‘Sunset Boulevard' star Tom Francis reveals how he plays ‘the complete and utter opposite' of Nicole Scherzinger's Norma Desmond
'It literally hit me like a ton of bricks,' says Tom Francis about the moment he finally realized that he earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance in Sunset Boulevard. The feeling of recognition ebbs and flows for the actor, who plays Joe Gillis in the musical revival. He shares, 'I was really overcome with joy and now it feels not real at the moment. I keep fluctuating between being confused as to how it happened and so overjoyed as to the fact that it's happened.' Francis recently sat down with Gold Derby to discuss his leading role in the radically reimagined revival, playing to the cameras on stage, his iconic walk through Shubert Alley, and much more.
Gold Derby: I know when you auditioned for director Jamie Lloyd, you didn't know either the original film or Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical very well. What about the opportunity most excited you a few years ago?
More from GoldDerby
Cannes: 'Die, My Love' reviews kickstart early Oscar buzz for 'astonishing' Jennifer Lawrence
'Shrinking' Season 3 spoilers exposed during set visit, including Harrison Ford's 'extraordinary' time with Michael J. Fox
How 'Mad Max: Fury Road' became an unlikely Oscar contender 10 years ago
Tom Francis: For sure, the initial thing was the attraction to work with Jamie. I remember watching his production of Betrayal and I was just blown away by how he directed the show. I've always said, if I ever got the opportunity to try and work with him, I'd take it up. And then once I started delving into the audition material, I just fell in love with the score. I just think it's such a beautifully written score and the melodies are so enjoyable to sing. It's those two things that really made me want to delve into it.
is a period piece, but you and Nicole Scherzinger and the whole ensemble really brings a modern sensibility that makes the show feel timeless. When you step into Joe Gillis, do you feel like you're playing a character in the 1950s?
That's a good question. I think that the words and how the sentences are formed in the book and the lyrics that I sing, they definitely make it feel like it's of that period. But the contrast to that is the fact that I'm in Dickies trousers and a vest and a t-shirt, so that brings it into the modern day, so you're always in this juxtaposition. Those things really inform how you move, but you've got these words which feel very period coming out.
Getty
I knew I was going to enjoy this production from the very beginning when you come out of the body bag. I thought that was such a smart, bold opening. When you're lying in that body bag getting ready to start the show, what is going through your head? What are you thinking about when you're zipped up in there?
Just don't forget the words. I always tell myself, if you can get through 'Let's Do Lunch,' then the rest of the show should be fine. I always just try and just focus in and breathe. I have a little bit of a hole, my head's kind of slanted and my mouth is kind of out, so I can breathe a little bit, and so I just try and breathe through that and just take some deep breaths and focus in for the next two-and-a-half hours.
'Let's Do Lunch' is such a kinetic way to start the show, and then we get that brilliant and inspired car chase sequence with you holding the camera. Were there moments when you were learning about what Jamie was going to do with his staging when you were putting it up on its feet that you were just in awe?
I knew it was going to be a pretty interesting process when we walked in on day one and we started going through all the movement and figuring out what the language was going to be for the movement. Then a few days in, there was a video screen installed in rehearsals, so we had a half-size video screen which came in and out, and when that came in and we started playing around with cameras and figuring out what the show was going to be, that was a pretty jaw-dropping moment. There are so many things that were on camera, and then there are so many things that weren't on camera, and there were so many different drafts of the show when we were making it. I think we found a good balance between stage and camera in this production.
SEE 'A fever dream': Jamie Lloyd and Tom Francis describe their radical new take on 'Sunset Boulevard'
There are so many moments when your face is up on that 23-foot screen. Do you modulate your performance between playing to the camera versus the audience?
Massively, massively. I feel like a good way to describe it is a head tilt. When I do 'Let's Do Lunch,' I use my head a bit more and I use my body a bit more to convey how I'm feeling, whereas when the camera's in front of my face, I basically think everything and let it come through my eyes a lot more. There's definitely a switch-up.
Let's talk about the physicality. I'm sure you're probably tired of folks asking you about the title number, 'Sunset Boulevard,' but it is really such a dynamic part of the show. Did you play around with different iterations in New York until you settled on the route through Shubert Alley?
