HOW ARE YOU, FRIEND?

SO NICE TO SEE YOU.

>> YOU, TOO, FRIEND!

>> James: GOOD TO SEE YOU.

YOU LOOK GOOD.

>> James: SO DO YOU.

I MISS YOU SO MUCH.

HOW ARE WE DOING?

ARE THE DECORATIONS UP?

ARE WE IN FULL SWING?

>> WE'VE GOT LIGHTS ON THE COUCH THAT ALL COME INTO A CENTER

PIECE WHICH IS A SMALL CHRISTMAS TREE -- LIKE THIS, LIKE A REAL

COMPACT CHRISTMAS TREE, AND SHE HAS PUT REALLY INTERESTING

ORNAMENTATION ON THE TREE.

SO -- >> James: IN WHAT WAY?

HOW'S IT INTERESTING?

>> IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S LIKE A

HYBRID -- IT'S A HOLIDAY TREE.

IT'S LIKE A HANUKKAH BUSH.

>> James: SURE.

BUT IT HAS A COUPLE OF REALLY NEAT THEMES.

WE HAVE A TOILET PAPER ORNAMENT, WE HAVE A TAKEOUT FOOD ORNAMENT,

WE HAVE A MASK -- LIKE LITERALLY ONE OF OUR MEDICAL MASKS.

IT HAS COVID.

BUT WE ALSO HAVE SHELLS AND ANGEL FISH ORNAMENTS.

SO WE'RE GOING FOR A NAUTICAL COVID HOLIDAY THEME AND IT'S

WORKING.

>> James: SO RATHER THAT BE A CHRISTMAS TREE IT'S A HOLIDAY

BUSH.

>> IT'S A HANUKKAH BUSH WITH HOLIDAY OVERTONES, BUT THEN ALSO

WE HAVE A BLEACH ORNAMENT.

IT'S A VERY UNIQUE -- I LIKE THE WAY -- THE DIRECTION SHE'S

CHOSEN THIS YEAR.

>> James: I LIKE THE WORD BUSH.

I DO THINK BUSH IS A FANTASTIC WORD.

DON'T YOU?

IT'S, LIKE, IT'S A PLEASURE TO SAY IT, BUSH.

>> IT IS.

BUSH.

>> James: BUSH.

A MIGHTY BUSH.

>> IT'S LIKE THE WORD SMOOSH.

>> James: SMOOSH.

I LIKE THAT WORD, SMOOSH.

>> James: A SMOOSHY BUSH.

( LAUGHTER ) KEEGAN, YOU ARE THE STAR OF NOT

ONE BUT TWO MUSICALS ON NETFLIX RIGHT NOW AND YOU ARE MAKING --

YOU CURRENTLY HAVE JUST WRAPPED MAKING ANOTHER MUSICAL FOR APPLE

TV THAT WILL BE OUT NEXT YEAR.

WAS THIS PART OF THE PLAN, YOU BEING THE SONG AND DANCE MAN IN

THE STAR OF MUSICALS?

DID YOU HAVE THIS CAREER PATH PLANNED?

>> THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN AT ALL, JAMES.

IT WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN AT ALL.

I THOUGHT, WHEN I -- IN HIGH SCHOOL, WHEN I WAS DOING

MUSICALS, I THOUGHT, THIS IS GREAT, THIS IS HOW YOU GET INTO

ACTING, BUT I ALWAYS JUST WANTED TO GET INTO THE CHARACTER PART,

THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO.

SO BUT WHAT IS THE SECOND GAMBLER ON THE LEFT IN GUYS AND

DOLLS THINKING, THOUGH?

WHAT'S HIS MOTIVATION?

I WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY GOING TO GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION

AND SO THE FACT IT'S COME FULL CIRCLE LIKE THIS IS FANTASTIC.

IT'S FUN.

>> Announcer: MUSIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF YOUR LIFE.

I DIDN'T KNOW THIS BUT YOU WERE A LEAD SINGER IN A BAND IN

COLLEGE AND YOU WERE CALLED FREE LOVE LEMONADE WHICH I THINK IS A

GREAT NAME BUT THEN YOU CHANGED THE NAME TO BE -- WHAT WAS THE

NAME OF THE SECOND BAND?

>> THE SECOND INCARNATION OF OUR BAND WAS TRIP MASTER MONKEY.

TRIP MASTER MONKEY.

>> James: THESE ARE INTERESTING CHOICES AND TALK ME

THROUGH THE CHOICES BEHIND FREE LEMONADE AND MASTER MONKEY.

>> THE CO-SINGER AND I SANG TOGETHER, DID THE HARMONIES,

WITH AND I WAS THE FRONT MAN AND HE WAS THE ROCK AND ROLL

GUITARS.

THEY WERE HIS IDEAS.

IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT CLEARLY FELT LIKET IT TOOK A

GOOD WEEK OR SO TO COME UP WITH THE NAMES.

ONE DAY WE CAME INTO THE ROOM, SO WE HAVE A SHOW IN THE COFFEE

HOUSE TOMORROW.

WE'RE CALLED FREE LOVE LEMONADE.

OH, YOU'VE REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, MIKE.

>> James: YEAH.

