Photo: Matthew MurphyA little over 20 years ago,Jared Grimesarrived in New York City ready to hit the ground running.However, the actor — now aTony Award nomineefor his performance as Eddie Ryan in the Broadway revival ofFunny Girl— had to pound the pavement, quite literally, before Broadway finally came calling.“I got to New York in 2001, and I thought everybody was going to be like, ‘Come perform. Come be in this show!’ And it was crickets. I mean crickety-crickety-crick-crick-crickets all over the place!” Grimes, 38, tells PEOPLE.“I’m talking about picking up the phone and you can just hear somebody breathing on the other line,” he jokes. “I didn’t realize that there was a long line of people who had already paid their dues, and they were deserving of stage time before I was.“However, he says, “I [thought], ‘I’m not just going to wait on line… Where can I go get my fix?’ “That’s when the dancer took his talents below the streets of Broadway, to New York City’s bustling subway platforms.Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock"Me and William Johnson, [who] is a fabulous bucket drummer, and DeWitt Fleming, my good brother, a tap dancer, took the board [and] took the buckets under 42nd Street. We just started rocking for hours a week, hours a day… anywhere.“Grimes was born in Jamaica, Queens, but moved to North Carolina when he was 6. The first person he saw tap dance was his mother,Doreatha.“I wanted to be like my mom,” he explains. “My mom was a dancer, she was one of the coolest people I ever saw in my entire life when I was that young, and I was like, ‘Mom is doing this, I want to do it.’ “He began to realize that dance was “feeding” his soul; however, he adds: “I didn’t know that it was picking me to have the responsibility of telling the story of many performers who paved the way for a young Black kid to want to be a tap dancer.“Grimes stars alongsideBeanie Feldsteinin the Broadway revival ofFunny Girl, the first Main Stem production of the classic musical in almost 60 years. Last month, he was the only person from the production to receive a Tony nomination for his critically acclaimed performance.Matthew MurphyWhen his mother heard the big news, “She was like, ‘Get out!’ She was like, ‘I’m about to tell the church!’ " As for Grimes' reaction, the prestigious honor only made him want to work harder and continue to view performing as a gift that could inspire those around him.“I’ve never felt like I ever wanted to give up,” he says of his career in the arts, despite those initial years in New York City dancing underground to help pay his bills.“Stuff turned around somewhere in 2003, when I stopped dancing in the subways. I made the point to make my obsession and my passion for the craft of being a triple-threat about giving,” he explains. “Not that I was ever selfish or I was ever a bad person, I just changed my mindset.“RELATED VIDEO: See an Exclusive First Look at Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch in Rehearsals for Broadway’s “Funny Girl"Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Shortly thereafter, the work began to pour in. Grimes choreographed for Cirque du Soleil and eventually made his Broadway debut in the 2013 musical revueAfter Midnight.For young tap dancers and aspiring artists, he advises, “If you can take your gifts and your blessings, and if you can put yourself last, and give every single fiber of your being, you will get everything that you want.“When you enter this life, you see the fame, you see the cars, you see the houses, you see the awards, and at the end of the day, that stuff — in my opinion — is irrelevant to how you can change somebody’s life through giving to them,” he continues. “I would just tell young people who want to pursue the arts: Be prepared to sacrifice everything that you have in order to give to somebody else.“He adds, “Not only will they get what they want, but they’ll be content. They’ll find happiness, they’ll be achieving things for a reason.”
Photo: Matthew Murphy
A little over 20 years ago,Jared Grimesarrived in New York City ready to hit the ground running.However, the actor — now aTony Award nomineefor his performance as Eddie Ryan in the Broadway revival ofFunny Girl— had to pound the pavement, quite literally, before Broadway finally came calling.“I got to New York in 2001, and I thought everybody was going to be like, ‘Come perform. Come be in this show!’ And it was crickets. I mean crickety-crickety-crick-crick-crickets all over the place!” Grimes, 38, tells PEOPLE.“I’m talking about picking up the phone and you can just hear somebody breathing on the other line,” he jokes. “I didn’t realize that there was a long line of people who had already paid their dues, and they were deserving of stage time before I was.“However, he says, “I [thought], ‘I’m not just going to wait on line… Where can I go get my fix?’ “That’s when the dancer took his talents below the streets of Broadway, to New York City’s bustling subway platforms.Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock"Me and William Johnson, [who] is a fabulous bucket drummer, and DeWitt Fleming, my good brother, a tap dancer, took the board [and] took the buckets under 42nd Street. We just started rocking for hours a week, hours a day… anywhere.“Grimes was born in Jamaica, Queens, but moved to North Carolina when he was 6. The first person he saw tap dance was his mother,Doreatha.“I wanted to be like my mom,” he explains. “My mom was a dancer, she was one of the coolest people I ever saw in my entire life when I was that young, and I was like, ‘Mom is doing this, I want to do it.’ “He began to realize that dance was “feeding” his soul; however, he adds: “I didn’t know that it was picking me to have the responsibility of telling the story of many performers who paved the way for a young Black kid to want to be a tap dancer.