Oh, I love it! I'm not sure how many iterations Jamie and our brilliant video team had, but I know that there were a few. I think there was one that was potentially starting on the roof, and there was one that was starting in Times Square, and I think there was one that involved a golf buggy. There were a lot of things to try and make things work, and then we decided to fix on this route, and I think we went with the best option.
I don't think many folks realize how physically demanding what you're doing is, to coordinate your movements, to control your breath, and sing this song and navigate ridiculous crowds, especially at night in Shubert Alley. It is insane! How physically challenging do you find it to make it look so effortless?
If I think about it, then it becomes really hard. I use this analogy: if you go to the gym and you lift a certain weight for a certain amount of days, then that weight becomes really easy and you need to lift a higher weight. Now, I'm not saying it's easy and it becomes easy, but it's come to a point now where I think it's a bit more of a muscle memory, which is definitely more enjoyable because I feel like I can really focus on the storytelling. But it's really tough, especially that last bit where you're walking back and then you have to go up the stairs, all of the turning, and then you go up the stairs onto the stage to hit that last long note, that bit's tricky, so you just have to have a lot of breath control there.
SEE Tony Talk: Breaking down those surprise nominations and early winner predictions for 'Maybe Happy Ending,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' and more
I want to talk about working with Nicole Scherzinger. She's giving an audacious performance as Norma Desmond. Watching her take the character to such extreme places, what does that make you do as an actor to match that energy?
To allow her to go where she needed, I made the decision with Jamie that I needed to be as still as possible. We thought that if she goes to that place, then I need to go to the complete and utter opposite place to allow her to have that space and that support. When you come and see the show now, I'm very, very still. A lot of my notes from Jamie were, like, "Don't wipe the sweat off your nose. Don't draw anything, just let her do that thing." A lot of the notes that I get are, like, "Can you just be even more still?"
Speaking of extremes, I love watching Joe break down during that final conversation with Betty (Grace Hodgett Young). I love what you do in the last few scenes, especially the death scene. Is it more challenging or cathartic at the end for you?
It's a mixture of both. There are two things that come over me. There's an absolute relief normally that I've remembered my lyrics, because there are just so many words in this production, and then there's also the technical aspect of not shouting too much, but shouting enough, and not shouting too safely, but shouting safe enough. That's always something that you have to deal with. It definitely is a relief that comes over you at the end.
Since Cecil B. DeMille is such an important figure in this musical, I want to ask you if there are any theater or film directors who you're dying to work with once this chapter comes to a close?
For sure. I'd love to work with Tarantino. I'd love to work with Scorsese. I'd love to work with Wes Anderson. There's a few.
Believe it or not, we're coming to the close of , which concludes its Broadway run on July 13. You have the finish line in sight. If you could project into the future, what are you going to miss most about living in this universe when you play that last performance?
That's such a brilliant question. I'm going to miss the people. I'm going to miss the satisfaction of the job. I'm just going to miss this point in my career, I think. This job has changed my life in so many ways and it's given me so many opportunities. Now it's almost a little bit scary because I've now got to go and prove myself in those opportunities, which is going to be really fun, it's going to be an exciting new chapter, and an exciting challenge. But this has been such a beautiful way to start my twenties, and so I think it's sad that's coming to an end, but I'm excited for what comes next.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions
Best of GoldDerby
Sadie Sink on her character's 'emotional rage' in 'John Proctor Is the Villain' and her reaction to 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow'
'It should be illegal how much fun I'm having': Lea Salonga on playing Mrs. Lovett and more in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends'
'Death Becomes Her' star Jennifer Simard is ready to be a leading lady: 'I don't feel pressure, I feel joy'
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
11 minutes ago
- Forbes
Why Hollywood Stars Make Bank On Broadway—For Producers
