Interior Motive
Bryan Batt has accomplished quite a bit as a theater actor; his roster of Broadway credits includes Seussical, Saturday Night Fever, Sunset Boulevard, Beauty and the Beast and Cats. In the past year, he remodeled his career with a new undertaking: an interior design shop called Hazelnut in his hometown of New Orleans. His most recent job, as a designer on the Style Network's Guess Who's Coming to Decorate, has allowed him to combine his flair for theatrics with his flair for color combinations. Here, Batt talks about the inspiration for his new business, his sometimes Oprah/sometimes Jerry Springer experiences with home-decorating reality TV, and the need to feed his original creative outlet and get back to the Great White Way though there's no promising he'll leave it white.
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Believe it or not, unlike many of my fellow actors I sometimes find it painfully difficult to talk about myself, much less write yeah, sure. Nevertheless, I shall try.
I firmly believe that when given lemons… one should just add vodka, or when a door is temporarily shut, a window is opened, so jump out of it.
I have been extremely fortunate to be a working actor on and off Broadway for over a decade. Last year, a new show I was work-shopping was postponed, several roles that I surely thought I had didn't materialize, and I turned down the standby for Hugh Jackman--three times. Let's face it--Iwouldn't want to see me go on! I decided it was time to put my perky philosophies to the test. Rather than sit by the phone or do endless readings or demos of shows that might never be produced, I chose to pursue my second love for a while: home and interior design. Having decorated many friends' and family members' homes and apartments while on the boards, it was always a dream of mine to open a fine gift/home-furnishing/interior design shop in my hometown. So--along with my partner of 16 years thank you, we are the poster children--I opened "Hazelnut" named for my grandmother, Hazel, who was a nut. Actually, her maiden name was Nuss, which is German for "nut." on trendy Magazine Street in New Orleans. Thanks to Dionysis and the goddesses of the theater, it is a huge success.
Since we opened in the late fall of 2003, I've been traveling back and forth between the Big Apple and the Big Easy--inter-bi-coastal if you will--still auditioning, hosting events and working theatrically. I am a firm believer in "and" rather than "or." So many detractors try to say you must choose, I say why not take advantage of all your interests, talents and gifts? Expand! Constantly grow as an artist and most importantly, as a person. As actors, we can sometimes live in a bubble. There are so many wonderful worlds out there to explore. End of sermon.
Now that I'm fully in touch with my "designyfashionista" side, I have been cast as a designer on the Style Network's Guess Who's Coming to Decorate. For the audition, I was given some photos of a hideous dirtbag of a den and asked to turn it into a swinging bachelor pad--on a dime. Let's face it; I adore any room that revolves around a smart martini. I gave my presentation--sketches and all--dispensed some of my design philosophy "If it looks right, it is right!" and "Don't be afraid of color, what did it ever do to you?"--offered a few witty bon mots and was hired. On the show we have two days and $2000 to completely redecorate a severely taste-impaired room. The twist is that someone from the homeowner's past either good or bad is contacted and is secretly flown in to help me and sometimes not to work interior design magic on the chosen hovel. The "reveals" of the rooms have luckily always gone well--I think it's because I try to give them what they want and need, only with style and flair--the "reveals" of the mystery guests can gravitate toward either Oprah or Jerry Springer. In one episode, the guest was the biological daughter of a NASCAR driver who had only met her father once shades of Euripides, but in the end, he loved the room and cried like a baby. I love tears over interiors. It is my new mission to bring people together with silk swags and tassels.
Anyway, my episodes start airing continuously this month with two new ones added each month. Who knows what is next? Guess Who's Coming to Decorate is on Hiatus, Hazelnut is up, running and self sufficient, and I'm itching to be back on Broadway. All is good!