Sherri Shepherd makes Broadway history playing Genie in 'Aladdin'
NEW YORK -- Sherri Shepherd is making Broadway history as the first woman to play the Genie in "Aladdin."
Shepherd sat down with entertainment reporter Joelle Garguilo to talk about taking on the iconic role and how she is bringing her own perspective to the character.
"It's a lot of bro stuff going on with the Genie and Aladdin. But I'm a woman, and I'm a mother, and Aladdin doesn't have a mother. So automatically, it's more nurturing," Shepherd said. "I think there's one where they're supposed to fist bump, and they would teach me. I said, who's the... Women don't... We don't be doing that fist bumping thing, and I grabbed his face. And if I was in my twenties, I'd be like, Jasmine, who? But here, it's like more he's the son, and she's very proud of him."
Shepherd said taking on the role was intimidating at first.
"My mantra is do things that scare you. I was so scared, and I go, yeah. This is an iconic role. How am I gonna live up to that? But then I had to say, but who are you, Sherri? As soon as you come out with all 92 of your teeth, you know, and smile. And then I had to go, but they have nothing... Nobody has anything to compare it to. You’re the first," she said.
Shepherd also talked about the physical demands of performing "Friend Like Me."
"You know, the song is seven minutes and fifty-two seconds," Shepherd said. "Yeah. I'm gonna bow down to every Broadway actor who... This is not for the faint of heart. I got on the stage. I didn't stretch. I was like, oh, I got this. I did one kick. I was like, oh, OK. Alright. Can somebody help me? But I do it all."
Shepherd also reflected on how she got her start, recalling the support she received while working as a legal secretary.
"I was a legal secretary. It was $600 to take a stand-up class, and the legal secretaries and the attorneys contributed money because they believed in me, and it changed the trajectory of my life," she said.
Shepherd said those former colleagues are coming from California for opening night.
"They're very, very proud of me," she said.
When Garguilo asked what she would say if her 10-year-old self were sitting in the audience, Shepherd said, "I would look at her and go, look what we accomplished. Keep dreaming, and I'll fulfill them."
Shepherd said she also hopes girls in the audience see new possibilities through her portrayal of the Genie.
"I cannot wait to see a little girl in a Genie costume so that she can think, I'm the one granting the wishes. I'm the one that's got the power. They just have to see it," she said.
And Shepherd had a final invitation for theatergoers: "Bring your girlfriends. Bring your date night. Bring who you met on Bumble. Come on. Bring them on in."