“Grimes stars alongsideBeanie Feldsteinin the Broadway revival ofFunny Girl, the first Main Stem production of the classic musical in almost 60 years. Last month, he was the only person from the production to receive a Tony nomination for his critically acclaimed performance.Matthew MurphyWhen his mother heard the big news, “She was like, ‘Get out!’ She was like, ‘I’m about to tell the church!’ " As for Grimes' reaction, the prestigious honor only made him want to work harder and continue to view performing as a gift that could inspire those around him.“I’ve never felt like I ever wanted to give up,” he says of his career in the arts, despite those initial years in New York City dancing underground to help pay his bills.“Stuff turned around somewhere in 2003, when I stopped dancing in the subways. I made the point to make my obsession and my passion for the craft of being a triple-threat about giving,” he explains. “Not that I was ever selfish or I was ever a bad person, I just changed my mindset.“RELATED VIDEO: See an Exclusive First Look at Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch in Rehearsals for Broadway’s “Funny Girl"Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Shortly thereafter, the work began to pour in. Grimes choreographed for Cirque du Soleil and eventually made his Broadway debut in the 2013 musical revueAfter Midnight.For young tap dancers and aspiring artists, he advises, “If you can take your gifts and your blessings, and if you can put yourself last, and give every single fiber of your being, you will get everything that you want.“When you enter this life, you see the fame, you see the cars, you see the houses, you see the awards, and at the end of the day, that stuff — in my opinion — is irrelevant to how you can change somebody’s life through giving to them,” he continues. “I would just tell young people who want to pursue the arts: Be prepared to sacrifice everything that you have in order to give to somebody else.“He adds, “Not only will they get what they want, but they’ll be content. They’ll find happiness, they’ll be achieving things for a reason.”
A little over 20 years ago,Jared Grimesarrived in New York City ready to hit the ground running.
However, the actor — now aTony Award nomineefor his performance as Eddie Ryan in the Broadway revival ofFunny Girl— had to pound the pavement, quite literally, before Broadway finally came calling.
“I got to New York in 2001, and I thought everybody was going to be like, ‘Come perform. Come be in this show!’ And it was crickets. I mean crickety-crickety-crick-crick-crickets all over the place!” Grimes, 38, tells PEOPLE.
“I’m talking about picking up the phone and you can just hear somebody breathing on the other line,” he jokes. “I didn’t realize that there was a long line of people who had already paid their dues, and they were deserving of stage time before I was.”
However, he says, “I [thought], ‘I’m not just going to wait on line… Where can I go get my fix?’ "
That’s when the dancer took his talents below the streets of Broadway, to New York City’s bustling subway platforms.
Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
“Me and William Johnson, [who] is a fabulous bucket drummer, and DeWitt Fleming, my good brother, a tap dancer, took the board [and] took the buckets under 42nd Street. We just started rocking for hours a week, hours a day… anywhere.”
Grimes was born in Jamaica, Queens, but moved to North Carolina when he was 6. The first person he saw tap dance was his mother,Doreatha.
“I wanted to be like my mom,” he explains. “My mom was a dancer, she was one of the coolest people I ever saw in my entire life when I was that young, and I was like, ‘Mom is doing this, I want to do it.’ "
He began to realize that dance was “feeding” his soul; however, he adds: “I didn’t know that it was picking me to have the responsibility of telling the story of many performers who paved the way for a young Black kid to want to be a tap dancer.”
Grimes stars alongsideBeanie Feldsteinin the Broadway revival ofFunny Girl, the first Main Stem production of the classic musical in almost 60 years. Last month, he was the only person from the production to receive a Tony nomination for his critically acclaimed performance.
Matthew Murphy
When his mother heard the big news, “She was like, ‘Get out!’ She was like, ‘I’m about to tell the church!’ " As for Grimes' reaction, the prestigious honor only made him want to work harder and continue to view performing as a gift that could inspire those around him.
“I’ve never felt like I ever wanted to give up,” he says of his career in the arts, despite those initial years in New York City dancing underground to help pay his bills.
“Stuff turned around somewhere in 2003, when I stopped dancing in the subways. I made the point to make my obsession and my passion for the craft of being a triple-threat about giving,” he explains. “Not that I was ever selfish or I was ever a bad person, I just changed my mindset.”
RELATED VIDEO: See an Exclusive First Look at Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch in Rehearsals for Broadway’s “Funny Girl”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Shortly thereafter, the work began to pour in. Grimes choreographed for Cirque du Soleil and eventually made his Broadway debut in the 2013 musical revueAfter Midnight.
For young tap dancers and aspiring artists, he advises, “If you can take your gifts and your blessings, and if you can put yourself last, and give every single fiber of your being, you will get everything that you want.
“When you enter this life, you see the fame, you see the cars, you see the houses, you see the awards, and at the end of the day, that stuff — in my opinion — is irrelevant to how you can change somebody’s life through giving to them,” he continues. “I would just tell young people who want to pursue the arts: Be prepared to sacrifice everything that you have in order to give to somebody else.”
He adds, “Not only will they get what they want, but they’ll be content. They’ll find happiness, they’ll be achieving things for a reason.”
source: people.com
