Graceland - coming June 2013
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Boy Wonder
By Eric Hegedus
June 2, 2013
In February, Aaron Tveit found himself on stage at the Academy Awards — alongside Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe — basking in the acclaim for “Les Miserables.” Tveit played the young revolutionary Enjolras.
This week Tveit, 29, debuts in his first regular series role as a fresh-faced federal agent tackling his first undercover assignment in the USA Network drama “Graceland.”
“You know, I booked ‘Les Mis’ and ‘Graceland’ a couple days apart, and that was insane,” says Tveit, with an aw-shucks affability. “Life is very, very great. I have no complaints.”
On “Graceland,” Tveit stars as Mike Warren, an FBI special agent assigned to live and work with other federal agents in a Southern California beachfront mansion nicknamed Graceland that was seized by the government. The series is based on a real-life undercover communal residence that operated from 1992-2001; its nickname was given by a former owner, a drug lord who was obsessed with Elvis Presley.
The show depicts six agents from the FBI, DEA and US Customs living under the same roof, where they work both individually and collabortively on cases, then decompress by surfing or hanging out by a fire pit on the beach.
Their caseload is invented, but other details — such as the “house rules” stipulating no guns on the first floor or visitors on the second floor, where they sleep and have a communications center — are based on guidelines in place for the real house, says creator and executive producer Jeff Eastin.
The easy-on-the-eyes ensemble cast also includes Daniel Sunjata (“Rescue Me”
as Warren’s mentor, FBI Special Agent Paul Briggs.
Casting the role of Warren was a matter of finding an actor with the right mix of strength and innocence.
“Somebody who has the confidence of a kid who just wandered out of Quantico at the top of his class, but has this kind of charming boyish quality that I wanted — that was tough to find in a really attractive package, which obviously Aaron is,” Eastin says. “He really was so, so what I’d written.”
Born in Middletown, NY, Tveit’s talent became evident at an early age. He learned to play the violin in kindergarten. He took up the French horn and joined the choir in fourth grade. By high school, he was juggling play rehearsals and practice for soccer, basketball and golf.
“I’d go to school at 7:30 in the morning and wouldn’t get home until 9 or 10 at night,” he says.
Tveit interrupted study for a degree in theater at Ithaca College to join the national tour of “Rent”; he went back for one semester before joining Broadway’s “Hairspray,” as Link Larkin. He never returned to college, but his stage work, including a starring role as jet-setting con man Frank Abagnale Jr. in the 2011 musical “Catch Me If You Can,” earned him academic credit and he finished required course work on line.
“My first graduation date was 2005, and I eventually graduated in 2012. So, yeah, I was on the 11-year plan,” he says, with a laugh.
Cast in the film version of “Les Miserables” in 2011, he says co-star Jackman diminished any butterflies he had about doing the movie.
“I went to see Hugh’s one-man show on Broadway after I’d gotten it. In the middle of the show, in front of the whole audience, he congratulated me,” he says. “That’s the kind of gracious and amazing person he is. Someone like him leading the company really put my nerves at ease.”
Although Tveit doesn’t sing in “Graceland,” he still gives his voice a workout. Between takes on the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., set, Tveit often bursts into song, to the amusement of cast and crew, with samples of R&B tunes (like the racy 2000 hit “Thong Song” by Sisqó) and tween-pop fare like “Give Your Heart a Break” by Demi Lovato.
“I kinda don’t know I’m doing it at times,” he says. “People have said it’s very funny how random it is. Anything could come out of my mouth.”
On hiatus last month, he also performed his first solo cabaret act during a sold-out, six-day run at the New York club 54 Below. A professed Taylor Swift fan, he did a cheeky rendition of her hit “We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together” that left fans — female and male, young and much older — swaying, clapping and laughing along.
That kind of reception boosts his popularity, but Tveit, who has a girlfriend and has lived in Astoria for six years, takes this thing called fame in stride.
In March, when web site BuzzFeed posted a swooning photo pictorial of the six-foot actor smiling, dancing and, yes, shirtless — titled “The 42 Most Seductively Charming Aaron Tveit Moments Of All Time” — he wasn’t fazed.