George Clooney could not have asked for a much bigger or better Broadway debut. Good Night, and Good Luck—the show he cowrote, produced and stars in—is nominated for five Tony Awards at this Sunday's ceremony, including Clooney for Best Actor, and has broken weekly box office records as the highest-grossing non-musical play in history. Its penultimate performance on Saturday will be broadcast live on CNN and HBO Max, a first for a Broadway show. Through 12 weeks of its 13-week run, the stage adaptation of the showdown between journalist Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy has grossed more on Broadway ($44 million) than its source material. The 2005 film of the same name cowritten and directed by Clooney, earned just $32 million at the domestic box office despite earning six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director. But this much is clear—Clooney didn't come to Broadway for the money. Forbes estimates the 64-year-old Clooney will earn $6 million in salary and gross royalties for his numerous roles in the show, more than any other theater performer over that span, but a fraction of what Hollywood's highest-paid actors can expect to make on each movie project. For last year's Wolfs, for instance, Forbes estimates Apple paid Clooney and his co-star Brad Pitt $30 million each. Whether it's the purity or the prestige of acting on stage—"Movies will make you famous, television will make you rich, but theatre will make you good," the Broadway stalwart Terrence Mann famously quipped—A-list stars like Clooney have become a vital of the Broadway ecosystem. Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal currently headline Othello, while Kieren Culkin, Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr lead Glengarry Glen Ross. In April, Gladiator II star Paul Mescal wrapped up a run in A Streetcar Named Desire. And the 2024 theater season included Robert Downey Jr., Rachel McAdams, Steve Carrell, Eddie Redmayne and Jeremy Strong, all leading non-musical plays that ran 10-16 weeks with a hard closing date to accommodate the actors' busy schedules. While Hollywood stars have made appearances on Broadway for decades, in recent years, producers and investors have been increasingly eager to stage these short-run, star-driven productions, which considerably lower their financial risk. A play typically requires a $6 to $9 million investment to get to opening night, compared to $20-25 million for new musicals, according to Forbes estimates. Weekly operating costs run in the $400,000-$600,000 range for plays versus $800,000-$900,000 for musicals. 'Your likelihood of losing all your money [as an investor] is near zero, because of the projections of sales based on that actor," says Jason Turchin, a Tony-winning producer and founder of the Broadway Investors Club. 'You may not make multiples back but you should get a healthy return.' Good Night, and Good Luck, for example, recouped its initial $9.5 million investment just seven and a half weeks into its run. Othello and Glengarry Glen Ross made their money back ($9 million and $7.5 million respectively) in nine weeks. Reputation, Reputation, Reputation: Stars such as Othello's Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington can sell out limited-edition runs on Broadway and then return to the more lucrative world of movies. While the upside of these shows is capped by the limited run, investors can expect to make 10-30% return on their capital, Turchin says. Considering only about a quarter of all Broadway shows fully pay back their investors, or less, it's the kind of safe bet he believes producers will lean into even more in future years. A-list stars meanwhile, some of whom are paid upwards of $20 million per movie, are typically given a minimum weekly salary—around $100,000 per week for the highest-level talent—as an advance against a percentage of the show's net gross, after expenses such as credit card fees and theater restoration charges are deducted from the raw receipts. An actor's gross royalty points are highly variable, but the top end can reach 10%. Other significant members of a show, such as the writers, producers, and directors, are either paid royalties from a small percentage of the gross or a larger percentage of a show's profits after recoupment. For ongoing shows, almost all have moved toward paying out of the profits to mitigate risk, but for sure-thing star vehicles—say, Hugh Jackman's year-long run in the 2022 revival of The Music Man—the standard is gross participation. Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck deal would include net gross points for starring, cowriting, producing and owning the underlying IP, adding up to his impressive total. Until this year, a Broadway actor's gross percentage only modestly exceeded the weekly minimums. Most hits gross just over $1 million per week, and over the run of a show, a star performer could expect to earn between $1-3 million. But if you're the type of actor who has made a fortune playing a superhero (Jackman), selling a tequila company (Clooney) or being one of the most bankable box office draws of the last 30 years (Washington), the money matters less. What's changed in the 2025 season is that producers are realizing just how far they can push the ticket pricing with a bankable star, particularly for the most expensive seats. Average ticket prices for Good Night, and Good Luck, Othello and Glengarry Glen Ross hover between $250-$400, and premium seats have routinely sold in the $700-$900 range, more than double the cost of top tickets to last year's star-driven plays or long-running hits like Wicked and Hamilton. Of the shows that