Degrassi alumnus Jake Epstein has been busy with a successful theatre career lately, starring in the Toronto production of Billy Elliot last summer as well as the tour of Spring Awakening. Now he is starring in the North American tour of American Idiot – the Tony Award winning musical based on the famous 2004 Green Day album.
In the musical, Jake plays one of the main characters, Will, who feels left behind when his two friends leave for the city. The story is about these three friends, whose lives go in different directions as they search for meaning in a post-9/11 world.
In an interview with CTV.ca, Jake explained why he identified with this character: “I went to Los Angeles earlier this year … to audition for TV shows and be a huge star, or whatever that means, and I didn’t know anyone and I sat pretty much on my couch for the entire time, waiting for my phone to ring — and that was when I had my ‘American Idiot’ audition … It came right around that time and I really related to the guy that didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to be doing with his life, that was sitting on a couch. So I think about that a lot.”
The show just wrapped up its time in Toronto, but will be in Detroit, Boston, Raleigh, Seattle and more. For complete dates and ticket info, visit AmericanIdiottheMusical.com.