Tom Francis Wasn't a Fan of Pussycat Dolls Before Sunset Blvd

Tom Francis she may have been too young to belt out the Pussycat Dolls' “Don't Cha,” when it was released, but she knew exactly who she was. Sunset Blvd. the costar Nicole Scherzinger it was.

“I knew them. I wasn't a big fan. I can't say I'm a fan,” said Francis, 25, speaking to himself Us Weekly after finishing his performance on Broadway's opening night Sunset Blvd. earlier this month.

“[Scherzinger, 46,] he always annoys me because I haven't watched one of his Grammy nominated videos. And I said, 'How did you not see that?' And I said, 'I'm sorry. I was growing up!' You know what I mean?” Francis joked.

In 2005, when the Pussycat Dolls were still young after releasing their debut album. PCD, Francis would have been 6 years old.

However, now that he is older, Francis agreed Us that “Buttons” is now her favorite song from the former girl group.

Both Scherzinger and Francis won Olivier Awards in April for their performances at The West End Theatre. Francis stood up Us about what it was like working with a triple threat.

“He is very generous with his time with me. And yes, he just holds me when I need to be held on stage, and in life,” he said. “She is the loveliest woman of all.”

Director Jamie Lloydrevival of Andrew Lloyd WebberA stage adaptation of the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, follows the story of actress Norma Desmond (Scherzinger) who cannot accept that her career is not as busy as before, and in an attempt to return to the top, she hires screenwriter Joe Gillis, (Francis) to write. a movie that can revive his mood.

In the second act of the show, when Francis begins to sing “Sunset Boulevard” before taking to the streets of NYC to perform the number live, there is a picture of The Pussycat Dolls in his dressing room. Lloyd, 43, decided to refer to The Pussycat Dolls and said Scherzinger liked the idea because “she's one of the funniest people. [he’s] we've ever seen each other.”

“He likes anything where we think outside the box and surprise the audience,” Lloyd said.

“The show plays a lot on the idea of, 'Where does Nicole Scherzinger end, and Norma Desmond begins?' Because there's a lot of similarities. And Nicole really connects to this role in a very, very deep way,” Lloyd continued. “That's the kind of fun to have with blurring those lines… So, it's kind of fun, but maybe that it's because we have so much fun as a company. So, everybody brings that sense of humor to the project, apart from anything else.”

Lloyd also acknowledged the similarities between Scherzinger and his character, Desmond – this is the singer's first Broadway play and, as a result, he is now receiving the attention his talent deserves.

“I didn't know Nicole would be the perfect Norma, but I knew she would connect with her. So she's like Norma Desmond – someone who was incredibly famous, she got a lot of fame, but then she was fired and abandoned by the industry and she wasn't given the chance to show the world what she could really do,” said Lloyd Us. “She's a great artist. An amazing actress. An amazing vocalist. world class. And finally, he has a platform. I hope to show the world what he can achieve.”

Olivier nominated, David Thaxton – who plays Max Von Mayerling on the show – is also headed Us about working with Moana actor.

“I spend a lot of time with Nicole. He's the hardest-working actor I've ever worked with, said Thaxton, 42. “His work ethic is amazing … he just leaves himself on stage.”

But when it came to being a fan of Scherzinger's work on Pussycat Dolls, Thaxton jokingly replied, “No. No, it's not.”

Since working with her, Thaxton admits she would “never” go back and listen to her girl group costar's past work.

“Not my cup of tea at all. Well, he's my cup of tea,” said Thaxton. “I think he is a milestone. I have a lot of time for him. He is truly an inspiration.”

Sunset Blvd. playing in St. James Theater and the cast album is out now.