Justin Guarini Blogs About New And Humbler Life In The Theatre

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 10:52am

Interesting article. Best of luck to him (from BWW)


American Idol veteran Justin Guarini will soon return to Broadway as 'Paris' in the upcoming revival of ROMEO AND JULIET, and according to a recent blog entry, he has come to love his new life in the theatre. Read his full entry below:

There was a time when I would have had a car service drive me from my home to work.

Now I drive myself to the station and take the train.

There was a time when I wouldn't have been concerned about the amazing expense of eating at place like Green Symphony.

Now, I budget. I have spent days skipping meals in order to make sure I have enough. To make sure my children, and my wife have enough.

There was a time when I couldn't walk the street w/o being stopped a hundred times for a photo or a press of flesh.

Now one in a thousand might stop me, or notice. For the rest I might (might) trigger some dim memory, stuffed at the back of long unfired synaptic pathways overgrown with the clutter of social media.

There was a time when I felt separate from the people I worked with. Like I didn't belong. Like I was an interloper. So steeped were they in the arts they chose. I, a talented man without a country, so to speak.

Now I am a proud member of a family of like minded artisans who embrace me without pause, without judgment...well, at least without any more than the usual amount of judgement this business breeds. I am home, and my industry family...ever changing and rearranging...thrives.

There was a time when I put on a brave face, smiled, and laughed to show that I was impervious and unafraid.

Now, I'm unafraid to say that I am terrified. I am struggling to make each day meet the next without breaking down and curling up. Sometimes I envy people who sit at a desk all day (at least you know where your next meal is coming from). I'll smile, and laugh,and joke, and entertain...because sometimes it's the only way to keep the ghosts of regret and loss at bay. I am unafraid to be afraid, and in that fear I gather strength.

There was a time when I could have thrown down cash for a house, and had any number of lovers in and out the door. A flashy car and clothes to match. An ego to trump them all.

Now I rent a home filled with love. I have a wife whom I love and who loves me (me!) and who lifts me up. Children who give me cherubic-lippped kisses before I leave for work and who are the most delicious morsels of joy and peace and prosperity. I drive a family oriented import, that is over mileage. My clothes are a mixture of gift-suite holdovers, things I bought when I had money but no style, and H&M (I LOVE that place...total whore for 'em). My ego, is blessedly humble (still sizable, as I think it should be for everyone...but only seeking to respect self, not to put others down in order to raise the self up)

There was a time when I would have never guessed that I'd be telling you any of this. When I would have bought something I couldn't afford, just to prove that I was ok after everything went wrong. When I would have told you that I was cool, when I wasn't.

Now I tell you all this to reintroduce myself to you. As I am now. To take you with me on this new adventure, to hopefully regain and surpass all that I had before...but this time with a family. This time with grounding, and joy, and peace that comes from knowing that I love myself. Really love myself.

It ain't perfect, but loving me is the key to keeping myself from doing the dumb **** we all do in the name of...

It feels like madness to admit any of this...but I'd rather be outright crazy and free, than seemingly sane and a prisoner of convention.

Peace & Blessings,

JG




Read more about Justin Guarini Blogs About New, Humbler Life in the Theater by www.broadwayworld.com




Justin Guarini

Updated On: 8/14/13 at 10:52 AM

[suestorm]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 10:55am

I surprisingly liked him in American Idiot

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 10:57am

The fourth entry was quite surprising.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 11:30am

He and his wife live in my town and I've seen them several times out and about. His mother-in-law was a teacher of mine a couple years ago.

Posted: 8/14/13 at 11:46am

He's sort of the anti-Clay.

[Daphne2]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 11:54am

Nice blog. I'm not an Idol fan but others keep me posted and message boards keep me sort of current. I've always liked Justin and thought he has handled watching Kelly's huge success with grace. Hope he finds his niche.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 12:13pm

Not to be rude, but where did all his money go? He had enough money to pay cash for a house, but now he skips meals so his family can eat? That seems more like poor planning than anything. Did these new flash-in-the-pans learn nothing from MC Hammer?

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 12:18pm

My guess is he never had enough to be spending it so extravagantly in the first place (at least not without knowing that that amount of money would continue to roll in). Also, he was on the first “American Idol,” where the success and popularity of the entire show was a surprise. I would venture to guess with that sudden coverage, not knowing what we do now about where many of the Idols’ careers go, Guarini was probably banking on being in the spotlight for a long time.

Very talented guy and happy he found his way to Broadway.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 1:07pm

He was never that successful and between his first album and becoming a "Broadway actor" that was a lot of time off, so not sure what he did for money in between there.

