Andrew Burnap Thought 'Wow, My Life Is Really Going to Change' After Getting Cast in “Snow White” (Exclusive)
The Tony winner stars opposite Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot in the anticipated live-action adaptation
Giles Keyte
Andrew Burnap in Snow WhiteTony winner Andrew Burnap's star is only growing brighter with the release of Snow White.
The actor, 34, spoke with PEOPLE about starring in the live-action retelling of Disney's animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Burnap plays Snow White's love interest, a commoner named Jonathan, in the movie — an update to the 1937 movie in which Snow White ends up with Prince Charming. In the Marc Webb-directed feature, Jonathan is the leader of a group that opposes the Evil Queen, played by Gal Gadot.
"I remember I auditioned for it. I put something on tape and sent it off," he recalls of trying out for the coveted role. "You train yourself to audition and then forget about it as quickly as possible. And then weeks later I got an email saying, 'They'd like to see you again.' I said, 'You've got to be kidding.' And then this next time they said, 'You're going to go in for a chemistry read with Rachel [Zegler].'
"And then the minute I got the phone call that I got the job, I remember I was outside and I sat down on the ground and thought, wow, my life is really going to change from here. And it certainly has."
Giles Keyte/Disney
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Currently starring in the Broadway production of Othello, playing the role of Cassio, Burnap says he and Zegler, who plays his love interest Snow White, often discussed "shooting about stage versus film." Zegler will soon play Eva Perón in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita at the London Palladium this summer.
The actor complimented Zegler's singing ability for the Disney remake, describing her as having "the voice of an angel."
Giles Keyte/Disney
Andrew Burnap in 'Snow White'"I think when she sings, I imagine that's what Heaven might just sound like," Burnap says, adding that when Zegler hits the West End, "I think she'll nail it, kick it out of the park... And I think she's going to have just an absolute blast."
"She's the perfect Snow White," he adds. "She is very generous of spirit. And she has innate kindness and bravery in her. And she's very quick-witted and just so easy to talk to and get along with. I think from the very get-go, we had a rapport and an easygoing friendship, and it was just so fun to be able to explore that with Jonathan and Snow White."
As for what he wants to conquer next after starring opposite Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in Othello and charming in Snow White, Burnap says, "I would really love to do as many different things as possible. I think the stage will always be where I return to. It is my first home. And I think there is nothing like the live experience."
"I'm deeply fascinated by film and would love to continue making films and making television shows," he adds. "I'm very much attracted to character driven stories. At the end of the day, I think all I want to do is be a part of things that I feel passionate about with good people who want to change the world in whatever way they see fit."
Snow White arrives in theaters on March 21.
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