Award season is in full swing. Although the Grammy Awards aren’t until February 5, some of the biggest musical acts have found their works nominated at other industry ceremonies including the Golden Globes. However, for entertainer Common there’s only one event that has his focus and that’s the Tony Awards.
The rapper, actor, and producer is well on his way to becoming a member of the coveted EGOT club (having a Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Oscars, and Tony Award) and currently only needs a Tony Award to seal the deal. During his visit to Late Night With Seth Meyers yesterday (January 17), Common talked about his EGOT journey and his role in the Broadway production Between Riverside And Crazy.
The Chicago native remained humble, saying, “I’m very grateful for just being on Broadway, man. And to be a part of the theater community itself, that was a dream of mine at some point. The fact that I’m actually doing theater now — I’m just in the spirit of that. I’m trying to give my best every night.”
When asked if he deserves to become a EGOT member, he jokingly gave the host a look of certainty before saying, “For me, also it’s like, every [award] you just named, which I’m super grateful to have those awards you just mentioned, but everything, whether I was doing music or whether I was acting in a film or creating a song for a film, I just went in it with my heart and soul, put my spirit into it, and gave my best. Whatever results happen, that’s icing on the cake.”
He then closed with, “To be recognized by people in theater would be an amazing feat, but I’m just happy right now that I’m on that stage with Stephen McKinley Henderson and this incredible cast doing Stephen Adly Guirgis’ play. This is stuff I dreamed of and I didn’t know I would be able to do it with this group of people and at this level.”
Last year, singer Jennifer Hudson joined after taking home a Tony Award and prior to that musician John Legend become the youngest person and first Black man to earn that highly-respected title.
Watch Common’s interview above and below.