Part of me is like "Would he be where he is without American Idol?" I'm not sure.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 1:36pm

I remember that he was supposed to be in the original Broadway cast of Good Vibrations as a member of the ensemble. A friend of mine who was involved with the production said that he pulled out because he received a grant to start up some sort of non-profit. Sebastian Arcelus replaced him.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 2:13pm

Loved him in Women on the Verge.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 2:14pm

I don't think you're being rude, skittles. I think he's alluding to bad decisions during that time...something a lot of young Hollywood (and that's what he was, really, after Idol) succumb to.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 2:17pm

By happenstance I saw him in "Women on the Verge..." and"Ghost Brothers of Darkland County" and I came to the conclusion that he's the real deal. He made me like him a lot when that was not my inclination at all.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 2:31pm

When I saw him in Women on the Verge, I knew who he was, but had never actually heard him or seen perform, including American Idol. What I saw was talent. He was charismatic and charming and his voice was stunning. He took a mostly forgettable role from the film and made a memorable impression keeping pace with his Broadway A-list costars.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 2:47pm

"Not to be rude, but where did all his money go? He had enough money to pay cash for a house, but now he skips meals so his family can eat? That seems more like poor planning than anything. Did these new flash-in-the-pans learn nothing from MC Hammer?"

I don't know what his background story is, but it's fairly common for people from lower income backgrounds who suddenly come into money to blow it all fairly quickly. When you are used to living from paycheck to paycheck, barely scraping by, you have no idea of how to save and plan for the long term. I'm not saying that this is necessarily what happened with whatever money came in from Idol, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was a factor.

He's also far from the first celebrity to wind up living with far less than the general public would expect. The stories of former stars living out their twilight years in poverty are pretty numerous.

I'm glad that he has in a place where he has found a home, so to speak.

"Part of me is like "Would he be where he is without American Idol?" I'm not sure."

That type of thing could be said about many people. I'm happy to see somebody who has "paid their dues" get the big break they've been working toward, but I don't think they are the only people who deserve success. It often comes across as sour grapes to me when I hear people saying things like this. The fact is there will always be people who get ahead due to some mixture of luck and talent, and you can debate until the cows come home as to what percentage of each was involved.

[Mikers]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 3:14pm

Humble just doesn't fit in his mouth.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 4:10pm

Sweet blog.

I chatted with him once at a party (mutual friends) during "Women on the Verge," and he couldn't have been friendlier or more charming--and he seemed genuinely thrilled at the opportunity to work with that cast. I'm glad he's getting more theater work.

[Libby1209]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 4:45pm

I have to agree with Mikers on this one.

[siny]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 5:45pm

"I don't know what his background story is, but it's fairly common for people from lower income backgrounds who suddenly come into money to blow it all fairly quickly."

Guarini comes from a well-to-do family. I don't know how much he made off of Idol though. It may not have been that much since it was only the first season and the show was not as popular as it had gotten later. And with the cost of living in LA, he may have gone through the money pretty quickly without any extravagant spending.

[mikem]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 10:01pm

His father was the Chief of Police for Atlanta, although I think his parents were divorced when he was pretty young. I wonder what his parents think of his not having enough money to eat.

It's hard to say how much money he would have made off of Idol. His album and the From Justin to Kelly movie both flopped, so I doubt he made a huge amount from those. The Idols make something from being on the show and from the tour, but not as much as you might think (I remember hearing something like $1000 a week for the show and $25K - $50K for the whole tour).

I'm sure he had a healthy income for that Idol year, especially for someone who was single and 24, but that was 10 years ago at this point. I'm sure he's had his low-income years since then.

The guy is saying he can't afford to eat at Green Symphony, where the sandwiches are 6 to 8 bucks. He must be pretty excited to be getting the income from Romeo and Juliet.

Updated On: 8/14/13 at 10:01 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 10:23pm

Hey bizarro mikers,, I've seen Guarini successfully originate roles in two new musicals. How many has Clay Aiken?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 10:30pm

I am so impressed with Justin and Constantine and I wanted to dislike them both. They both have won me over with tons of stage presence, amazing voices and a lot of work ethic. Both guys were humble and have become well liked in the Broadway community. Patti LuPone ADORES Justin and sings his praises any chance she gets. If you've got Patti's respect, you know he's a hard worker.

[theatregeek6]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 11:52am

Why do people insist on counting other people's money? The guy wrote a nice blog entry that seems pretty honest and down to earth.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 12:31pm

Why do people insist on counting other people's money? The guy wrote a nice blog entry that seems pretty honest and down to earth

Well, he did publish a blog entry that referenced his financial situation several times. He opened the door for others to walk through on that account.

I agree with others who have said he's the real deal...he has terrific talent and is a natural stage performer. It's great to see him consistently working as of late and I wish him the best.

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 1:49pm

It's been picked up by the celebrity media as "He's broke and can barely feed his kids!!" Expect a "pop news" report on GMA tomorrow by a reporter who didn't bother to read the actual blog. :eyeroll

I'm seeing the first preview of R&J right after I see Vanya, Sonya, et al. I know the juxtaposition will probably not do R&J any favors, but I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles a non-musical role.