"Dexter" star Michael C. Hall on stepping into Hedwig's heels
Michael C. Hall is ready for his next act.
The former "Six Feet Under" and "Dexter" star is back on Broadway as the main lead in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" -- the hit musical that won four Tony Awards this year, including a best actor win for Neil Patrick Harris.
Harris left the production in August and was replaced for a time by the Tony Award-winning "Book of Mormon" star Andrew Rannells, who has now stepped aside to make way for Hall as the newest actor to play Hedwig -- a transgender rocker who defies just about all social conventions.
Hall, 43, has starred in several Broadway productions throughout his career (he won a 2014 Drama Desk Award for his turn in "The Realistic Joneses"), but never in a role as glamorous as Hedwig. The Golden Globe-winning actor says that he's still getting used to all the heavy make-up and elaborate costumes.
"I'm only in the past few days putting the full armor on," Hall said in a recent interview with CBS News. "It's a lot to inhabit but it also does so much for you."
For Hall, the makeup and wardrobe helps him get into character: "Rehearsing in the rehearsal hall with heels and fishnets and imagining the feel of the wigs or the look of the face is one thing, but leaving it to the creative powers that be to basically be the character for a time and give me my face and my hair, there's nothing like it."
Hall says one of the reasons why he took on the role was because it was a chance to explore his "feminine side." He was also drawn to the musical's themes of self-acceptance, especially in the face of bigotry and intolerance.
"'Hedwig' is an invitation to complete acceptance of the whole self. I think it invites audiences to do that," Hall said.
The musical originally began as an off-Broadway production in 1998, with songs and lyrics composed by Stephen Trask and a book written by John Cameron Mitchell -- who originally played the role of Hedwig on stage and in a 2001 cult film adaptation.
The theater veteran shares Hall's views on the musical's themes.
"It was unusual for Broadway, certainly 15 years ago, and it's still a little bit unusual for Broadway," Mitchell said. "But with the help of actors like Michael and Neil, we're bringing it to people and letting them know that it isn't in any way frightening and it's actually a story about everyone trying to find their own identity."
Watch the video above to hear more from Hall and Mitchell, as well as actress Lena Hall (no relation), who won a best actress Tony Award for her gender-bending turn as Hedwig's husband, Yitzhak.
Michael C. Hall's run as Hedwig begins Thursday night and lasts until Jan. 4.
