Speaking with Awards Daily, Tituss Burgess reminisces on his past 5+ years as Titus Andromedon: his favorite Titus moments from throughout the series, what it was like filming the interactive special, and what he’ll miss most about Titus the character. He also fills us in on his new Quibi cooking competition show Dishmantled and how he is coping in quarantine.
Four Emmy nominations and 51 episodes in, Titus Andromedon has cemented himself as one of the most beloved comedic characters of the 21st century. From Pinot Noir to his Lemonade parody and even his Cats conspiracy, the iconic character has no shortage of memorable moments, and it was a role that Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess cherished just as much, if not more, than the show’s passionate fans.
This year Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt returned for one last adventure with Kimmy vs. the Reverend – a groundbreaking interactive special inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure books that dominated the 90s. Burgess gladly jumped at the opportunity to revisit Titus one last time, embracing a story that took him across the country on motorized bikes and singing rock ballads in dive bars.
In a conversation with Awards Daily, Burgess reminisces on what it was like filming the interactive special, his favorite Titus moments from throughout the years, and if he is worried about being able to shake off a character he has become so synonymous with. We also took the time to chat about his new Quibi show Dishmantled and how the four-time Emmy nominee has kept himself busy as he and the rest of the country bunkered down in self-isolation.
Awards Daily: The original four season run of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was a groundbreaking series for Netflix helping to usher in a new era of comedy for the streaming service. What was your reaction when they asked you to come back for the new interactive special?
Tituss Burgess: We found out about the movie while we were filming the last three episodes. Right after wrapping we went straight into press for the final season, and then we jumped right into filming the interactive special – so there wasn’t a great deal of time between the series and the movie. My emotions were all over the place because I was sad the series was ending, but I was also excited to see what Kimmy would look like in this new format.
AD: From an actor’s point of view, what was the process of filming an interactive special like? Does it differ from a regular episode?
TB: It was confusing as fuck! The scenes were just enough similar that you at least had a point of reference to what world we were in but different enough so that you could slip into a scene you had just filmed thinking you were in the right scene only realizing you were in the completely wrong scene. That happened to Ellie and I several times where we were accidentally doing two different versions of the scene. That was part was funny and tedious, but Claire Scanlon is an excellent director. She kept the wheels on that train moving.
By and large though it didn’t feel entirely unlike filming the series so the process wasn’t that different.
AD: Have you played around with the finished special yet and gone through the various scenarios?
TB: I’ve watched the version that they sent me, but I haven’t gone in and played with the different choices. People keep texting me things like “You died today!” or “I watched you take a nap today” so there are a whole bunch of versions that exist that I don’t remember filming. I should go back and play with it and choose my own adventure!
AD: Did you have a favorite moment from the interactive special?
TB: I really liked riding those motorized bikes through the forest. My favorite moment actually wasn’t on film, it was spending time with Ellie who was pregnant at the time. We would race motorbikes which sounds terribly dangerous for a pregnant woman to do but we did it.
AD: I did not realize she was pregnant at the time!
TB: Oh she was preg-nant, honey. She is a trooper.
AD: Was it hard saying goodbye to Titus and is there anything you’ll miss the most about him?
TB: It’s interesting because when we started Kimmy the world was a very, very different place, and during Kimmy the world became a very, very different place. I think what I’ll miss most about playing Titus Andromedon is how unabashedly and unapologetically authentically himself he was, even the prickly parts when the veneer came off. He didn’t bat an eye, and he said what was on his mind, which in this day and age is par for the course.
On this side of Titus, I have to pick and choose my battles of what I say to people but whenever I put on his costume I get to tell the world off and it felt wonderful.
AD: Do you ever find that fans of the show conflate Tituss the actor and Titus the character? Does that ever become frustrating?
TB: I’ve already moved forward, and it hasn’t changed or stopped me from doing anything. I never felt confined or constrained by the limitations of having the same name. Titus wasn’t based on Tituss Burgess, so there are very few similarities besides our love for Diana Ross!
It has posed some challenges. When I meet people for the first time, I can see this look on their face. I can see who they think they are talking to. But I have moved on, and there are more projects I get to enjoy now that assist people in realizing that I am an actor, not a TV personality.
AD: When you think back on your years with Titus, is there anything that sticks out to you the most whether that be a storyline or scene?
TB: Probably the finale. When we met Titus he was a very selfish man who came out very late in life and didn’t take other people’s feelings into consideration. When he met Mikey, he had this involuntary reaction to loving him. It was lovely to finally watch Titus cross over and show more humane parts and that he has the capacity to love and put others first. It allowed him to be much more grounded than we started.
AD: I’ve spent a lot of time on Quibi recently and by far one of the most fun shows on the platform is your new reality competition series, Dishmantled. How did you become attached to the project and what was the experience like for you?
TB: I’m going to brace you. It’s an incredibly boring story. I walked into my agent’s office to talk about a completely different project. While we were talking, he had this glazed look over his eyes, and I knew he wasn’t listening which was unlike him. He stopped me and out of the blue asked me if I wanted to do a TV show where I blow up food onto people. I wasn’t interested, but he stopped me and said, ‘All you would have to do is blowup food onto people. Are you sure?’ When he broke it down like that, it sounded satiating, and I said yes. I was asked and I obliged.
AD: What was it like for you going into game show host mode? After having binged the first season in one sitting it seems like a natural fit for you!
TB: I never, ever, had aspirations to host anything, not even a dinner party. It is a lot of work because so much of it revolves around you keeping people entertained. So, did it feel natural? Hell no! I’m an actor, give me a script god dammit!
AD: You’ve made some really interesting choices lately in terms of post Kimmy Schmidt roles and projects. On top of hosting Dishmantled you also had a supporting role in last year’s Dolemite Is My Name. What else do you have lined up?
TB: Later this year, I star opposite Jennifer Hudson in Respect where I play the Reverend Dr. James Cleveland who was her mentor. We wrapped that in January, and we are hoping for a Christmas release. I was also working on a reality competition series for Netflix that should be coming in the fall.
I’m also starring in the new Apple TV+ animated series Central Park that premiered recently. They’ve already greenlit a second season, and I’ve been recording my work for that from home.
AD: You’re recording your role for Central Park from home? What is that process like? Have you found it challenging?
TB: Yeah, they sent us equipment, and they aren’t playing games. They said we are doing this god dammit! I have found quarantine challenging the same some extroverts might. I am an introvert, so I love being at home. I would do this from home forever if could. Even when the world resumes, I should ask if I can just film mine at home!
AD: Is there anything you are excited to do once the world goes back to any semblance of normalcy?
TB: It would be nice to go back to Broadway whenever it comes back to life. I haven’t done a Broadway show in eleven years, so I’m itching to get back. I’ve been reading scripts and trying to find out what makes the most sense.
