‘The Masked Singer's' Matthew Lawrence on paying tribute to Robin Williams, asking famous girlfriend's permission to sing ‘Unpretty'
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Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
Matthew Lawrence was the first celebrity from the Lucky 6 to be unmasked on The Masked Singer. The actor and podcast host was voted out Wednesday after performing "Unpretty" by TLC on the Fox reality-competition series.
"It felt like I was a hermit crab without its shell," Lawrence tells Gold Derby about removing the mask (watch the video interview above). "It was not the most enjoyable part of the experience. I have stage fright when it comes to singing in front of crowds so this was getting over a fear for me. The saving grace was that I was Paparazzo — a character — that felt familiar to me as an actor. That's what grounded me and kept me from losing my nerve. I didn't want to be me out there."
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In Paparazzo's second clue package this season, many of the hints were about Lawrence's role in Mrs. Doubtfire opposite the late Robin Williams. "It was a pretty epic experience," he recounts. "The crew had just gotten off of Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus, Robin Williams. He changed my life. He really took me under his wing and gave me advice about navigating the business — not just as an artist, but as a human being. I miss him dearly. I'm honored that I got a chance to do that."
As a tribute to Williams, Paparazzo sang "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley during "Shrek Night." Lawrence calls the performance "spiritual" and says, "That was the one moment throughout the whole show — the sweat, the rods [in my back], the big helmet, and not being able to breathe — I had a moment where I was able to just sing to the audience. I lost myself and I was like, 'I'm doing it!' I had that for a second, so that was what was really special for me."
SEE Candace Cameron Bure says Bob Saget 'would have been pumping my tires up' as Cherry Blossom on 'The Masked Singer'
For his final performance in the Lucky 6, the actor admits he had "just a little help" from his famous girlfriend, Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas of TLC. He took on her trio's number one hit, "Unpretty," before his big reveal. "They give you a questionnaire when you accept to do this show and one of the questions was, 'What's a guilty pleasure song you would sing in the shower?' As a joke, I wrote 'Unpretty,' because it was true! When it first came out, as a guy, I don't want to be out there singing 'I'm unpretty!' So, I would sing it in the shower! When Fox asked me to do it, I had to go ask. Tionne [T-Boz Watkins] wrote it, so I had to ask Chilli, 'Can your bandmate sign off on this song for me to sing?' They were so supportive. I was so honored to do that."
Lawrence says he had the most fun singing "That's Amore" during "Rat Pack Night" because he was able to pay homage to his Italian roots. "That was a blast," he says beaming. "[My] immigrant family came over here and they couldn't pronounce the name so they made us take my dad's middle name, which is Lawrence. It's Mignogna — all the g's are silent. No one can say it! That's how that happened."
Fans can currently listen to Lawrence ham it up with his famous brothers, Joey and Andy Lawrence, on their podcast, Brotherly Love, which is available across all podcast platforms. The next episode of The Masked Singer airs April 23 on Fox.
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