started their runs in March, they account for three of the top four highest-grossers on Broadway, with Good Night, and Good Luck and Othello averaging more than $3 million per week, and Clooney's show cracking the previously untouchable $4 million threshold for non-musicals on three occasions. For deep-pocketed theatergoers, the appeal of seeing a movie star perform live has proven immune to traditional hurdles for other shows, such as negative reviews. According to Broadway review aggregator Did They Like It?, Good Night, and Good Luck received eight positive reviews, 9 mixed reviews and four negative reviews from major critics. Othello logged two positive reviews, 15 mixed reviews and three negative, and was completely shut out at the Tony Awards. Yet ticket sales remain robust. Last year's Robert Downey Jr.-led McNeal—his Broadway debut—was one of the worst reviewed shows of the season (one positive, five mixed, eight negative) and grossed $14 million across its 12-week run. Compare that to a play like John Proctor Is The Villain—a revisionist telling of Arthur Miller's The Crucible starring Sadie Sink of Stranger Things—which received 17 positive reviews, three mixed and one negative, plus seven Tony nominations, but averages less than $500,000 in weekly grosses, and one can quickly see the disconnect. "It does seem that theatergoers want to see Hollywood celebrities, in the same space at the same time. They crave that experience,' says one major Broadway dealmaker. 'And for the star? A standing ovation from a thousand people every night doesn't hurt the ego.'
Washington Post
19 minutes ago
- Washington Post
It's finally time to bid farewell to the ‘face of the NBA'
The question persists, oblivious to the NBA's new countermovement. Who will be the next face of the league? Everyone wants to know; no one wants to claim it. LeBron James, whose kingly mug has dominated attention for two decades, got in his feelings earlier this season and downplayed the importance of a line of succession. 'Why do you want to be the face of a league when all the people that cover and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis s--- on everybody?' James wondered. 'To have that responsibility is just weird. It's weird energy.' His frustration is reasonable, actually, even though James has benefited from being the superstar of all superstars far more than he has suffered. The league has grown to a point at which the unofficial role should be outdated. It had long come with savior vibes, dating from when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson boosted the NBA's popularity and Michael Jordan took it to a new stratosphere of cultural resonance. Today, the fate of the sport doesn't sit on the shoulders of any single, transcendent star. All 30 franchises are estimated to be worth more than $3 billion. In March, the Boston Celtics' sale came with a record $6.1 billion valuation. The face of the NBA is a title with diminished meaning and murky criteria that punishes candidates as much as it promotes them. There won't be another rivalry as significant as Bird vs. Magic. Changes to marketing and celebrity culture ensure no icon will enjoy a journey as dramatic and intoxicating as Jordan's. There is no template to be like James or Stephen Curry, either. Who's the new face of the NBA? The question is in conflict with where the league is headed. It's a facile concern as the Finals begin with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers — both among the league's 10 smallest markets — providing the most compelling evidence to date that the sport functions like never before. If parity is the expectation, if the size or prestige of a city matters less than ever, the assumption of individual dominance must be reconsidered as well. After the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference finals, center Myles Turner celebrated the new day. 'It's a new blueprint for the league, man,' he said. James, who plays for the high-profile Los Angeles Lakers, couldn't get out of the first round despite playing with 26-year-old savant Luka Doncic. Curry, who's trying to extend the Golden State Warriors' dynasty, couldn't get out of the second round after injuring his hamstring. Kevin Durant, the third signature star of this era, missed the playoffs with a Phoenix Suns roster that includes Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The younger megastars suffered, too. Nikola Jokic, the best player in the game and a 2023 champion with the Denver Nuggets, went home in the second round. Anthony Edwards, the legend-killing young marvel for the Minnesota Timberwolves, lost in the conference finals for the second straight season. Jayson Tatum, the franchise player on a star-studded Celtics roster with multi-championship potential, ruptured his Achilles' tendon trying to defend Boston's 2024 title. That NBA face card keeps declining. 'The years of the super teams and stacking [talent] is not as effective as it once was,' Turner said. 