Drew Gehling Has Prepared His Whole Life for ‘Almost Famous’
The Waitress star shows off his comedic side as a preening rocker
Gehling vividly remembers the first time he saw the movie, when he was working at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in 2003. “It was the first time I ever heard ‘Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,’ which is now one of my favorite Elton John songs,” he says. “It stuck with me because everything about the film represented the B-sides—songs that you didn’t necessarily know immediately, but upon further research you really got to go deep into the essence of these bands.”
Drew Gehling and Chris Wood in 'Almost Famous;' photo by Matthew Murphy
Jason Lee played Jeff Bebe in the film, a performance Gehling calls “brilliant… he’s able to be such a misanthrope yet also deeply touching and human.” However, like all the roles he’s played on stage that were originated by other actors on screen, Gehling didn’t want to do an impression or parody; he’s putting his own stamp on the part. He says the movie “is a beautiful and wonderful thing that people have a lot of attachment to and a lot of love for, but it’s not the same thing” as the musical. “They exist in completely different worlds and completely different ways and complement each other.”
In both the movie and the musical (which features a book by Crowe and songs by Crowe and Tony winner Tom Kitt), Jeff is resentful that the sexy, brooding guitarist, Russell Hammond (Chris Wood) is becoming the face of the group. But while Lee made Jeff angry, Gehling leans into the lighter side of the character as he “peacocks around the stage like a fool.” His ’70s rocker look—outrageous outfits designed by David Zinn and a flowing wig created by Luc Verschueren—helped him find Jeff’s essence. Gehling even named the wig—she’s called Vanessa. “She’s very temperamental,” he jokes. “I’m jumping and moving constantly, so I spend half the show just pulling her out of my mouth. I put those boots and jeans on, and that wig goes on my head and the entire way I carry myself changes. Jeff is a person who leads with his hips and lets his hair flow in the breeze and is always aware that that’s happening.”
Even though Jeff and Russell have different goals for the band, they share history and chemistry. That camaraderie carried over to Gehling and Wood’s relationship as they made music together in rehearsals. “We effectively existed as a band from the moment we started working,” Gehling says, adding that one time, just for fun, they were singing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” (which underscores a scene in the movie), and Crowe liked it so much he put it in the show.
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Almost Famous is also frequently available at the TKTS Booths.
Linda Buchwald tweets about theatre at @PataphysicalSci. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.
tweets about theatre at @PataphysicalSci. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.