Will Kemp leaps, lands in ABC’s new dance show ‘Grace’
Will Kemp has landed a lead role in the ABC pilot Grace, a dysfunctional family drama set in the world of dance. Perfect timing for a dance-oriented TV series given the success of Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan and the fascination with the sensual but brutally punishing dance world.
And it’s also perfect casting because Will just happens to be the real deal, an accomplished, classically trained British dancer who has now moved into acting.
Kemp was a lead dancer in Matthew Bourne’s productions of Swan Lake, Cinderella and Car Man. You may also remember him as the Gap Hunk dancing his own choreographed moves for their Every Generation campaign. And he appeared in Equus with Daniel Radcliffe on London’s West End.
I caught up with Will on his way to a wardrobe fitting (and we can only hope there will be tights) on the Disney lot and he sounds seriously over the moon about the pilot.
“I’m very excited about the pilot because Krista Vernoff (writer and exec producer) and her team are creating a really beautiful story with interesting family dynamics and dance world relationships,” Will said. “We are only in the early stages but so far it’s been a great experience and a really creative family to be a part of. If it gets picked up then it could just be a dream job of blending my dance experience with being on an innovative and original TV show in LA.”
On the dancing he says, “We have a company of fantastic dancers and Mia Michaels has created some amazing dances, a kind of contemporary dance fusion, constantly surprising and unpredictable – it’s very sexy and steeped in emotion and integrity.”