TORONTO 鈥� With its blend of music, comedy and a fast-talking perfectionist character, The Mayor offered Lea Michele 鈥渁 little bit of everything鈥� she was looking for as a follow-up to Glee.
She just needed help from some political pros to play the driven chief of staff to Brandon Micheal Hall鈥檚 lead character, a young rapper who runs for mayor of his Northern California town in an effort to build buzz for his mixtape.
鈥淛eremy Bronson, who is the brains, writer, creator, genius behind The Mayor, put me in touch with some incredible women who worked with Obama, actually, and helped me prepare for this role,鈥� said Michele, who received two Golden Globe nominations for playing Type A teen Rachel Berry on Glee.
鈥淪o I got to get some really great insight on what it鈥檚 like to be by someone鈥檚 side from Day 1 and believe in them despite other people, what they believe and don鈥檛.鈥�
Debuting Saturday on CTV after its premi猫re on ABC this past Tuesday, the comedy series sees Hall鈥檚 character surprisingly win his bid for mayor, leading to an entertainer-turned-unlikely leader scenario reminiscent of what鈥檚 unfolding in the U.S.
鈥淭o play someone who is not only a rapper and is passionate about music but who is also passionate about community was a huge thing that struck me and drew me to the part,鈥� said Hall.
Although the show was created before U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, it is timely. In the first episode, for instance, there鈥檚 a reference to White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.
鈥淭his show talks about some important political issues, but it does it in a really lighthearted [way], and we鈥檙e delivering this message through music and through comedy is so great, but also the issue of diversity,鈥� Michele, 31, said in a recent interview in Toronto.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the best time to do it because a lot of kids will be able to relate to the show,鈥� added Hall, 24, who was doing the interview with Michele via speakerphone because he couldn鈥檛 make it to Toronto for the media day.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e finally going to see people that look like them or people that act the way that they act, and they鈥檙e going to see them in these really powerful and strong but also witty and comical positions during a time where things are a little bit grey and a little bit not so comical anymore.鈥�
The Juilliard-trained Hall is a relative newcomer, with only a handful of TV credits to his name before landing The Mayor.
He did have some hip-hop experience, though, having been a part of a rap group when he was younger.
鈥淲e used to rap in the basement of my cousin鈥檚 house back in South Carolina,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter that I really just got into poetry and writing my own poems and just found a different outlet to express myself and express my thoughts. Recently I just started getting into beat making, got into Logic Pro and trying to find a way to incorporate that back into my artistic life.鈥�
鈥淏randon also went to Juilliard, so if the role was to be a dragon, he could be a dragon,鈥� added Michele. 鈥淗e鈥檚 that talented.鈥�
But does Michele have to rap in the show?
鈥淭his is the question for me now, asking if I鈥檓 going to rap,鈥� she said with a laugh. 鈥淚 think I should learn a sick rap and be like: 鈥榊es,鈥� and then bust it out. I should learn the Nicki [Minaj] Monster rap or something really fast.鈥�
鈥淲e can do a duo,鈥� added Hall. 鈥淚 can do Drake and you can be Nicki.鈥�
