Dude, You're Getting an Off-B'way Show
Dude, what happened to that Dell kid? Ben Curtis, who became famous as Steven from the Dell computer ads is now starring in off-Broadway's Joy, which is playing at the Actor's Playhouse. Curtis attended NYU's, Tisch School of the Arts before getting the television commercial that changed his life. Now, he's getting back to his acting roots and taking his first steps to a theatrical career. Here, Curtis let's us in on what a not too long but kind of strange trip it's been for him.
Most of you might know me best as "Steven the Dell Dude" spokesperson for Dell's two and a half year commercial campaign. Or you might not know who the hell I am, which is cool, too. Here's a little background…
I'm the son of a preacher man from the mountains of Chattanooga, Tennessee, who dedicated his life to Black Civil Rights and spreading a message of love through spirituality. Although now retired, he continues his spirituality through painting. After my parents divorced, my father became the first openly gay Episcopal Minister in Atlanta, Georgia. My mother, a former French teacher, is now head of a refugee resettlement program that started during the Bosnia/Herzegovina war. My sister, a dancer/yogi, now uses her body to heal and work with cancer patients. I feel greatly blessed to have a family that is so open-minded. They are obviously a big part of who I am. My dad even let me freely attend synagogues with my friends. Nonetheless, I seemed to cause trouble no matter where I was. I was destined at birth as the "evil preacher's kid," which brings me back to the Dell Commercials.
You either loved 'em or hated 'em. There really wasn't a choice since they played all day long, everyday, for two years. I was in school fulltime for acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts--in my second year at Strasberg Studio--and freelancing with a manager in Jersey. One day my manager sent me on a commercial audition for Dell. "They're looking for 12 to17 year olds, so look young," she said. I was 19 going on 20. "This could be big, so book it." First off, I was the only kid there
The summer before my sophomore year, I came back to New York early, grabbed the Ross Reports and started sending resumes like a machine. I figured it's got to take years to "make it." I did get jerked around and scammed a couple times, but two weeks into meeting that manager, Renate English, I had a commercial campaign. I was just trying to build some momentum and get my face out there. I never dreamed that it would turn into the record-breaking, cult-following campaign that it was. "Mom, I don't have to beg you guys for money any more!" "Thank God," she replied. Unbeknownst to most people, my first agent in New York was actually for magic. That's right; I was a professional magician ever since the age of 13, when I started my own business. Now magic has taken a backseat to acting, but I have learned to use it as a tool and a platform on which I can develop my theater even further. It was good training, having to control and capture large audiences that ranged from four to 80.
Now let me just go ahead and get something of the way. I was arrested two years ago for purchasing marijuana. It did end my Dell campaign, but the charges were eventually dropped. It was not an ounce in Washington Square as rumor has it, but I was in a kilt. Either way, I have always had to learn my lessons the hard way. It was on CNN Headline News before I even got out jail! Most people felt the arrest was the worst and most irresponsible thing that I could have done. However, it was a blessing in disguise as I was doing what everyone else wanted me to do.
I needed to go into therapy, but instead I did what everyone else thought was best. I mean it didn't hurt to strike while the iron was hot, but I didn't get the right kind of heat and was under way to much pressure for a 20 year old. My anonymity was over, yet no one even knew my name. I was a walking advertisement for Dell that people felt they could yell at anywhere and anytime. I don't regret it only because it was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life, and I got my foot it the door. But that door was shut in my face for almost two years after the arrest. But it didn't stop me.
Bush announced war, so I used the rest of my money to produce and act in one of the most powerful one-acts ever written about racial violence: Israel Horovitz's The Indian Wants the Bronx. Furthermore, I took on Al Pacino's first award-winning role as the racist, violent, and heartless Murphy. With the help of my best friend, Rob Signom, we even played a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
After Indian, I discovered the incredible/invigorating work of Jerzy Grotowski [the late Polish stage director and theatrical theorist]. I was soaring and felt anything was possible despite what the industry said. And then came Joy.
The audition literally fell into my lap, as director Ben Rimalower wanted me for the role, and his assistant Croft Vaughn just happened to be a friend of mine. I read the script and was hooked. Despite getting numerous final callbacks for a couple Broadway roles, I obviously wasn't ready for that yet, but Joy could be my first step! And what an amazing one!
After doing political street theater in Europe and New York, I was still looking to stay politically active as an artist while also searching for a way back to the stage. Joy was it! With homosexuality being a serious "issue" in the re-election of W and a part of my family, this was my chance. The script was great, the character was fun, it made me laugh, it moved me, it had a chance of going off-Broadway--and it did! I am now officially making my off-Broadway debut as Christian in the open-ended run of Joy, now playing at the famous Actor's Playhouse. I made more money waiting tables, but now I'm happier than ever. Broadway, here I come!