Bradley Jaden, who stars as Javert in Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular, recently spoke with iHeartRadio Broadway about bringing the production to New York and performing at the iconic Radio City Music Hall.
“It’s kind of otherworldly, really,” Jaden says of the experience. “We’ve all been so overwhelmed by the generosity of the audiences.”
Jaden first took on Javert at just 29 years old, a role he says came with plenty of pressure because the character is traditionally played by older actors. Rather than letting the criticism define him, he used it to develop his own interpretation. After years of playing the character, Jaden says Javert remains one of the most challenging and fulfilling roles of his career and he sees more humanity in the character than audiences may expect.
“We all see Javert as this bad guy,” he explains. “And actually, if you look at it on paper, he’s not the bad guy. He’s just doing his job.”
Following the production’s final performance, Jaden will head to Japan to play Billy Flynn in Chicago as part of its 30th anniversary tour.
Watch the full interview in the video player above and Spilling the Tea below.