BWW Exclusive: Jose Llana on His KING AND I Tour and Why He Believes Hope Trumps Hate

By Wayman Wong

When Jose Llana was 19, "Something Wonderful" happened: The Filipino-American actor made his Broadway bow as Lun Tha, the mellow young lover, in Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's "The King and I." Lou Diamond Phillips played the titanic and titular ruler of Siam in that 1996 Tony-winning revival. Now, two decades later, Llana has followed in Phillips' footsteps as the new King of Broadway, with his glorious voice and regal bearing. What's more, he is taking the 2015 Tony-winning revival across America.

In this Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "The King and I," Llana co-stars with Laura Michelle Kelly (''Finding Neverland''). She plays Anna, the beautiful British schoolteacher who enjoys ''getting to know'' the Siamese monarch and his many wives and children. Having just kicked off in Providence, R.I., the lavish and loving national tour continues Nov. 15-Dec. 11 at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco. From there, the cast goes to Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Washington, D.C., etc., etc.

Someone who has enjoyed watching Llana, 40, get the royal treatment is Phillips himself. The Tony nominee and movie star tweeted: ''Thrilled for my baby boy, Jose Llana, going on the road. Saw his King, he's fabulous! Don't miss him!'' And Bartlett Sher, Llana's Tony-winning director, adds: ''Jose brings such joy and virility and strength to the King. He is one of Broadway's great talents.''

Llana's other New York credits include ''Rent,'' ''Flower Drum Song'' and ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.'' To celebrate the first two decades of his career, he released an acclaimed CD, ''Altitude,'' which includes ''A Puzzlement'' from ''The King and I.'' It was based by his 2015 ''American Songbook'' concert, where the New York Times compared his pop voice to George Michael's.

We chatted with Llana about Rodgers & Hammerstein, the Trumps, Asian-Americans on Broadway and why he's out and proud.

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Congrats on leading the national tour of ''The King and I''! But as we speak, it's Nov. 9, the day after the election, and you've been such a big Hillary Clinton supporter. So I gotta ask: What's your reaction to Donald Trump winning, and how do we move forward?

I was devastated last night and all-day today. I found a lot of comfort in my family and friends as we talked about it. The bottom line is what Hillary said in her speech: If we're gonna be real Americans and live up to what a democracy is for, then we have to follow through with what the public has voted. I'm disappointed, but my job as a citizen is to accept Donald Trump as president and welcome him and challenge him to do as good a job as he can. I also have to double-down on the organizations I believe in. I donated today to Planned Parenthood and the Victory Institute, which supports the LGBTQ leaders of tomorrow. We also have to actively pursue our causes, and Hillary Clinton has inspired me to do that all of my life. I still believe there is hope, and together, we will always be okay.

Back to "The King and I'': You made your Broadway debut in it in 1996. What do you recall about Lou Diamond Phillips as the King?

Lou was a fantastic friend and leader of our company. He almost singlehandedly made us feel like a family from day one. He knew every person's name in the building. Not just the cast, but the crew and the doorman and the wardrobe people. He encouraged everyone to show up for work in a good mood and have fun. I've been so inspired to have him as my first King and mentor.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's ''The King and I'' is now 65 years old. What makes it so timeless?

It's a beautiful story about people from different worlds coming together to find commonality and friendship. That's the core of "The King and I" and why it still connects to every generation that sees it. To touch back on the election and Trump's ban on Muslims and the open racism at his rallies, it's made me realize that when we go on tour, that my castmates and I - we're almost all Asian-Americans - might experience some of that. I've encouraged my company to take the high road and try to be examples of what kindness can be.

Tell us about your Anna: Laura Michelle Kelly (who has raved: ''Jose's amazing. He's 6-foot-tall. He's really beefcake!'').

I've been a big fan of hers since "Mary Poppins.'' Randomly, we lived in the same building for a year. Laura brings a sexy vitality to Anna. We've become such fast friends. After we went to lunch before our first rehearsal, we realized we both wanted to take such good care of our company on the road. That's different than opening a show in New York and going home at night. You're with your company and crew 24/7, going from city to city, especially with the kids. Laura's very caring. And she has the most incredible voice on the planet.

Bartlett Sher boasts that this ''King and I'' is ''the best cast I've put on a tour in the U.S.'' What can you share about your other co-stars: Joan Almedilla (as Lady Thiang), Kavin Panmeechao (as Lun Tha) and Manna Nichols (as Tuptim)?

I've known Joan for years, and I first saw her in ''Miss Saigon.'' Joan is so grounded [as Lady Thiang], and her voice is astonishing. She brings a real stoicness, which is so powerful. And she's so kind. Everyone in our company is so kind. Kavin did "Spelling Bee" about seven years ago and played Chip Tolentino [a role I originated Off-Broadway] and we'd met before. I've always thought of him as a little brother. He's wonderful as Lun Tha. Kavin's a sweet, sweet guy. And Manna is hilarious, and she's a good ol' Southern girl. She can be very giggly. And her voice is amazing. When she sings "My Lord and Master" right off the bat, she gives us a lot to live up to.

By the way, have you ever seen the 1956 Oscar-winning movie of ''The King and I,'' starring Yul Brynner?

