Leslie Jordan on “Watch Me Twirl” Origins, Country Music Ambitions – The Hollywood Reporter
Leslie Jordan shared the personal origins of the viral video “Daddy, watch me twirl” and discussed Nashville’s shame in pursuing a career in country music in one of his last interviews.
Emmy Award winner and former Will & Grace actor with a deep catalog of screen and stage appearances sat down with CBS Morning in early October to discuss his early life, decades-long career, and pandemic popularity. The previously off-topic interview was published Tuesday, just a day after the 67-year-old Jordan died in a car crash in Los Angeles.
When the footage tries to explain why the actor is bubbling with social media videos of a Southern man filmed and posted during the pandemic that has garnered him millions of followers and followers. New fan, Jordan opened up about the origins of such a video. In it, he can be seen twirling the baton as he exclaims, “Daddy, watch me spin” – similar to an excited child.
He told the morning news program that the concept is based on his own life and upbringing. “My father was a lieutenant colonel in the army. He’s a man and his group is going home and I’m swinging a baton in the front yard. My mother taught me. She is a baton swing champion,” he explained.
Recalling his early days as a gay kid, Jordan recounted what his mother told him after he shared with her his feelings about his identity when he was “about 12 years old.”
“She said, ‘I think you’ll be the object of ridicule and I can’t stand it,'” he recalls her saying. “Then why don’t you live quietly.”
“So here I am!” Jordan quickly followed, laughing.
His energetic, authentic demeanor will manifest in a number of roles, branding performers with a distinct, recognizable personality. He says it’s a “bright and vibrant” personality for which he has complex emotions.
“Sometimes I get tired of it,” he admits. “I’ll do one or something and they’ll go, ‘Do it Leslie Jordan, thing.’ OK OK. Whatever it is, I don’t know”.
While the actor has had a long career as a talented polyphonic artist, in the interview he shared about his musical pursuits and work on an upcoming album. The latest turn in his career saw him teaming up with country music duo Locash and Blanco Brown.
It’s a by-product of Sunday’s regular Instagram chanting event, where he performs the hymns he grew up with, with people increasingly following to see him.
“Somehow, we decided to make an album,” he said. “It was a surprise that only happened in my 60s. Now I’m a country singer. I love Nashville the way Nashville hugged me. And taken seriously and made an album with Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, that’s something. “
View Full CBS Morning segment below.