AND WE FINISHED MAKING AN INDEPENDENT FILM IN DETROIT AND

WE WERE HAVING A RAP PARTY AND WE WERE GOING TO PERFORM AT THE

RAP PARTY, AND WE GOT TOGETHER TO PRACTICE AND MIKE GOES, BY

THE WAY, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE NAME.

THE NAME THE TRIP MASTER MONKEY.

WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A NEW NAME.

MIKE, APPARENTLY, YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF NAMING THE BAND, SO

WHATEVER YOU SAY GOES.

>> James: WELL, MIKE SOUNDS LIKE HE'S QUITE THE TASK MASTER

ON ALL OF THIS.

LOOK AT THIS, KEEGAN, THIS IS YOUR COLLEGE PORTRAIT.

I MEAN, I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS STUD DIDN'T MAKE IT AS A ROCK

STAR!

( LAUGHTER ) >> THAT IS MY POST-PURPLE RAIN

PHASE LOOK.

>> James: OKAY.

THAT'S LIKE A HAIRCUT FOR ME, JAMES.

I USED TO HAVE LIKE THE KIND OF CURLY -- I HAD THE ELDEBARGE

PURPLE RAIN HERE FOR A LONG TIME AND THIS IS THE TAMER VERSION OF

THAT IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT.

>> James: WHAT A HANDSOME DEVIL.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PROM.

YOU ARE SO FANTASTIC IN THE FILM.

YOU GROUND THE ENTIRE THING AS THE PRINCIPAL.

FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T CAUGHT IT, TELL EVERYBODY WHO YOU PLAY IN

THE FILM.

>> I PLAY PRINCIPAL TOMAHAWKENS AND HE'S THE PRINCIPAL OF THE

SCHOOL WHERE THE YOUNG LADY WANTS TO GO TO PROM WITH THEIR

GIRLFRIEND AND THE P.T.A. SHUT IT DOWN.

HE'S A VERY, VERY, VERY FAIR-MINDED INDIVIDUAL, BUT HE

ALSO IS THE FULCRUM, KIND OF THE MOST GROUNDED CHARACTER IN THE

PIECE.

THESE TWO FACTIONS OF PEOPLE WERE BOTH REALLY PASSIONATE,

QUITE CRAZY AND CRAZED, AND EMOTIONS AND TENSIONS WERE HIGH

THROUGH THE WHOLE MOVIE, AND HE'S THE ONE PERSON, HE'S KIND

OF LIKE THE MIDDLE PIECE OF THE TEETER-TOTTER OF THE SEESAW.

THERE'S TWO CRAZY FACTIONS AND HE'S LIKE, EVERYBODY, TAKE IT

EASY, EVERYBODY RELAX.

LET'S LET COOLER HEADS PREVAIL, LET'S TALK ABOUT FACTS.

AND HE'S -- HE'S KIND OF -- HE'S THE EYE OF THE STORM, EVERYBODY

ELSE IS KIND OF GOING NUTS AND HE'S THE EYE OF THE STORM.

AND HE ALSO REALLY IS A CHAMPION FOR THE CHARACTER OF EMMA, WHO

IS THE YOUNG GIRL WHO'S GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS.

>> James: AND ON TOP OF ALL THAT, YOU PLAY MERYL STREEP'S

LOVE INTEREST, AND MERLE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THAT SHE FELL IN

LOVE WITH YOU WHILE YOU MADE THE FILM.

I MEAN, DID YOU FEEL DAUNTED?

BECAUSE I THINK ANY ACTOR FEELS DAUNTED WHEN YOU WALK INTO A

ROOM WITH MERYL STREEP, BUT PLAYING HER LOVE INTEREST IS SO

MUCH MORE INTIMATE.

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU CAME IN ON THOSE FIRST DAYS?

>> WELL, IT'S FUNNY.

IT'S INTERESTING.

I HAVE TO SAY THIS, WHEN I STARTED REHEARSING WITH HER, I

HAD AN IDEA OF WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH THIS CHARACTER, AND

OSTENSIBLY, TO BE QUITE HONEST, MY CHARACTER, I'M DOING AN

IMPERSONATION OF EL.

IT'S FUNNY.

SO MERYL IS ACTUALLY FALLING A LITTLE BIT IN LOVE WITH EL

BECAUSE I'M EMULATING MY WIFE IN THE WHOLE MOVIE.

SO THE BEGINNING WAS GREAT.

IT JUST FELT LIKE RIDING A BIKE BECAUSE WHAT YOU END UP DOING IS

THE TWO ACTORS COME TOGETHER AND YOU START WORKING ON THE SCENE

AND TRYING TO MAKE IT CLEAR AND TRYING TO MAKE IT DRAMATIC, AND

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO CONVEY WHAT YOU WANT TO

THE AUDIENCE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE'S NOT MERYL STREEP ANYMORE,

SHE'S JUST A REALLY FANTASTIC ACTING PARTNER AND THAT'S KUDOS

TO HER BECAUSE SHE MAKES AN EFFORT TO MAKE YOU FEEL

COMFORTABLE.

SHE WANTS YOU TO OPEN UP AND BE AS BRAVE AND FEARLESS AS YOU

CAN.

>> James: YOU'RE SO BRAVE IN THE FILM.