GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
MMH: I am playing Joe, patriarch of the Keller family. The two most important things in Joe's life are family and money. He is a person who was living on the streets at the age of ten. He had to use whatever wit he had to survive. He is not an educated man, but he is street-smart and he knows people. He knows how to manipulate them and how to get what he needs from them. He is willing to go to any length to protect his family and his business. The loss of his business is a major threat to a self-made man like Joe. His lack of education would make it very difficult, nearly impossible, for him to start over and build a new business to pass on to his son, Chris. To Joe, nothing is bigger or more important than the relationship between a father and his son; God, nor the universe, are bigger than this.
GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows, either at GCP or another theater.
MMH: I worked with a Shakespeare in the Park company in California for about 6 seasons. I was one their principal actors and was blessed with the opportunity to play many great roles during my time with them. I was in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" (Oberon), "Romeo and Juliet" (Friar Laurence), "Twelfth Night" (Malvolio), "Much Ado About Nothing" (Don Pedro), "The Tempest" (King Alonso), and "The Taming of The Shrew" (Baptista).
My initial training as an actor was at the Los Angeles Theatre Academy. I still regard the time I spent there as one of the best in my life so far. I am still very close with the theatre family I made there and still receive a great deal of encouragement and artistic support from them.
GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "All My Sons"?
MMH: I love this story and have wanted to be part of telling it for a long time. I read it so long ago and it seemed like I would never be old enough to play Joe. Well, I don't know if it's good or bad, but someone thought I was finally old enough!
I love Joe and have a great deal of empathy for him. I did not think I would get the role and auditioned for the experience and also to put myself out in front of the greater theatre community of Gainesville. As a graduate student in the MFA Acting program at UF, it is so challenging to expand the microcosm you find yourself in as you work and and train and study. I was hoping I would get an opportunity to do that with this production. I am glad to say I have met some great people and have made good friends during this production.
GCP Girl: What is your favorite scene in the show, and why?
MMH: I really like the one-on-one scenes Joe has with Chris and Kate. You get to see his weaknesses and his vulnerability in those scenes. You also get to see his loyalty, love, passion, and tenderness in the scene where Chris tells him he is going to ask Annie to marry him. I think this is my favorite scene.
GCP Girl: What about this show has challenged or inspired you, as an actor and as a person?
MMH: This is a very hard role to play! Joe's thought process is so unlike my own. He may not be book-smart, but he is people-smart. He stays two steps ahead of everyone the majority of the time he is on stage. Joe doesn't always live in the moment. He thinks ahead. It took me a while to get this and to find his thought-rhythm. Once I figured that out, other things, like his physical life and physical vocabulary, began to fall in place. Every night, as I wind down after a performance, I can think of all kinds of new things I have figured out about him. He has big shoes to fill and I am still growing into them!
GCP Girl: Why should people see "All My Sons"?
MMH: "All My Sons" is such a uniquely American story. What are parents willing to sacrifice in order to create a better life for their children? What lengths is a parent willing to go to in order to give their children more than they had? As children, do we have the right to condemn our parents for the choices they made while trying to build a better life for us when we realize their choices violate our own personal values? If you can relate to those questions, see this play!
GCP Girl: What plays or musicals would you like to see GCP produce in an upcoming season?
MMH: I would like to see them take more risks. Produce plays that challenge us to break out of our comfort zones.
GCP Girl: What is your dream role?
MMH: Willie Loman in "Death of a Salesman."
GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
MMH: I am grateful for this moment!!! Thank you!!!
Thanks, Michael! This is the last week to see this American classic, so get your tickets today!
xo xo GCP Girl
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