Back in Aprilit was revealedthat Disney is working on a live-actionHerculesremake with the Russo Brothers producing through their AGBO banner. Soon after the news broke, our very own Gregory Lawrence shared hisdream castfor the film withVincent Rodriguez IIIfromCrazy Ex-Girlfriendin the title role. Funny thing is, someone else who appeared on that show immediately made a play for the role himself,Skylar Astin.
The day the news was announced, Astinshared a video on his Twitter accountof himself singing the movie’s Best Original Song nominee, “Go the Distance,” and then followed that up with a tweet that said, “I’m also available for the soundtrack. Thank you @DisneyStudios for your consideration during this casting process.” How seriously was Astin expressing interest in the role with that video? He addressed the matter during our chat for his new movie,Secret Society of Second-Born Royals. Here’s what he said:
“You know what? That wasn’t as planned as it seems. I actually, during the beginning of quarantine especially, was playing so much piano, my childhood piano that I got shipped out to LA, and I was just going through all the catalogs. And I was laying down a lot and posting a lot, and also not posting a lot, so that was something that I actually just had on my camera roll that I only sent to my family, because my mom loves when I just sing in the rafters. And then so when I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh, I actually could be like this,’ and so people are like, ‘Skylar Astin auditions forHercules!’ The thing is, if I was auditioning for the role of Hercules, I would act it more, I probably wouldn’t be playing my own piano, and I probably wouldn’t choose the Michael Bolton key, which is literally in the sky. I think in the key that Roger Bart sings it in the movie, it’s a lot lower, more manageable and a little bit more of an ‘I want’ song.”
So does that mean Astin isn’t interested in the role after all? Not so fast! Here’s what he said next:
“So when the time comes, if the time comes, I’m ready to train, I’m ready to prepare and I’m ready to give everything I can to Hercules, if possible.”
If you’ve seen even a fraction of Astin’s work, you don’t need me to tell you that he’s an immensely talented individual who would, in fact, probably make a fantastic Hercules. While we wait for more updates on thisHerculesremake, you can catch Astin inSecret Society of Second-Born Royalson Disney+ on September 25th.