“Yeah, somebody sent me that; I had no idea what it was. I clicked on it, got to about the first two things and immediately closed it,” he says, laughing. “If anybody tells you they wouldn’t be flattered, they’re lying. It only means, on a base level, people are responding positively to the work that I’m doing. So for that, I’m utterly grateful.”
GRACELAND; Thursday, 10 p.m., USA
Source: NYPost
By Eric Hegedus
June 2, 2013
In February, Aaron Tveit found himself on stage at the Academy Awards — alongside Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe — basking in the acclaim for “Les Miserables.” Tveit played the young revolutionary Enjolras.
This week Tveit, 29, debuts in his first regular series role as a fresh-faced federal agent tackling his first undercover assignment in the USA Network drama “Graceland.”
“You know, I booked ‘Les Mis’ and ‘Graceland’ a couple days apart, and that was insane,” says Tveit, with an aw-shucks affability. “Life is very, very great. I have no complaints.”
On “Graceland,” Tveit stars as Mike Warren, an FBI special agent assigned to live and work with other federal agents in a Southern California beachfront mansion nicknamed Graceland that was seized by the government. The series is based on a real-life undercover communal residence that operated from 1992-2001; its nickname was given by a former owner, a drug lord who was obsessed with Elvis Presley.
The show depicts six agents from the FBI, DEA and US Customs living under the same roof, where they work both individually and collabortively on cases, then decompress by surfing or hanging out by a fire pit on the beach.
Their caseload is invented, but other details — such as the “house rules” stipulating no guns on the first floor or visitors on the second floor, where they sleep and have a communications center — are based on guidelines in place for the real house, says creator and executive producer Jeff Eastin.
The easy-on-the-eyes ensemble cast also includes Daniel Sunjata (“Rescue Me”
as Warren’s mentor, FBI Special Agent Paul Briggs.Casting the role of Warren was a matter of finding an actor with the right mix of strength and innocence.
“Somebody who has the confidence of a kid who just wandered out of Quantico at the top of his class, but has this kind of charming boyish quality that I wanted — that was tough to find in a really attractive package, which obviously Aaron is,” Eastin says. “He really was so, so what I’d written.”
Born in Middletown, NY, Tveit’s talent became evident at an early age. He learned to play the violin in kindergarten. He took up the French horn and joined the choir in fourth grade. By high school, he was juggling play rehearsals and practice for soccer, basketball and golf.
“I’d go to school at 7:30 in the morning and wouldn’t get home until 9 or 10 at night,” he says.
Tveit interrupted study for a degree in theater at Ithaca College to join the national tour of “Rent”; he went back for one semester before joining Broadway’s “Hairspray,” as Link Larkin. He never returned to college, but his stage work, including a starring role as jet-setting con man Frank Abagnale Jr. in the 2011 musical “Catch Me If You Can,” earned him academic credit and he finished required course work on line.
“My first graduation date was 2005, and I eventually graduated in 2012. So, yeah, I was on the 11-year plan,” he says, with a laugh.
Cast in the film version of “Les Miserables” in 2011, he says co-star Jackman diminished any butterflies he had about doing the movie.
“I went to see Hugh’s one-man show on Broadway after I’d gotten it. In the middle of the show, in front of the whole audience, he congratulated me,” he says. “That’s the kind of gracious and amazing person he is. Someone like him leading the company really put my nerves at ease.”
Although Tveit doesn’t sing in “Graceland,” he still gives his voice a workout. Between takes on the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., set, Tveit often bursts into song, to the amusement of cast and crew, with samples of R&B tunes (like the racy 2000 hit “Thong Song” by Sisqó) and tween-pop fare like “Give Your Heart a Break” by Demi Lovato.
“I kinda don’t know I’m doing it at times,” he says. “People have said it’s very funny how random it is. Anything could come out of my mouth.”
On hiatus last month, he also performed his first solo cabaret act during a sold-out, six-day run at the New York club 54 Below. A professed Taylor Swift fan, he did a cheeky rendition of her hit “We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together” that left fans — female and male, young and much older — swaying, clapping and laughing along.
That kind of reception boosts his popularity, but Tveit, who has a girlfriend and has lived in Astoria for six years, takes this thing called fame in stride.
