'Glee' Dancer is Waiting For His Close-Up

By PopEater Staff Posted Nov 10th 2009 04:18PM

Harry Shum, Jr. isn't one of the main characters on 'Glee.' He hasn't yet had a solo. But if you've been watching FOX's prime time musical, we guarantee you haven't missed Shum's pop and lock dance moves. We spoke to TV's most unmissable background player about snagging the role of Mike Chang on 'Glee' and what's coming up on the show.

On the oft-repeated fan question - are the actors really singing on the 'Glee' soundtrack?: "Everyone, when they auditioned, had to audition with singing as well. As you saw on the World Series - they did that thing live. I think that kind of answered the question ... It's pretty much everyone singing. When we did the Nelly cover, 'Ride With Me,' that was recorded live. That was the whole point - [showrunner Ryan Murphy] wanted to get the chill vibe, that spur-of-the-moment singing."

On skills beyond his obvious dancing abilities: "I do sing as well, and I used to do musicals when I was a kid. Now [singing] is becoming the other arsenal that I'm working on."

On getting the role of Mike Chang: "I didn't really know what the show was, in the beginning. I heard it was a show Ryan Murphy was doing, so I knew it was going to be great writing. In the audition process, I had to do a reading and also sing. And dancing - I had a resume of dancing, so luckily that helped me get pushed through. Now, I didn't expect this crazy hype. I just fell into it and I'm so excited to be part of this. "

On the success of 'Glee' songs beyond the broadcast: "I heard that a lot of the originals are making their way back - that's great. A lot of the parents are bringing back the originals and their kids are singing the 'Glee' version. It's a really cool way for them to connect ... Neil Diamond actually tweeted something like, 'Who's this Puck guy, he sounds amazing.' That's crazy. Neil Diamond!"

On his favorite dance routines: "The mashups were the most fun, since we each got to play a different character - we were supposed to be on 'Vitamin D' - a little drugged up. It was fun playing that, we got a different emotion out of that, and I got to really do my thing and kind of get crazy with it ... We get to do some crazy stuff in the coming episodes that everyone's going to enjoy."

On getting his own storyline in the future: "There are so many characters... and we came in a little later. Even now, some of the cast members that are the regulars are still getting their storylines. Right now, they're developing our characters but making sure everyone gets their time. I think what's great is that the writers are slowly filling everyone out. They know what they want to do - and they also don't know what they want to do - I think it's going to take time for all the characters to develop. I'm looking forward to it."

Tags: Glee, harry shum, HarryShum, neil diamond, NeilDiamond, Ryan Murphy, RyanMurphy

Comments

(2)

Friday 13 November

By C

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I am in absolute LOVE LOVE LOVE with this show. It's a feel good show with good story lines, good music and great singing and dancing. Thanks for bringing back shows like this...we need it!

Tuesday 17 November

By rockergirl

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Please follow @fiercelytimid.... LGBT friendly, but they're a little shy...they need followers

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