“Hairspray Live” heads to NBC in December and
Derek Hough is thrilled to be part of the cast.
On the red carpet at the Television Academy’s 70th Anniversary Gala in Los Angeles on Thursday night, the Emmy-winning
choreographer shared his enthusiasm for the upcoming project, which will see
him playing Corny Collins, who hosts “The Corny Collins Show” in the
musical.
“I’m way excited,” he told Access Hollywood of his
upcoming performance in NBC’s live event.
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“It’s such a great musical,” he continued.
“The music’s incredible. The story’s amazing. It’s a lot of fun and the
role is awesome too.”
And Derek couldn’t help but share his enthusiasm for his
castmates.
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“The cast so far is amazing as well. It’s
incredible,” he said. “Harvey [Fierstein] and Martin Short and
Jennifer Hudson and we’ve got an amazing director, who I’ve worked with before for many years and he’s amazing,” Derek said, referring to Alex Rudzinski.
At Thursday’s Television Academy event, Derek and stars
including Felicity Huffman, Christian Slater, Tony Hale, Bellamy Young,
Florence Henderson and Lea Michele celebrated the Academy of Television Arts
& Sciences’ (the body behind the Emmys) 70th anniversary. On the red carpet, Access Hollywood asked him if he still
remembered the thrill of his first Emmy win.
“I remember the first Emmy was amazing,” he said
of his 2013 win for Outstanding Choreography. “What also made it so
amazing was that it was the first time in like 50 years where the choreography
award was in the primetime [ceremony] and we did this big performance and it
was amazing, adrenaline, I was still sweating from the performance and then
getting the win was amazing and obviously winning the second time with my
sister was amazing. It was so special.”
A seven-time Emmy nominee, Derek has won two Outstanding
Choreography Emmys, both for his work on “Dancing with the Stars.”
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When Access Hollywood asked if
he might ever return to “DWTS,” Derek
said he expects he will at some point.
“Yeah, absolutely, man. I mean, ‘Dancing with the
Stars’ is my family. I’ve been a part of that show for so long and I can’t
imagine not being a part of that show somehow,” he said.
“One thing I love about that show, what I love about
being a part of that show, is the coaching and the teaching and the creating
and I think that’s what’s so special about it is it’s not just a reality
competition show,” he said. “You’re really learning a skill on there.
You’re really developing something before your eyes and it’s amazing. There’s
nothing like it. That’s why it’s going strong in 20-plus seasons. You can’t
compare it to anything else on television.”
“Hairspray Live” airs December 7 on NBC.
— Jolie Lash
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