In March, when web site BuzzFeed posted a swooning photo pictorial of the six-foot actor smiling, dancing and, yes, shirtless — titled “The 42 Most Seductively Charming Aaron Tveit Moments Of All Time” — he wasn’t fazed.
“Yeah, somebody sent me that; I had no idea what it was. I clicked on it, got to about the first two things and immediately closed it,” he says, laughing. “If anybody tells you they wouldn’t be flattered, they’re lying. It only means, on a base level, people are responding positively to the work that I’m doing. So for that, I’m utterly grateful.”
GRACELAND; Thursday, 10 p.m., USA
Source: NYPost
Daniel Sunjata and Aaron Tveit on The Today Show (June 5, 2013) talking about Graceland (and showing of their NERF marksmanship)
'Graceland' stars Aaron Tveit and Daniel Sunjata take the EW Pop Culture Personality Test --
The video for the interview is also on the site here
Aaron Tveit and Daniel Sunjata are unflinchingly serious as undercover FBI agents in the new series Graceland (premiering tonight on USA), but the Les Mis breakout and the Smash alum let loose for EW’s Pop Culture Personality Test. Watch below as they discuss life-changing fan letters, Friday Night Lights tearjerkers, and funky smells at a Cypress Hill concert.
Tveit and Sunjata got back to business to discuss Graceland‘s freshman season. In the series (which was inspired by a real California beach house shared by the FBI, DEA, and Customs agencies), Tveit plays Mike Warren, a Quantico hotshot assigned to live in a house with five other agents. “Mike has all the knowledge in the world but not tactical or field experience, so he comes in and has to figure out everything really quickly,” says Tveit. “Mike learning how to hang and learning the ropes is a big dynamic this season.”
mong the roommates is Mike’s de facto mentor Paul Briggs (Sunjata), who brings more calm confidence to the table — along with a boatload of secrets. “He’s trying to be zen,” says Sunjata, but “his spirituality is an outgrowth of his inner turmoil. He’s seeking peace through the lens of his chosen spiritual path. He’s a very conflicted, fun character to play.” (For the record, Sunjata promises details about Briggs’ past will start to roll out around episode 4.)
Though it seems like there couldn’t be much deception within such tight quarters, this is a show about professional liars. As such, “There’s this Russian doll effect,” adds Sunjata. “We’re actors who are playing undercover narcs who lie for a living and then actually have to keep secrets with each other as well. The layers and dimensions of the relationship between Briggs and Mike actually make for great TV. It’s very entertaining.”
Between a Point Break-esque mix of sun, sand, and sting ops, Sunjata says the show grapples with plenty of “moral ambiguity — the line between right and wrong and whether or not ends justify means. We go further and further into the exploration of that as the season progresses.” Tveit teases, “We have to not only let some crimes happen, we actually have to participate in them.” Sunjata completes the thought: “Swim with the sharks, you have to be one.”
It’s something Sunjata know about. In addition to learning how to handle weapons, both actors had to shred the surf for the role. “I’d actually never even held a surfboard, let alone try to stand on one, before we shot our surfing scenes for the show,” reveals Sunjata. “I was definitely the worst of the bunch. I literally did chum the water with my lunch, unfortunately. That’s the very embarrassing story of me on the surfboard — especially since I’m supposed to be an expert surfer on the show. Thank God for stuntmen.”
Source: EW
The video for the interview is also on the site here
Aaron Tveit and Daniel Sunjata are unflinchingly serious as undercover FBI agents in the new series Graceland (premiering tonight on USA), but the Les Mis breakout and the Smash alum let loose for EW’s Pop Culture Personality Test. Watch below as they discuss life-changing fan letters, Friday Night Lights tearjerkers, and funky smells at a Cypress Hill concert.
Tveit and Sunjata got back to business to discuss Graceland‘s freshman season. In the series (which was inspired by a real California beach house shared by the FBI, DEA, and Customs agencies), Tveit plays Mike Warren, a Quantico hotshot assigned to live in a house with five other agents. “Mike has all the knowledge in the world but not tactical or field experience, so he comes in and has to figure out everything really quickly,” says Tveit. “Mike learning how to hang and learning the ropes is a big dynamic this season.”
mong the roommates is Mike’s de facto mentor Paul Briggs (Sunjata), who brings more calm confidence to the table — along with a boatload of secrets. “He’s trying to be zen,” says Sunjata, but “his spirituality is an outgrowth of his inner turmoil. He’s seeking peace through the lens of his chosen spiritual path. He’s a very conflicted, fun character to play.” (For the record, Sunjata promises details about Briggs’ past will start to roll out around episode 4.)
