Jason "J.D." Dean in Heathers The Musical—all have one thing in common. Playing well-known movie characters onstage adds another layer of responsibility to the job, as many audience members come into the show with certain expectations. "Fortunately, these characters feel alive for a lot of people. It's nice to be able to relate with other people about them," Likes tells Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens. "And you think about those people when you do the show."

While his process differs from one part to another, Likes says: "It always starts with reading what is there on the page, and trying for a brief moment to ignore all that, all the people that love it, what you've seen before—and see if what you're reading matches with what the expectation is. And hopefully you can combine them, and hopefully they're close together." Likes' J.D. may draw inspiration from elements of Christian Slater's performance in the 1988 film, but he's found his own path to the dark heart of the character. "This one was kind of fun and different from the last few processes, because it was a little more internal, it was a little more self-examining," Likes says of taking on J.D.

"I've always wanted to play a villain, and I always knew things that I would care about if I ever got the chance to," he adds. "I don't know if I'll ever get the chance again, so I'm thrilled to put in my ideas of a character like this that is so broken and, as he says, damaged, but also really smart and also morally complicated." Likes calls J.D. "the most human character written," stressing that what makes Heathers so relatable is the ability to see oneself in the characters. The role of J.D. is "like the next Hamlet, in my opinion," he says. "You want to see new actors interpret it and see how their humanity shines through."

Part of his interpretation, of course, is the hair. "The mullet was my choice, and I wanted it because I thought, reading the character, that he's kind of halfway between worlds all the time. He's halfway between good and evil. He's somewhere in there…He wants to be this artistic, Baudelaire-reading, smart guy, but his dad is this gun-toting, very militant figure in his world. I thought, if he's militant and he's also artistic, maybe he wouldn't fully go there. Maybe he'd start shaving the sides, and he's like, 'I wanna break the rules a little bit and keep the back a little bit.'"

The multifaceted characters are a major contributor to the cult following Heathers has amassed over the years, including in this musical iteration. While troubled and ostensibly problematic, J.D., Veronica and the Heathers aren't all bad. The production leans into camp, but the complexity of the American high school experience is what drives the plot. "They're people. It's a very human story. I think it's the most accurate high school musical ever written. It's like this day's Grease," Likes points out. "Shows like Spring Awakening, shows like Heathers, these are shows that remind us that it's not all fun in games in high school."

Likes' own high school experience helped shaped the performer he is today, and he has his mom, Stephanie Likes to thank. An actress herself, she was in Les Misérables on Broadway and in the third national tour. "I learned a great deal of resilience from my mom when it came to life and this industry," Likes reflects. "She's also a single mother, and she was providing for us, you know? So that's one of the biggest motivators, but it also helps that she was also an actor. I think the resilience that she taught me is that you gotta show up prepared, you gotta show up on time, you gotta show up with ideas, and you better be good at it."

He credits his mom for allowing him a public school education, which exposed him to a diverse group of people and activities. From soccer to karate, she "kept giving me opportunities to expand myself and to learn more about people," Likes shares. "And I do think that has made me a better actor. That's something I carry on the stage, especially with characters like J.D. that carry so much baggage with them of real life." His mom raising kids on her own while working in the business also taught Likes perspective. "It's like, what am I to complain about eight shows [a week], if I'm just providing for myself right now?"

Reflecting on his place in the theater community, Likes says: "Recently I've started thinking about how I've come out here and almost recreated this feeling I had when I was younger of getting to do youth theater and community theater and share it with my friends." Playing a variety of characters allows him to show off new sides of himself, different versions of his personality. "It's been nice to recreate that community and that sense of excitement about theater and getting to show your friends. If there isn't a community, then what are we doing it for?"

Looking ahead, Likes doesn't want to jinx anything by openly admitting his goals for the future. Still, it sounds like he may have aspirations beyond acting. "I really want to be a storyteller in every single sense of the word. I want to be making the stories, I want to be editing the stories, I want to be in the stories," he explains. "And however I can best suit them is how I want to do it, whether that be acting or something else." Above all, though, "I love continuing to tell the stories. So as long as people let me do that, that would be great."

Watch the full interview below!

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