Why are you choosing to use your voice, your clout, and your power behind this show, Bernadette: The Musical, with such a strong message?
It’s a good message. It’s a truth that echoes throughout the ages and has a story to tell again, and again, and again. When these things happen, we celebrate them. This is a story that perseveres through time because they still speak to us now.
Is there a specific time or moment where you knew this was a project that you wanted to be involved in?
The last time I toured the Vatican, I met a priest who took us behind the Sistine Chapel. There’s a room behind the chapel called the room of tears. Inside this room, there is a small papal vestment and when the new Pope is elected, he walks into that room, and that’s the moment when they always cry. What’s happened is extraordinary and suddenly they’re carrying the keys. It was an extraordinary thing to see. One day, someone said to me, “I know this guy Pierre, a French guy, who is doing a musical about Saint Bernadette, can I introduce you?” I said sure, and Pierre sent me a video of it. The young woman who plays Saint Bernadette is remarkable and I thought that this was a performance that people should see.
You said there’s a truth that runs through the show that people need to know, what is that?
It’s about witnessing the strength of God, the strength of the relationship that we have with the creator and the gifts that he continues to give to us through any number of people. It’s about experiences and revelations.
When did it happen for you that you felt you were given gifts from God?
It happened during my childhood and then I lost that feeling when my sister was killed. I went through a sort of crisis of faith, but I honestly just sort of dismissed it for a while.
What sustained you throughout everything?
Maybe acting sustained me in a lot of ways. It deals with truths, and that got me through.
Do you have a favorite character that you’ve ever played?
My favorite role that I’ve ever played was actually Tom Kane, the Mayor of Chicago, on Boss. He loved Chicago, with all its blemishes and faults, the City of Big Shoulders, and he was the king.
What do you hope, in this moment, with this play coming out, that the audience walks away with?
What I hope is that they understand that there’s really something beyond all of this. I hope they understand that the Kingdom of Heaven is right there, that it’s at hand. You can always reach and get it.
Hear more from my conversation with Kelsey Grammar.
Watch the new season of the Whitney Reynolds Show, April 13th on PBS, to see the full interview.