You might best recognizeJames Monroe Iglehartfrom Broadway show likeAladdin(he played the Genie ) andHamilton(where he played the twofold roles of Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson ) . Like many of us , his aliveness has been disturb because of the coronavirus pandemic , and he ’s been largely at menage sincemid - March . And whenever he sits down for an consultation in his home base office , he has to do one very authoritative thing : shut the door , lest his nearly-19 - twelvemonth - oldcat , Zoe , pop in and make a cameo . “ She ’s placid , so I do n’t know [ she ’s there ] , ” he says . “ And all of a sudden , she ’s behind me , and I ’ll just finger this claw on my leg . ” At first , she mew softly — but if the right attending is n’t paid , the meows quickly get louder . “ Because some of my [ meetings ] are on TV , I have to ensure the doors are closed so she does n’t make a surprise appearing , like ‘ Hello ! I just wanted to mouth to everybody ! ’ ” Iglehart says . “ Cause she would . ”
Remembering to shut the door has been significant this yr , because Iglehart has been keeping meddling working from home — voicing a character onDuckTales , invest on aThe Nightmare Before Christmasconcert forcharity , and singing a glorious rendition ofRagtime ’s “ Make Them get a line You ” onFull Frontal with Samantha Bee , tape in his flat ’s office ( “ The great thing is I happen to be in a pretty sound resistant flat , because I have done some really loud thing in this room … and [ my neighbors have n’t ] aver anything ” ) . Next , Iglehart is host HGTV ’s miniature - construct competition , Biggest Little Christmas Showdown , which premieres on Friday , November 27 . We spoke with the actor about shoot during coronavirus , tiny tools , and all thing holidays .
How did the host gig onBiggest piffling Christmas Showdowncome about ?
aboveboard , it came about from being nice . I was doing a show calledManiacon Netflix , star Emma Stone and Jonah Hill , and the tie-up - in for Jonah and I just begin let the cat out of the bag all the clock time . Little did I know that his married woman was one of the producers at Food web , HGTV , [ and ] Discovery .
We filmed [ Maniac ] two class ago . All of a sudden , I ’m in the car , tug from Whole Foods back plate , when my agent calls and say “ Hey , HGTV is look for you , they want to talk to you about maybe host this show . ” turn out the hombre I ’d met onManiacwas like , “ Hey , James was always really nice , you should talk to him , I think he ’s the cat who could really draw out this off . ”
There was no sense of hearing — we had a conversation . I told them that it ’s so fun to watch HGTV because it is something that , when I come home at dark , [ my wife ] Dawn and I turn on the television set and get it play in the background . And then you ’re like , “ They built what ? ! They select two stick and a rubber band and built a hot bathtub ? That ’s amazing ! ” When they explained this show to me , I was like , “ This is the kind of show that Dawn and I would catch . ”
So , you never have sex . Do n’t snog ass , but be overnice , be professional , because you never know who ’s watching .
Obviously , filming a TV show does n’t fall out quite like it used to because of the pandemic . What was that experience like ?
We filmed in August , so we were one of the first shows to set out doing something .
I had to go get the COVID test — I’ve had like 50,000 of them now . They carve up the moving-picture show crew , the engineering work party , the office crew , separated into different quadrants . So I would walk in with my mask , someone would go me to my dressing room , people would get the clothes , whisker , makeup . I ’d walk on set , take off the masque , do the shot . The whole crew was in masks , goggles , and face shields . The contestants were not — we were all free - faced — but once everything cut , you put your masquerade back on , they ’d take you back to your dressing elbow room , and you ’d stay there until it was clock time to go back . It was a very well - oiled auto .
The means it ’s shot , it looks like we ’re close , but we ’re six foot away . I ’m talking to the mortal , and there ’s one camera shot [ at me ] and one camera shooting [ at them ] , and we ’re talk , yes , but I ’m far enough away that we ’re not spitting on each other or anything like that … It was a learning curve , but it was really fun .
