Joliet Man Wraps Up Starring Role In 'If/Then'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- At 44 years old, Anthony Rapp could already be called a film and Broadway legend.
"I've been working for 35 years so yeah I guess I've been doing this for a while," he laughed.
The 1988 Joliet West High School graduate appeared in "Adventures in Babysitting" at age 15.
"I got cast living in Joliet, auditioning in Chicago. Chris Columbus, the director, came to Chicago. We filmed most of it in Toronto but a lot of it here in Chicago. It was an amazing first film experience."
Since then, he's appeared in countless iconic films like "Dazed and Confused," "A Beautiful Mind," "School Ties" and was the original Mark Cohen in "Rent" on Broadway.
"What I was telling people then was that I thought it was going to make kind of a splash but never thinking it would be a mainstream worldwide, kind of phenomenon which is what it became," said Rapp. "People always ask me about 'Rent.' It will always be forever the most important piece of work I've been a part of. It was a once in a lifetime kind of project."
His latest role is also familiar, as Lucas in "If/Then." He starred alongside Idina Menzel two years ago. Now he is performing the role on the national tour with Jackie Burns.
"This is a story of a woman and the decisions she makes and how those decisions affect the people in her life. It's a musical but it's filled with recognizable humans. It's got music that is contemporary. It's not razzle dazzle, typical musical theater," said Rapp. "The writers wrote the part for me so it fits like a glove. I'm proud of the show and I'm very happy to share it with people around the country who didn't get to see it in New York."
Rapp says it's always wonderful to perform to a hometown crowd.
"Every day I've had one or two people that I know at every performance," he said. "It's very gratifying to represent. I'm very proud of my Chicago heritage. I'm very proud of where I come from, I remain a huge Cubs fan, I come back to see games at Wrigley as often as I can."
"If/Then" wraps up its two-week run Sunday, March 6. Its next stop is in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre.