As a journeyman singer, I have to go to where the work is.
— Colm Wilkinson
When I work with a character like Valjean on stage, I get totally absorbed in that man. I become that man. But there's always, outside of that, the third eye, which watches what you're doing. And you can say to yourself, 'I'm crying well' or 'I'm being angry well.' But there's always that element there, and it never stops.
'Les Miserables', the book, 'Les Miserables', the musical - it's about giving; it's about goodness. It's about compassion and love.
Tom Hooper did an amazing job in capturing the feel of Victor Hugo's book. I thought some of the performances were incredible. I thought the Bishop would be a nice part to play, and they all made such a fuss of me being there.
I wouldn't impress my opinions on anyone.
I've always been told I sound black.
I remember, I was doing 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in London in the early '70s, and friends of mine had come over from Dublin, and they're knocking on the stage door after the show saying, 'Colm, come on, let's go for a drink.' I knew that if I went with them, I wouldn't be able to do my job the next day.
Eighty per cent of my time is spent on paperwork, hiring musicians, putting bands together, setting up concerts, and 20 per cent is spent on the music. That's the part that you really enjoy, but you can't afford to spend 80 per cent on your music; otherwise, it's not going to happen.
As I tell my children, the first thing is always health. Get sleep, don't party, don't do drugs or drink. If your body is right, then you will be right, and if your body is wrong, you will be wrong. Live like a Buddhist monk!
My mom was sort of involved in amateur dramatics like Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, and played the violin. My dad played banjo and piano and sang as well, so there was all this music in my childhood.
You have to learn how to read contracts, how to position yourself, and about marketing. That is why you find the most successful artists are the ones who can mix creativity with business.
People ask me how I sang the role of the 'Phantom' 1,700 times. And I say that it's down to good material. If it did not have good material, I would have had a major problem doing it for that length of time.
I absolutely had a dream of doing 'Man of La Mancha' one day; that's a long time ago.
The movie has called it closed. I'm not saying I won't ever listen to 'Les Miserables' again. But it closed the door for me. It's gone its own way.
You pray for your enemies.
Acting means nothing unless it's truth. And honesty.
I love country songs. I love Broadway.
There have been lots of attempts to make a movie of 'Les Miserables' over the years.
Around Clifden, I like the place, and the people are great.
My father was from Belfast; my mother was from Crossmolina. I grew up in Dublin.
I have made a career out of my hobby, which is an incredibly fortunate position to be in, but you have to have the passion. Even today, I will go down to the studio and start singing for what I think is 10 minutes, and I look at the clock, and it's been two hours.
'Bloodless' reminded me a bit of 'Les Miserables' when it first came out.
I suppose I've been very fortunate in terms of my longevity and my voice and the way it has held up over the years. I hope to be able to keep on doing what I'm doing until I can't do it anymore.
My favorites are songs that I get an emotional charge from, whatever genre they're in.
It's called showbusiness, and the business end of it is very important, especially now. You have to learn the business end of it; otherwise, you get ripped off left, right and centre.
I'm up for doing a part if I thought the part was right and the people want to consider me for a part. If I thought the part was absolutely exciting... I would go for it.
The one thing that concerts have done for me is given me the opportunity to get back to sort of do songs that I want to do. It's about enjoying yourself.
For myself, personally, I am never really aware of timing or anything because I am passionate about what I do, so I have found that if you really love what you do, then time flies.
The great saints were always great innovators... They had to be very strong people... principled people. And, apart from their principles, with great tenacity they had to have great reserves of patience.
I don't keep a lot of memorabilia around.
There's nothing like being in front of a live audience and getting that vibe from them, and I love people to join in the singing, and I love people to clap their hands.
You have to try and make the role your own and not copy anyone else.
Have you seen the Broadway version of 'The Lion King?' Go and see it. That's where the future of musical is.
The 'Donny and Marie' show is incredible. It's not a musical, but for sheer entertainment value and energy, it's a real 10 out of 10.
I grew up in a very musical family, but music was not encouraged as a career. It was a hobby.
When you're getting on plans and traveling all over the place, it can be very hard to keep yourself healthy and avoid catching a cold.
I'm from a small Irish family of 10, so there always was music in the house. Growing up, my older sisters had things like 'South Pacific' and opera on.
I listen to all kinds of music myself; it can range from practically anything: Opera, Jazz, to Blues, good Pop, just about anything.
You do get a lot of people complaining if you don't do songs they have come to expect. I have to be careful about fulfilling that side of things and keeping it fresh for other people who have come to see the show.
Once you sign on the dotted line, in terms of a contract with a musical, it's a huge commitment. When you're younger, that's fine; you can take it on, and I still go out, and I still sing 15-20 songs - and I can do that - a night.
You see some people on stage today, and they have these huge ear monitors.
Hal Prince and Andrew actually asked me if I would be interested in continuing with 'Phantom', but obviously I was under contract to 'Les Mis' by then.