A long time ago, I tried to watch it, but halfway through, I stopped. Everyone has Yul Brynner's version in their heads, even how he stands, and I try very hard not to do a Yul Brynner impersonation. It's an honor to re-create the role, especially with Bart, who's gone back to the original script and reinserted lines that strengthened the political atmosphere of the play. Bart also has worked hard on the roles of Anna, Lady Thiang and Tuptim, because, at heart, they're feminist stories. And having these strong women onstage only allows me to be a more powerful King. This production has been beautifully reimagined in a way a lot of people have never seen the show.

I recently rewatched the 1956 movie and was surprised that none of the principal Asian roles were played by Asians. The King of Siam, Lady Thiang, Tuptim, Lun Tha and the Kralahome were all cast with Caucasians or Latinos.

I'm actually very proud to say that, I believe, I'm the first Asian-American [leading man] to take this show on tour from Broadway.

Asian-Americans have made progress. As the reporter who broke the story over the ''Miss Saigon'' casting controversy in 1990, I can attest to that. Back then, the show's casting director claimed he couldn't find any Asians who could play the Engineer.

I was in high school at that time, but I've since become friends with David Henry Hwang and B.D. Wong [who led the protests], and Lea Salonga [who was in ''Miss Saigon'' and was my co-star in ''Flower Drum Song'']. I've heard all their stories. Thank God, it happened and finally gave us a platform. As Asian-Americans, one of the bad stereotypes about us is that we don't speak up and we're the silent minority. But now if they tried to put out this "King and I" tour with a celebrity who was a Caucasian, people would be up in arms. At Lincoln Center, four of us have played the King: Ken Watanabe, Hoon Lee, Daniel Dae Kim and me. If you cast us, we will come.

When you played the King on Broadway, you had a mini-reunion with Ruthie Ann Miles (as Lady Thiang) and Conrad Ricamora (as Lun Tha). In ''Here Lies Love,'' David Byrne's brilliant, Off-Broadway musical at the Public, you played Ferdinand Marcos to Ruthie's Imelda Marcos and Conrad's Benigno Aquino. That show should've moved to Broadway and won a ton of Tonys.

We'll see. I say: Never give up hope. Look at "The Great Comet"; it made it to Broadway. It's encouraging that "Here Lies Love" is being done next year [in a co-production] at Seattle Rep and A.C.T. in San Francisco. They actually asked me to join them, but I'll be tied up with "The King and I" tour [through August 2017]. Maybe some producer with vision and deep pockets will see ''Here Lies Love'' and bring it to Broadway. That was the most incredible professional experience I've ever had, outside of ''The King and I.''

In 2014, Out magazine named you and Conrad (now best-known as Oliver on ABC-TV's "How to Get Away With Murder") in its Out 100. You've become quite a LGBT activist. You recently lent your voice to the Broadway for Orlando recording of ''What the World Needs Now,'' and you delivered such a ringing rendition of ''Make Them Hear You'' (from ''Ragtime'') at a 2009 rally for marriage equality. But you once said you never thought you'd be an openly gay actor. What changed your mind?

When I came out in high school, I was welcomed by a very supportive family and friends. But when I got Lun Tha in 1996, I was 19. I was afraid if a casting director knew I was gay, I wouldn't be cast as a romantic leading man. ... After ''Flower Drum Song'' [2002], I was invited to record an album in the Philippines. The P.R. tried to sell me as a pop star, a sex symbol. Though I had been out for about five or six years, that was an overwhelmingly negative experience. Suddenly, I had to change all my pronouns again and lie about having a girlfriend in the States. When I came back to America, I made a new dedication to living out because [the closet] killed my soul in many dark ways. That's when "Spelling Bee" happened. And within a year, I met my partner [Erik Rose], and we've been together for 11 years. He's got a kind heart, and he's beautifully grounded and stable, which allows me to be the passionately crazy one. And though I'll be on tour with "The King and I'' for a year, Erik's gonna visit me. We have a rule that we see each other at least once every three weeks.

There are a lot of people who are out who are more famous than I am, like my friends Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Matt Bomer and Neil Patrick Harris. The visibility is so important, especially for young gay kids. That's who you do it for. I'm proud I was in the Out 100. I wish I had someone to look up to when I was 16 or 17 and struggling. Thankfully, today's kids can find there's a community on the Internet.

Speaking of gay kids and the Internet, tell me about "Poster Boy," a workshop you did last summer at Williamstown.

"Poster Boy" is based on Tyler Clementi, who was cyberbullied and committed suicide in 2010. The show is a fictionalized musical with a book by Joe Tracz and songs by Craig Carnelia. I played one of the four gay men that Tyler met in a chat room, and the story is about: How do we cope with suicide as survivors? It explores how cyberbullying plays a role in gay life and the loneliness of living online. It's beautiful and very intense. Oskar Eustis at the Public has been nurturing it along, and it also has the support of Tyler's family.

Since we started off this chat with a question about Trump, we might as well wrap up with one. What did you think when Melania Trump recently said, "Our culture has gotten too mean" and that she would fight to protect America's kids from cyberbullying?

I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. The president-elect is one of the biggest cyberbullies out there. I actually doubt she wrote those words herself. Melania has her talents, but I don't think speechwriting is one of them.

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Jose Llana stars in the Lincoln Theater Center production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ''The King and I'' from Nov. 15-Dec. 11 at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco. For more information about its 19-city tour, go to thekinganditour.com.