MANILA, Philippines - Having done Broadway, Matthew Morrison must have considered “piece of cake” playing a dancer in What To Expect When You’re Expecting, coming out very realistic even if, like Cameron Diaz as his TV-fitness-guru wife, he has yet to experience being a parent.
“I’m still waiting but not necessarily looking for the right partner,” said Matthew. “I’ve got enough experience to know what I want and what I do not want. If I were in the situation my character is in in the movie, I think I would be on board and excited.”
A California native, Matthew studied musical theater, vocal performance and dance in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. His Broadway break was as heartthrob Link Larkin in Hairspray, and he was later nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in The Light in the Piazza and for a Drama Desk Outstanding Actor in a Musical Award for 10 Million Miles. He also starred in the Tony-winning revival of South Pacific.
I learned that Matthew currently stars in Glee, playing Will Schuester, an optimistic high school teacher who tries to refuel his own passion while re-inventing the glee club and challenging a group of outcasts to realize their star potential.
Asked about Charice who appeared as guest in some episodes of Glee, Matthew said, “Yes, I’ve met her,” adding with a laugh, “in one scene I was in the audience to clap for her. She’s great! She simply disappeared; I don’t know what happened to her. That girl can sing! She’s so talented! I was very impressed.”
And how did he think his life would change after the release of What To Expect?
“A lot, I’m sure! It’s a huge international show. Before, I was a Broadway actor and people in New York know I was but I could always get away from New York and nobody would know who I was. I think that after this movie, I wouldn’t enjoy that luxury anymore. It’s been amazing! This movie would change my life in many ways.”
Also a singer, Matthew is under contract with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine’s 222 Records and will release a Broadway standards album later this year, his second after his eponymous debut album with Mercury Records in 2011.