Richard Fleeshman Makes Men Cry In "GHOST The Musical!"

But it's nice that we are. So this is where we would kiss, which is kind of we would kiss here. This is awkward. Do we kiss? I don't know. Do we kiss? Do we kiss? What's up guys? Leslie Robbins here. Young Hollywood has landed in New York City and we are going backstage behind the scenes of the Broadway Smash Hit Ghost with the male lead. And if you like the movie, this show will absolutely blow your mind. What kind of reaction are you getting from people? Cuz I came in saying, okay, I know the story, I've seen the movie. Wasn't expecting what I saw.

Yeah, it's pretty intense. I mean, I think that's been the nicest part of this job. I I think looking back over the last year and a half is people come in with preconceptions of what they think it would be for many reasons. Acres they've seen the film, most of them have. And B, because, um, movies to musicals, I think have a a common sort of misconception sometimes on Broadway. So, when they come and see our show, I think it does have that total surprise effect, which, um, does make it all the more sweeter actually when we we look out at the end and there's, you know, 1500 people on their feet and usually crying. And even the guys, that's what makes me laugh so much, is the guys like, no, I'll go with my girlfriend, you know, I'm not going to cry. I'll be fine. And then you see them at the end. Yeah. So it's it's really nice.

Now, you are stepping into Patrick Swayze's shoes. Talk about pressure.

People have talked about this quite a lot and I think initially, I didn't think of it like that. But there is no getting around it. It is a huge, um, responsibility because people love this film and they they love him more to the point. And he did such an amazing job and him and Demi Moore had this amazing chemistry and it was all so kind of special in the movie. And we wanted to to be truth truthful enough to the story and and keep it, um, keep it to the way people wanted to see it and that even though we wanted our freedom and we did get it. We were really lucky with the, um, the freedom we got from the creatives to to do our own thing and you know, for instance, Cassie doesn't wear a little bob, you know, she has her own her own blonde hair and there there are marked differences from the movie. But at the end of the day people want to come and see that that love story told out. So, um, there was that pressure.

Do you get stopped on the streets in New York? Because you were basically a Justin Bieber in the UK.

Oh god, don't say that.

Well, you were a big pop star in the UK. We'll go with that second one. Okay, okay, rewind. You are a huge pop star in the UK. Still are, I'm sure to lots of young fans.

Well, I mean, I was known for I would I was on a TV show. Um, so I was I was quite well known from that. And, um, yeah, I mean, there's maybe a difference in the fact that people don't know me over here, which was initially nice. But I think, you know, around midtown there's still, um, I think sometimes I can hear people going, oh, that's the guy from Ghost, you know, but it's it's lovely to just be have total anonymity to a to a point and be able to walk around and not that it was ever, you know, crazy in England, but it's lovely to have that freedom and and and also to to not have the, um, the preconception when people come and see the show. They in England, they may be knew it was going to be me. So that would hold its own sort of pressures. Whereas here it's just, that's the guy playing Sam and it's it's a really nice change for me to to have that blank canvas.

Do you believe in ghosts, Ella? I don't. No. I don't. Do you? No. No. No. The whole haunted house thing. You just went to me like, do you believe in ghosts and no you don't. You play a ghost. So how do you get into character if you don't believe in yourself?

Well, I do believe in myself. No, I mean, you know, we're suspending the laws of Well, you know, a lot of people who come to see the show do believe in ghosts and I think, um, Bruce, especially who who wrote it, you know, he's almost entirely convinced that's exactly how it works. And and, um, but I do believe in the story of Ghost and the and Sam.

Ah, that's a very nice way to tie that in. Diplomatic. We're in your dressing room. Okay. This is your Broadway debut and you got a suite. It's really cool. It's it's literally nicer than most of the flats I've ever lived in. I mean, my living room is nice in LA, but this is gorgeous.

Yeah, it's really nice. They've really looked after me and I don't honestly know why.

Will you show me around?

I'll show you around. Come on. Okay. So this is my balcony. This and it's unfortunately it's raining today, which is a shame. But it's really it's really nice to have a balcony. Apparently, it's the only place that has a balcony. The only downside to this and the only one. I've said this before. But I don't know if you can hear it. You probably can't because the traffic's quite loud. But Avita plays all the time like 24/7 on a loop. Cuz obviously they're advertising that show. Why wouldn't they? But the, oh, you can hear it. Can you hear it? It's like Chinese water torture. Honestly.

In the show you do the famous pottery scene. Yes. At the wheel. Now, that was a very sexy scene in the movie. You guys did it a bit differently in the show. Yeah. Yeah. Tell me about that.

Um, I think Matthew, the director, Matthew Warchus wanted to do a few surprises because it obviously stays quite true to the, um, the film in many respects. Um, so we we wanted to wrong foot people occasionally just so it didn't become, uh, very obvious. And I think what they've done is, they've kept it quite nice and and the irony about that particular scene is it's quite sad now. Um, but you know, there's plenty of moments that hopefully achieve the same sort of raciness that they do in the in the film.

Well, sadly, there isn't a pottery wheel in here that I can practice with you on.

There's not one in my dressing room, no.

So you're going to have to play guitar and possibly dance with me instead. Okay. Is that okay?

Yeah, why not? Let's do it. Come on. Okay. So this is my dressing room. It's not very tidy, I'm afraid. I'm so sorry. I don't have many costumes either because I don't get changed very often. Because you die. But this is this is my outfit where we we at the beginning are coming in and we dance. So we think we should probably have a little dance.

Okay. Well this we don't do this very often but it's nice that we are. So this is where we would kiss. This is kind of we would kiss here. This is awkward. Do we kiss? I don't know. Do we kiss? Do we kiss? And there's cameras. We should probably ask them to leave. Can you guys leave? Can you go?

That's what we do in the film. So that's the rehearsals. That's it.

Well, I want to be a Broadway star. Okay. And that was a good audition. I think everyone agrees. We still have the rest of the tour to do. Rest Oh, what do you want to see? I don't know. Is there anything in there? No. I got a kiss on his balcony and there's a toilet, which is not.

A toilet?

It's just a toilet. We just We just kissed. Yeah, we don't end. We don't want to end on that. It's a rubbish note to do. No. Okay, cool.