Though it seems like there couldn’t be much deception within such tight quarters, this is a show about professional liars. As such, “There’s this Russian doll effect,” adds Sunjata. “We’re actors who are playing undercover narcs who lie for a living and then actually have to keep secrets with each other as well. The layers and dimensions of the relationship between Briggs and Mike actually make for great TV. It’s very entertaining.”
Between a Point Break-esque mix of sun, sand, and sting ops, Sunjata says the show grapples with plenty of “moral ambiguity — the line between right and wrong and whether or not ends justify means. We go further and further into the exploration of that as the season progresses.” Tveit teases, “We have to not only let some crimes happen, we actually have to participate in them.” Sunjata completes the thought: “Swim with the sharks, you have to be one.”
It’s something Sunjata know about. In addition to learning how to handle weapons, both actors had to shred the surf for the role. “I’d actually never even held a surfboard, let alone try to stand on one, before we shot our surfing scenes for the show,” reveals Sunjata. “I was definitely the worst of the bunch. I literally did chum the water with my lunch, unfortunately. That’s the very embarrassing story of me on the surfboard — especially since I’m supposed to be an expert surfer on the show. Thank God for stuntmen.”
Source: EW
Aaron Tveit Opens Up About Transitioning from Broadway to 'Graceland' (JJ Interview!)
Check out our brand new interview with Graceland star Aaron Tveit!
The 29-year-old actor is best known for his extensive Broadway background (Hairspray, Wicked, Catch Me If You Can) and recent role as Enjolras in the Oscar-winning adaptation of Les Miserables.
Now, Aaron is starring in Graceland as an FBI rookie who anticipates a traditional D.C. desk job when he’s unexpectedly shipped to a home known as “Graceland” where he lives with a group of undercover agents.
He gave JJ the scoop on what we can expect from the show, which premieres TONIGHT @ 10PM on USA!
JustJared: You have a background in theatre, film, and you’ve even done a little TV here and there. What made you want to do Graceland and why TV now?
Aaron Tveit: I’m happy to be doing a drama, even though it’s a lighter drama. It’s kind of the stuff that I watch, frankly. I’m a big hour-long drama television watcher. When we really got into the teeth of it, I thought that this is a show that I would like to watch. So that was a big sign for me. It’s been great.
I never did pilot season because I was never available. I did Gossip Girl and I did guest spots in New York, which was great because I feel like really got to cut my teeth with those guest spots in New York. But after Catch Me If You Can, it was the first time I’ve been completely available. I didn’t have another show development on stage. I didn’t have a plan that television was going to be next. It might sound cheesy, but I said whatever I read that was great, that was what I was going to go for. At the time, I was auditioning for Les Mis and I also read the Graceland pilot. I liked the pilot because, different from Tripp Vanderbilt, I thought Mike was a really good guy who had good intentions. No matter what, he was going to go at everything in a positive way. I liked that off the bat. I thought it was different and I hadn’t done that yet. But then also that it was going to shoot on the beach. And I was just really drawn to the writing. I got this and found out I got Les Mis two days later, so that was crazy. It was really exciting.
JJ: Tell us more about your character, Mike.
AT: Mike is a great guy, a really smart guy, but I see some bad stuff. I thought it was going to be very interesting how I’m changed. Especially my relationship with Daniel [Sunjata]‘s character. I feel like they are very similar, but they’re each on one side of right and wrong. I thought it was going to be neat to see how each of us would be affected by each other. It’s a great part.
JJ: You surf in the pilot. Had you ever done that prior to filming?
AT: I only surfed once before the pilot, but it was perfect because I was supposed to be terrible at surfing. They were like, ‘You think you can go out there and fall and make it look good?’ I was like, ‘Got it. No acting at all.’ It was great.
JJ: There are ads for this show, literally, all over New York City. That has to be pretty surreal.
