‘Étoile’ Star Gideon Glick Talks Tobias, Choreography and Creativity

Studying early scripts for brand spanking new ballet drama collection “Étoile,” Gideon Glick had a hunch that one of many characters was meant for him. 

Present creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Gilmore Ladies” fame, had already written the primary two episodes once they invited Glick onboard as a part of the writers’ room. “I noticed the character breakdown and I noticed Tobias and I believed, ‘Oh, this looks like me, or no less than how they perceived me,’” he provides.  ”And each time they talked concerning the character, they might gesture to me, however they hadn’t provided me the half.”

The present is ready within the ballet world of New York and Paris, monitoring the personalities that maintain the dance corporations going from dancers and creatives, to the directors and benefactors. Glick stars because the genius however quirky choreographer Tobias, who results in Paris as a part of a world expertise “swap” between two ballet corporations, fictionalized variations of the American Ballet Theatre and the Paris Opera Ballet.

Glick, describing the Palladinos now as “household,” first related with the Emmy-winning duo throughout a pandemic-era Zoom audition for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “I keep in mind on the finish of it, Amy mentioned: ‘God, you’re bizarre.’ And I instantly was like, ‘Oh — that’s so good. That’s good. She will get me; I really feel seen.’ And so I feel that’s clearly one thing that she likes about me,” says Glick, who went on to star because the magician Alfie within the fourth and fifth seasons of “Maisel.”

“Because of this, Tobias is a really unusual creature,” he provides. “In order that’s additionally why I felt instantly like, oh, I feel that is my half.” A month after engaged on the present as a author, with approval from Amazon, they formally provided Glick the half. 

Though Glick’s portrayal of Tobias was already grounded in serving to create the character’s persona on the web page, the bodily aspect of the character proved much less acquainted, though he felt like he had a “good peripheral understanding of the world.”

“I’ve a big theater background, however ballet is a special beast,” says Glick, who immersed himself on the earth of ballet whereas engaged on “Étoile” by taking lessons, going to performances, watching documentaries and studying books. “I got here up within the theater. I’d carried out performs, I’d carried out musicals. I majored in artwork historical past in faculty. With the film ‘Maestro,’ I bought to analysis lots about classical music and opera. So ballet form of felt like this final performing arts kind that I didn’t know something about.”

For inspiration, Glick appeared to choreographers together with Ulysses Dove, Paul Taylor and Invoice T. Jones, who the actor had labored with throughout the unique manufacturing of “Spring Awakening.”  

”Invoice really was a giant, large inspiration,” says Glick, who made his Broadway debut within the musical within the late 2000s. “Invoice T. Jones is a dwelling legend of the trendy dance world. However he’s additionally very blunt. He’s very exact and he’s very eccentric and he has his personal language. Instantly once I began studying Tobias, Invoice simply jumped out at me,” Glick says. “After which Christopher Wheeldon is a pal of mine, so he allowed me to shadow him, see him choreograph. Which was the best reward: to see a real grasp at his work and get to see him really mount a bit was simply so illuminating.”

Tobias, all the time carrying headphones, is hailed as an elusive inventive genius within the present. Though typically socially inept and abrasive when interacting with dancers, the present makes the case for inventive expertise as a redeeming attribute for a lot of character traits. Glick views Tobias as an introvert who suffers for his artwork, however the struggling is rooted in a deep properly of care. 

“It’s a world the place the stakes are so excessive as a result of it’s an artwork kind that folks wish to maintain alive. And because of this, folks care about it a lot,” Glick says. “So for them it’s life or dying. And particularly for my character,” he provides. “All people needs to be one of the best that they are often. And so because of this, I discover that the stakes are so compelling.”

Glick appreciated that the Palladino-approach to depicting the ballet world was much less macabre and Goth — there’s no homicide — and extra about exhibiting the singular personalities on the high of their subject. “I imply, there’s nonetheless drama as a result of it’s about artists and artists are insane,” says Glick, describing the method of filming the present as a “livewire.” There’s an unhinged prima ballerina, the absolutely devoted firm administrators, and overly concerned underwriter whose fortune, obtained by questionable means, retains the entire spectacle working.

Prime Video ordered two seasons of the present, so it’s probably that the characters will return to the stage quickly sufficient. Offscreen, Glick is hopeful that he’ll additionally get to go again there. “It’s been 5 years since I’ve carried out something on stage, and I began to do some readings prior to now yr and I forgot simply how a lot I miss it,” he says.

Within the meantime, Glick has continued to hone his voice on the web page, engaged on his personal writing initiatives, together with a movie adaptation of a e book that he’s at the moment making an attempt to promote. And past that, he’s feeling lucky that his profession is permitting him to discover extra of the performing arts, be it music composition with Bradley Cooper’s movie “Maestro” or attending to take ballet class as a 36-year-old for “Étoile.”

Glick recollects a memorable second on the “Étoile” set, a take the place all people within the room — dancers, actors, crew — had been quiet apart from pianist Our Woman J, who performed an excerpt from “Sleeping Magnificence.” 

“We’re all simply lifeless silent listening to Our Woman J masterfully play the piano for 2 or three takes,” Glick says. “And I believed, I don’t assume I may have a greater job on the earth.”