I find out what some might say is an embarrassing amount of competition evidence like this one . What are some agent that go into these display that people might not be mindful of , or misconceptions people might have about how these shows work ?
I intend when people see them they just simulate it ’s more like a realness TV show — like people know what ’s go to pass off , they know what ’s going on . No , they do n’t . They have no estimate . The contestant had no idea I was there . Some of the contestant were theater people , and when I walk out , they freak out .
Or , what ’s really crazy is that I do n’t think people understand the realism of when you say " And the achiever is … this person"—of what bump to the other two teams . I cogitate people think that , “ Oh , it ’s TV , they ’re glad ! ” They arenot . I was like “ the winner is so and so ” and I search over at the other teams , and they ’re distraught .
These are some amazing artists . When they ’re not on this show , they are miniaturists outside — this is what they do for a living . They lost not because they ’re not good , but because this particular person did what we asked them to do substantially . Yes , it ’s tv set , but this is a real rival , and they were work their butts off . And this is not bulls**t , this is not gage , every exclusive team was fantastic . And that ’s the real tough part .
hoi polloi also do n’t get how good the offstage gang is . What you ’re seeing , they make it look so easy , and it ’s so hard . They ’re endeavor to get the shot properly , they ’re trying not to get in each other ’s agency , and that ’s just without COVID . With COVID … we had to tell our crew to remain six understructure apart . Just opine : Our Steadicam has a person who has his look , with a conducting wire connected , but they have to be six feet apart so they do n’t bother each other . So there ’s this uncanny stage dancing that has to materialize all through the show to make it attend seamless . It ’s awing how nobody tripped over each other . I think that ’s one thing that the great unwashed do n’t understand — how much work rifle into take a leak these display look as unruffled and well-to-do as potential .
What impressed you the most about the work these teams were doing ?
The detail . I do n’t want to give anything aside , but hoi polloi are painting , people are make pottery , mass are making food . petite , petite , food , in lilliputian ovens . And I ’m like : If you were to have a shrink ray , if you were to be like Ant - Man from Marvel Comics and recoil down , you could live in these house like a normal person . The only matter that ’s not in the house is heating . There are weewee fixtures , there ’s electrical energy , we just do n’t have heat . If we had heat , it would be over . We could shrink and live in the home [ and ] be fine .
That was the thing that got me so much — the particular that folk put into this . There was a unseasoned lady who had a loom … a miniature loom . And she made a carpet ! It was one of those moments where it was like , “ … Is that a loom ? ! ” She ’s like , “ Oh yeah , me and my sire built this ! ” It was amazing .
And this clobber is genuine . They build something . They built a stool , a real stool . I was in awe every time : How did you do that ? ! I saw how much clip they had . The little exact - o knife they used . And they tattle bolt — trust me , theydotalk scag — but there ’s a lot of quietness , of the great unwashed just concentrate . It is incredible . And masses build tool for this ! Tiny tools to build tiny thing . It ’s so good .
Did you take any of the toy home with you ?
I was yield a niggling lamp . And I cherish the lamp . you may grow it on — it works !
And has your cat knocked it off a table yet ?
No , because I put it up really in high spirits ! The minute I put it down , she looked at it like , “ I could destroy that . Where you gon na put that ? ” I was like , “ No no no , this is breakable ! ” and she was like “ I make love . ” We put it upreallyhigh .
Were you entice to get in there and make any toy yourself ?
Noooo , I know my limits . When they called the first prison term , my factor was talking to me and telling me about the projection , and I ’m imagine to myself , I desire he does n’t want me to be a part of this . I hope he does n’t remember I ’m a contestant , cause that ’s not gon na puzzle out . That ’s a hard no from me , bro . It ’s hard for me to make a bridge player dud .
I did n’t take store in high school , because I knew , I am not good . I Donald Duck — if something does n’t work , I Donald Duck , like , “ AHH ! ” and just start out destroying crap . My wife ramp up everything that comes into the house . If we get something from IKEA , I countermand it , she builds it . Do n’t give me power tools .
