Aaron Tveit (‘Schmigadoon!’) plays it ‘as ridiculous as possible’ in a ‘much bigger’ Season 2 [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“I’m quite a light and silly person in my real life, so this is much more the way that I am in friends,” reveals Aaron Tveit of his character in “Schmigadoon!” He portrays Topher in Season 2 of the Apple TV+ series, the leader of a hippie tribe with a penchant for parables. The role is a welcome departure from the emotionally wrought figures that Tveit is accustomed to playing. Instead, the musical world of Season 2’s Schmicago allowed the actor to be “as ridiculous as possible.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Tveit describes the sophomore season of the comedy series as “much bigger” than the first outing. This season pays homage to musicals of the 1960s and 70s, which covers a wide range of tones and styles. Plenty of time is spent in a dark, brooding atmosphere inspired by the likes of “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” and “Sweeney Todd.” But Tveit’s hippie tribe offers a nice bit of levity in contrast, as it pulls inspiration from “Godspell,” “Hair,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
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Topher’s laid back, yet ultimately self absorbed, demeanor gets under the skin of Keegan-Michael Key’s Josh. Watching Tveit make Key uncomfortable is one of the highlights of the season. This is especially true in Tveit’s “Doorway to Where” number, in which he continually steps on Josh’s lines and emotional arc in order to wax poetically about his own unrealized greatness. The actor describes Key as a “gracious” scene partner. “He gave me the space” to work on ways to aggravate him, according to Tveit. “We had so much fun.”
Equally as fun to watch is Tveit’s scenes with Dove Cameron, as Jenny and Topher strike up an unlikely relationship. The two actors barely met during Season 1, as they shared all but one scene together and Covid protocols kept them isolated. But Tveit and Cameron were paired together for a series of press appearances, which he believes inspired the writers to continue the pairing on screen. “I think that they saw that we had chemistry just doing Zoom interviews together,” he says with a laugh. He continues, “we were instantly friends and instantly fell in together. We have the same kind of approach and work ethic.
Tveit won a Tony Award in 2021 for his lead performance in “Moulin Rouge!,” a show for which he recently completed a return engagement. During his acceptance speech he encouraged the industry to tell “the stories by the many not the few, for the many not the few.” Elaborating on this sentiment years later, the actor notes that everyone who pursued theater was looking for a tribe. “Looking for someplace where they could feel accepted and seen, and not judged,” he explains. But the industry has not always lived up to supporting those ideals. “It’s our job to strive to have the business of theater reflect what all of us got into this for,” says Tveit with determination.
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