'Since I've been in the league, this NBA is very trendy. It just shifts. But the new trend now is just what we're doing. OKC does the same thing. The young guys get out and run, defend and use the power of friendship.' The power of influence used to control the league. Before the NBA introduced a parity-enforcing business model, it was easier for great players to get what they wanted. And because they usually wanted to play for the most glamorous franchises, it led to a decade — starting with James's infamous decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010 — in which the imbalance became exaggerated. The NBA had always been a league of dynasties because, in five-on-five basketball, one dominant player has an outsize impact on the game. Give a giant a gigantic ally, and it's game over. In 2023, new rules were implemented to tax both the bank accounts and team-building tactics of franchises that hope to stack stars. It's almost impossible to build a complete team through free agency now. And even if you build a great squad through the draft, retention becomes a chore. One consequence, perhaps unintended, is that it will be difficult for one star to stand above the rest. Face of the NBA is a cumbersome aspiration, especially when it means different things to different people. In general, the title comes with an expectation of a clean image, multiple championships, consistent MVP-caliber performances, a level of charisma and marketability that transcends basketball and the confidence to be a league spokesman. In an age of distraction, who can command that much attention? In a sport dictating balance, who will win enough to get the chance? Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just won his first MVP award at 26, and if Oklahoma City finishes its historically dominant season with a championship, he will vault into that conversation. But similar to Tatum, SGA isn't a big personality. And similar to the Celtics, money and the league's two-apron tax system will pose as much of a threat to a potential Thunder dynasty as the other 29 teams. Regardless of the Finals outcome, the NBA will crown its seventh different champion in seven seasons. If the Thunder wins, Gilgeous-Alexander will be the first MVP since Curry in 2015 to capture the regular season honor and hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy in the same season. Ten years is a long drought for MVPs. In the NBA's first 69 seasons, 14 MVPs ended their remarkable runs with a parade. Because several of them did it multiple times, there have been 23 instances in which the MVP winner captured the most coveted prize. In other words, one-third of the time the MVP went home satisfied through 2015. In the decade since, the award has culminated in postseason chatter about that superstar's shortcomings. Even though Jokic (a three-time MVP) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (twice the MVP) eventually won titles, they endured plenty of criticism about their worthiness because they didn't have great playoff results during their MVP seasons. Joel Embiid, the oft-injured 2023 MVP, still hears it. There are fewer guarantees in the NBA, but current superstars are judged by a standard that the league has all but destroyed. That's the 'weird energy' that James referenced in his gripe. The NBA is different, lucrative, stable now. It doesn't want a face anymore. It wants more teams to have an opportunity. The transition will be uncomfortable. The television ratings for the 2025 Finals seem certain to reflect that. There will be as much talk about a Greek Freak trade as dissection of the Thunder's defense. That's sad, but it will make clear how much work remains for the league and its television partners to sell this newfound parity. If the dynasty era is over, so are the days of the savior. But until the kingdom completes its rebranding, some will always pine for a king.
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
Cole Palmer handed Mykhailo Mudryk's No. 10 shirt number at Chelsea
Chelsea have confirmed that Cole Palmer has been given the No. 10 shirt and will wear it at the Club World Cup starting later this month. Palmer has worn No. 20 since joining from Manchester City in September 2023 but makes the switch with immediate effect. Chelsea kick off their campaign in FIFA's newly-expanded tournament against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on June 16. Advertisement Mykhailo Mudryk had previously worn the No. 10 shirt at Stamford Bridge. The 24-year-old has not played for Chelsea since being provisionally suspended by the Football Association (FA) in December after testing positive for meldonium, a banned substance. The Ukraine international's last appearance for the club came in the Conference League away at Heidenheim on November 28, scoring in the 2-0 win, and he has not been pictured at a Chelsea game since his provisional suspension. 🧊🔟 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 5, 2025 Chelsea also confirmed on Thursday that new signing Liam Delap has been handed the No. 9 jersey following his transfer from Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old completed his £30million ($40m) move on Wednesday, signing a six-year deal. Chelsea's No. 9 has been vacant since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's departure Marseille in the summer of 2023. Romelu Lukaku and Tammy Abraham previously wore the No. 9. Chelsea say the full list of squad numbers for the 2025-26 season will be finalised once the summer transfer window has shut. ()
