Can you imagine better casting for the role of Audrey II in the upcomingLittle Shop of Horrorsmovie thanBilly Porter? I certainly can’t, and I say as much in the clip above from an upcoming episode of Collider Connected. In celebration of the FX seriesPose- an absolute must-see if you haven’t watched it already - Porter was generous enough to take a moment to talk about some upcoming projects and that, of course, includesGreg Berlanti’s take onLittle Shop of Horrors.
It all began with theRoger Corman-directed feature film in 1960 that went on to inspire the hugely popular stage music of the 80s which was then adapted into the 1986 film that starredRick Moranisas Seymour,Ellen Greeneas Audrey,Steve Martinas Dr. Scrivello and, of course,Levi Stubbsvoicing the giant man-eating plant, Audrey II. It’s a truly iconic voice performance so Porter does have his work cut out for him with this one, but he’s got history with the material and certainly seems keen on going big with the role. Here’s what he told me when asked how he’s approaching the part:
“This was one of the musicals that is from my generation, from the 80s, so I’ve known it, the songs have been my audition songs for years. And I was also in the out-of-town revival tryout before it went to Broadway back in 2002, and I got let go from that so I’ve already played the voice of the plant. And I just approached it from the standpoint of what it truly is; it’s kind of like the Faustian story. It’s kind of like the devil story. Like, ‘Sell your soul to me and I’ll give you everything you want.’ He’s a villain! And I don’t get to play villains very often, so get ready because he’s gonna be everything. All of the things! I’m gonna use all of the different ranges of the voice!”
Our last update onLittle Shop of Horrorscamein Februarywhen it was revealed thatChris Evanswas in talks to take the role of dentist Orin Scrivello. It was also previously reported thatTaron Egertonwas in negotiations to play Seymour andScarlett Johanssonwas circling the role of Audrey to round out the main ensemble.
That’s all from Porter onLittle Shop of Horrors, but we covered a lot more in his full episode of Collider Connected. You’ll have to wait until mid-June for that, but keep an eye out for another short clip from the conversation aboutPoseand, in particular, how starMj Rodriguezdeserves even more acclaim for her performance coming to Collider soon!