AT: The other day, I was getting on the subway and I had my headphones on and I was standing in front of one of them and didn’t notice it. I was like, ‘Oh! OK, move down a little bit’ (laughs). And the double-decker buses wrapped in them is pretty insane.”
JJ: What can you tell us about the rest of the season?
AT: As an undercover agent, I have these things that I know are right and there’s a way to do it. But for instance, I get in this long undercover operation. And to get the big picture, you need to be OK with all these little things going on. So that’s what gets tested. The morality of being an undercover agent comes up later on because I particularly witness a lot that I basically let happen to get to the big picture. So basically, what makes me different than the criminal that I’m investigating? So I think that’s a big question for me as the season goes on. I’ve always wanted to be an FBI agent. I really get a sense of what that is, and then I have to make a choice of whether or not I’m OK with that. Because you really need to let a lot of stuff go. There’s a lot of gray area.
Source: JustJared
Check out our brand new interview with Graceland star Aaron Tveit!
The 29-year-old actor is best known for his extensive Broadway background (Hairspray, Wicked, Catch Me If You Can) and recent role as Enjolras in the Oscar-winning adaptation of Les Miserables.
Now, Aaron is starring in Graceland as an FBI rookie who anticipates a traditional D.C. desk job when he’s unexpectedly shipped to a home known as “Graceland” where he lives with a group of undercover agents.
He gave JJ the scoop on what we can expect from the show, which premieres TONIGHT @ 10PM on USA!
JustJared: You have a background in theatre, film, and you’ve even done a little TV here and there. What made you want to do Graceland and why TV now?
Aaron Tveit: I’m happy to be doing a drama, even though it’s a lighter drama. It’s kind of the stuff that I watch, frankly. I’m a big hour-long drama television watcher. When we really got into the teeth of it, I thought that this is a show that I would like to watch. So that was a big sign for me. It’s been great.
I never did pilot season because I was never available. I did Gossip Girl and I did guest spots in New York, which was great because I feel like really got to cut my teeth with those guest spots in New York. But after Catch Me If You Can, it was the first time I’ve been completely available. I didn’t have another show development on stage. I didn’t have a plan that television was going to be next. It might sound cheesy, but I said whatever I read that was great, that was what I was going to go for. At the time, I was auditioning for Les Mis and I also read the Graceland pilot. I liked the pilot because, different from Tripp Vanderbilt, I thought Mike was a really good guy who had good intentions. No matter what, he was going to go at everything in a positive way. I liked that off the bat. I thought it was different and I hadn’t done that yet. But then also that it was going to shoot on the beach. And I was just really drawn to the writing. I got this and found out I got Les Mis two days later, so that was crazy. It was really exciting.
JJ: Tell us more about your character, Mike.
AT: Mike is a great guy, a really smart guy, but I see some bad stuff. I thought it was going to be very interesting how I’m changed. Especially my relationship with Daniel [Sunjata]‘s character. I feel like they are very similar, but they’re each on one side of right and wrong. I thought it was going to be neat to see how each of us would be affected by each other. It’s a great part.
JJ: You surf in the pilot. Had you ever done that prior to filming?
AT: I only surfed once before the pilot, but it was perfect because I was supposed to be terrible at surfing. They were like, ‘You think you can go out there and fall and make it look good?’ I was like, ‘Got it. No acting at all.’ It was great.
JJ: There are ads for this show, literally, all over New York City. That has to be pretty surreal.
AT: The other day, I was getting on the subway and I had my headphones on and I was standing in front of one of them and didn’t notice it. I was like, ‘Oh! OK, move down a little bit’ (laughs). And the double-decker buses wrapped in them is pretty insane.”
JJ: What can you tell us about the rest of the season?
AT: As an undercover agent, I have these things that I know are right and there’s a way to do it. But for instance, I get in this long undercover operation. And to get the big picture, you need to be OK with all these little things going on. So that’s what gets tested. The morality of being an undercover agent comes up later on because I particularly witness a lot that I basically let happen to get to the big picture. So basically, what makes me different than the criminal that I’m investigating? So I think that’s a big question for me as the season goes on. I’ve always wanted to be an FBI agent. I really get a sense of what that is, and then I have to make a choice of whether or not I’m OK with that. Because you really need to let a lot of stuff go. There’s a lot of gray area.
Source: JustJared