More than a few adjectives come to our minds when we think about Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. For example, we knew he was buff, but we didn’t know he was a theater buff!
Since moving to New York City, the NFL QB has taken a keen interest in more than just the night clubs the city has to offer and is actually an avid theater goer!
While his teammates are listening to their favorite hip hop or rock music to get amped for the game, Mark’s jamming out to soundtracks from some of Broadway’s best including Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Memphis!
With the Tony’s a week away, Mark was interviewed because of his growing reputation in the theater community and he had a lot of inneresting things to say!
Check out the entire interview to read about his favorite shows, his Tony Award winner picks, and what his teammates think of his surprising extracurricular activities after the jump!
Q: You recently caught a few Broadway shows. What did you see?
A: I saw two shows: ├óΓé¼┼ôCatch Me if You Can” and ├óΓé¼┼ôThe Motherf*cker With the Hat.├óΓé¼┬¥ I thought ├óΓé¼┼ôCatch Me if You Can├óΓé¼┬¥ was awesome. The music was catchy. The dance routines were great. Everything was simple but so funny. I thought the lead was awesome. What was his name?
Q: Aaron Tveit
A: Yeah, he was great. The detective was great, too. A really good friend of mine, Katie Webber, was also in the show.
Q: Why did you decide to see it?
A: I love the movie. I wanted to see how it was turned into a musical. I’ve got the album already on iTunes.
Q: Do you think it will get any Tony Awards?
A:I know it didn’t get the best reviews from the critics. But I thought the songs were catchy. It reminded me of “Memphis.” It had a happy ending, and everybody was smiling when you walked out of the theater. I was surprised it didn’t get better reviews. But “Wicked” didn’t get the best reviews, and it won Tonys.
Q: What about “The Motherf*cker With the Hat”? That was a much darker show, but still pretty funny.
A: It was good. It was twisted. It seemed so dark, for people to think like that. The Puerto Rican girl was hilarious. At the beginning she’s on the phone with her mom, giving her mom a hard time about doing drugs, then she hangs up the phone and does drugs. It was hilarious.
The one play it reminded me of was one I saw off Broadway called “reasons to be pretty.” That was a great show. I thought it was very similar to the kind of acting in this show, the way they were conveying their emotions. It looked like they were going to fistfight. It also reminded me of “Fences,” with that kind of emotional acting. I think it has a chance for a Tony.
Q: Who do you usually go with to the theater?
A: One of my professors, if I’m not going with my mom. Susan Evans, who teaches at U.S.C., got me going with a lot of Broadway stuff. We saw “9 to 5″ in Los Angeles. We saw “In the Heights” at the Pantages together, and I saw it in New York as well. We’re going to try to see “Book of Mormon.”
Q: Do you ever go backstage after a show?
A: I try to if I can. I never want to bug the actors, but I like to check out the sets. I got to do that at “Catch Me if You Can.” There were some Jets fans there.
Q: Mark, I’ve got to be honest. I don’t know the first thing about sports. At all. But I can’t help but think that there are some similarities between an actor going onstage and a football player going onto the field. Right?
A. Being onstage takes so much preparation. That’s very similar to football, the way you study and critique yourself, and how you think about an opponent and what they’re trying to do. Lots of times things don’t go the way they’re supposed to. If something happens on the field that wasn’t supposed to, you have to switch plays.
Actors just have an incredible amount of talent. It blows my mind. It’s one thing to complete a pass, but if I was trying to sing at the same time, I couldn’t do it.
Q: Do you have any memories of watching the Tonys on TV as a kid?
A: I never watched the Tonys until I came to New York, until I started seeing all the Broadway shows. My first was “The Lion King” when I was 10. I saw “Oliver” and “Stomp” with my dad.
Q: How much grief do you get from your teammates for being so into the theater?
A: A little bit, when they hear my iPod. I’ve got “Jersey Boys,” “Wicked,” “In the Heights” and “Memphis” on there. But they’re cool, even though they’ve given me a hard time. Our tight end, Dustin Keller, loved “Memphis.”
Q: What are the chances of us seeing you on Broadway someday?
A: [Laughs] I don’t know if I could hold it together. I’m a much better shower singer.
[Image via WENN.]
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