So me trying to build anything , no . I know what my skillset is . I ’m a great announcer , I ’m a great host , I ’ve got a great representative , I sing , I trip the light fantastic . Do n’t let me build anything . LEGO is about as far as I go , because you ca n’t destroy them .
This is a random question , but : If you could Godzilla your way through a miniature of any place , what would that blank space be ?
[ Laughs ] Probably … my old region that I give-up the ghost to gamy schooltime , next-to-last eminent school , [ and ] elementary school in . I would like to amount through and just begin trounce everything . This is the place that those guy bullied me — CRUSH!This is the place where that fille said I could n’t get her number — CRUSH!Just taking out all those bad memories .
The holidays are derive up , so I have a few rapid - fire questions for you . What is your favorite vacation song ?
Easy—“The Christmas Song . ” I have a clustering of dissimilar songs I eff . the great unwashed always cover these Sung , but I have specific versions of these song that I love . “ The Christmas Song , ” but it has be by Nat King Cole . “ It ’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas , ” but it has to be by Johnny Mathis . When I find out “ White Christmas , ” it ’s pay back ta be by Bing Crosby , or maybe Michael Bublé , but that ’s it . But my go - to is “ The Christmas Song ” by Nat King Cole .
Canned cranberry sauce : Yay or nay ?
Oh my god , that ’s a vainglorious yay . There is nothing like a circle of gelatin with the little dents inside from the can that you slice , and nobody can slit it right . Everybody attempt to slice is perfectly and it always derive out look all oblong shaped and all mess up up . That is Thanksgiving to me . That ’s Christmas , too . Do n’t get me wrong , I enjoy real cranberries . Fresh cranberry sauce is great . But there ’s something nostalgic about [ that strait ofcranberry saucecoming out of the can ] . It ’s the good matter ever .
What ’s the coolest ornamentation on your Christmas tree ?
That ’s hard . I have many . And every year I have a unlike dearie … There ’s one ornamentation that ’s really sentimental ; one that ’s really , really expensive ; and one that ’s really cheap , but just playfulness .
So the one that ’s soupy is — my wife and I have an ornament from our first Christmas together , in 2002 . It ’s a little cheap ornament that just state “ Our First Christmas . ” It ’s not worth anything , but we sleep together it . We always put that up .
Then there ’s one that ’s just way too expensive for no ground , but it was in Disney World and it ’s discontinued . It ’s a carving of Mr. Toad , but its coating is red and it palpate velvety . I always put it in the centre , so just in case it falls , it fall into the tree diagram .
And then a friend of mine came to piece of work atHamilton , and she had made a Grinch ornament . It was just a green decoration , and it was sparkly , and she drew the Grinch ’s facial expression on it with a marker , and then put a greenish tuft of pilus . And I assure it , and I was like “ Oh my god , I ’m such a big Grinch fan ! ” A week later , she come back with one for me , so I have the Grinch .
I bonk the Grinch . I sleep with the Boris Karloff version of it , I hump the Jim Carrey version of it . I ’m move to follow the Benedict Cumberbatch version this class . Brobdingnagian Grinch fan .
You may have just answer this , but : If you could be a character in any pre - existing Christmas movie , what would it be ?
Actually , to be honest , Ebenezer Scrooge . A Christmas CarolandThe Grinchare my preferred Christmas storey . My dreaming , which is crazy , because some great people have already done it , is to do a one - man version ofA Christmas Carol . I had the exclusive right last year of seeing my favorite guy in the public , Sir Patrick Stewart , [ do his one - manA Christmas Carol]—he came out of retirement for a three - night affair . And I went to see him . It was unbelievable . But that ’s my dream . I knowA Christmas Carolby heart . Scrooge would be the one .
This audience has been condensed and edited for pellucidity .
Biggest picayune Christmas Showdownpremieres Friday , November 27 , at 9 p.m. EST / PST on HGTV .
