Cheyenne on Baldwin, Fey and Good Looks

On today's episode of WHATEVER WITH ALEXIS & JENNIFER (airs weekdays on Hallmark Channel at 12PM ET) Cheyenne Jackson of 30 Rock chatted with hosts Jennifer Koppelman Hutt and Alexis Stewart about what he has learned from costars Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey and the challenges of transitioning from Broadway to television. He also talked about the gift and curse of being beautiful saying, "It's my job to prove to people that I actually have a brain and I actually have talent."

Below, BroadwayWorld brings you excerpts from the conversation.

CHEYENNE ON LEARNING FROM 30 ROCK COSTAR, Alec Baldwin:

J: What kind of tips does Alec give you?

CJ: Well, first of all Alec loves, not unlike this studio, he likes to be very cold. Cold for comedy- that's the rule in show business. It keeps you awake, it keeps you alert. If you're hot then you're like schlumpy in your seat.

A: Why can't there be a happy medium? Because I go into snow sleep if it's too cold.

CJ: You just kind of hunker down and start to hibernate?

A: Yeah. I start yawning actually.

CJ: Cold for comedy has always been the rule.

A: You know why? Because men rule the world and they are all wearing suits. I'm not wrong.

J: I don't think that's it. I think the men like what happens to the women when they are cold.

CJ: I think a little of column A and a little of column B (points to each girl).

ON CHEYENNE'S TRANSITION FROM BROADWAY TO TELEVISION:

J: How was the transition from Broadway to television?

CJ: It's challenging... It's a struggle because on Broadway every gesture you do has to be able to "fill the room" (in a dramatic voice)... and in television, I remember my first television thing, I think it was "Lipstick Jungle"... I had a small part, but the director was saying, "Your eyes are so big so don't look around too much." I guess I was making her nervous or dizzy with my eyes... And that's really what I have learned from Alec [Baldwin] AND Tina [Fey] especially. Just that the flick of your eye is huge because the television is huge.

CHEYENNE ON THE BLESSING AND CURSE OF BEING BEAUTIFUL:

J: When you grow up looking like this (pointing to Cheyenne), is life just easy?

CJ: There's no right way to answer that question (laughs)... It's a blessing and a curse I think. You know, people like to put you in a box [because] you look a certain way so you can only do this or this... as an actor, the most annoying thing in the world is to hear beautiful actors say "It's hard for people to take me seriously because I'm so beautiful." So it's my job to prove to people that I actually have a brain and I actually have talent...

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.