Jordan Fisher is an actor, singer/songwriter, dancer, choreographer and musician whose presence in the entertainment industry spans TV, Film, and music. He has appeared in Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Work It. In addition to his on screen roles Fisher is the first Black American to portray the title character of ‘Evan’ in the Tony Award-Winning Broadway Musical Dear Evan Hansen full-time.
In this interview with For(bes) The Culture, Fisher talks about his historic role as Evan, upcoming Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appearance, diversity in the gaming industry, and the importance of mental health. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
For(bes) The Culture: Jodan, you have a long-standing relationship with Disney and will also be in this year's Macy's Day Parade. What part will you be playing in the parade?
Jordan Fisher: My relationship with Disney goes back a very long time. I've had different relationships with Disney in many various capacities, whether Disney Channel, the studio, Disney Plus, the parks, or Disney Music Group. But, the one thing that has remained with me forever is my general love for Disney, Walt, Mickey. I also have a genuine love for characters and classic films that I've grown up loving, and I'm looking forward to showing my kids. Having happy happily ever after at Disney World Magic Kingdom was such a bucket lister for me to hear my voice during the firework show. To know that I got to be part of memories made for families for a few years was incredible. The parade will be fun. The float will celebrate the new Disney Cruise Line ship The Disney Wish. We'll be on a big float, I will be singing an original song called Together We Set Sail and you're going to see a bunch of Disney characters that you love.
For(bes) The Culture: You have taken on a Historic role on Broadway as the first Black leading role in Dear Evan Hanson. Can you talk about what having this role means for you? As well as your experience being a person of color on Broadway?
Jordan Fisher: Well, I mean, I think that being Black, not a lot of things are smooth sailing. For example, I was having a conversation last night about my obsession with Hollywood's golden era and how beautiful that was. There was so much romanticism with MGM, Warner Brothers, Universal and Paramount back in the day. But at the end of the day, it was still a bunch of white men making decisions for other people. Thankfully, the industry has changed and there's a different kind of romanticism where the entertainment industry is concerned. It takes having conversations, looking around when you see a creative team talking or producers or director, and counting how many people of color you see? Is it mostly white people? And is it mostly white men? Yeah, it still is. At the end of the day, Black voices are loud, yes, but wider white voices are still the most powerful. And that's the thing that I'm trying to change as a young entrepreneur, film and television producer. Where Evan Hanson is concerned, I get to be a black man that has a relationship with anxiety and depression. That is an opportunity to help other people, regardless of their shape, color, creed, size, orientation, religion, etc., to make them feel less lonely hopefully. It's such an honor to be playing this character for a lot of reasons. There aren't any other characters out there, really, for any person of color to latch on to where mental health is concerned. So if this is the first step, I'm so honored to be one of the people taking it.
For(bes) The Culture: In Dear Evan Hanson, Evan struggles with anxiety and other mental health issues that hinder him from connecting with his peers. What has been your relationship with anxiety and depression?
Jordan Fisher: In 2019 I learned about my relationship with depression and anxiety and started therapy. That changed my life forever. I'm not afflicted with anxiety or depression; I know they exist for me, and I know what they look like. I know what they sound like and how they work with me. When they start to rear their heads, I know how to talk to myself and the therapist about it. That's a beautiful thing. There needs to be more content about stuff like this.
For(bes) The Culture: You have been an advocate for reforming the foster care system. Can you talk about your why, specifically the foster care system and your relationship with around this particular effort?
Jordan Fisher: It's so broken. It's such a broken system. I'm adopted. I was adopted by two amazing people, my biological grandmother and step grandfather. But they've been mom and dad since day one. My parents were amazing parents that sacrificed so much for me, supported me, loved me and gave me an opportunity. So without getting into semantics about why the system works, the way that it does. You can do any kind of research and see the number of kids in the foster care system, systemically what led them to that place and then why they can't find a home. And it is the most troubling, devastating thing. The sickening percentage of kids that exit the foster care system at 17 or 18 years old somehow, whether it be emancipation if there are minors still, or as they age into adulthood between 18 and 22. Most of these people end up either incarcerated or dead or addicted on the street. There's a lot of them that are 18 years old. They're sent out with a garbage bag full of their clothes and a toothbrush. And that's their life, with nowhere to go and no idea how to live a successful adult life. And that's where United friends come in. Be My Friend is something that I do independently. You don't have to be partnered with an organization to make a difference. We all need a hug, ears to give our problems to and shoulders to lean on. We need each other; that's human nature. We are community-based organisms.
For(bes) The Culture: You're a singer, choreographer, producer, gamer and actor. So you have all of these different talents. What has kept you in this space where you have so much fluidity within the entertainment industry?
Jordan Fisher: I started working professionally 18 years ago in January. If there's something that I'm interested in, and I try it, and I like it, I blackout until I figure out how it works. I learn it, study it, do the thing, and then try my best to be professional in it. It's a running joke in the family years, like how many hats can I put on and do at a professional level? So the fluidity of my career and why I've gone from point A to point Z is because I love all of the things that I do.
For(bes) The Culture: You are a Gamer and have made an alternative career from streaming. How did this come about and what are your thoughts on the trajectory of the gaming space?
Jordan Fisher: I'm sure a lot of people might have felt it was very left four years ago when I started streaming. The fact of the matter is that I've been a fan of streaming for years. I've been a gamer my entire life, and I had a part-time job at GameStop when I was 16 years old. I played World of Warcraft for the last 15 years as a semi-pro, Super Smash Brothers, and played Halo professionally. So Valor, Apex and gaming have always been a massive part of my life. I love the people in the gaming industry. There's a whole realm of things that we can talk about being BIPOC in the gaming industry. Like the systemic issues such as why so much of the gaming industry is white and male. Where are the Black and Latinx gamers? Also, when it comes to accessibility. For instance, I couldn't afford a PC, but my parents could afford to use PlayStation; that's where the fighting and racing scene is. So that's why most pros in the fighting and racing gaming genre are Black and Latinx because that's what their parents could afford. So that's what those gamers got good at and invested their time. Most of us didn't grow up playing mouse and keyboard computer games. And that's where most of the real professional side of the industry is in the gaming world.
For(bes) The Culture: What do you feel is the sense of duty you have and the legacy you would like to leave on this earth?
Jordan Fisher: Legacy is planting seeds in a garden you never get to see. I don't aim to be rich. I aim to be wealthy, and to be wealthy, so that my family, my generations beyond me, can live comfortably knowing that they're okay. My kids will know the value of a dollar and that nothing was ever handed to me. My parents sacrificed so much, which is why they don't worry about anything anymore. If I can do what I love every day and manage to figure out a way to take care of the people that I love, then I've done it—knowing my why is essential. Over the past few years, I have discovered that I'm one of the luckiest individuals in the world. I get to do what I love to do every day. Why am I making art? Why am I doing this? It's something I ask people. When you get up in the morning, and you decide you're going to go and do this thing every day. What is the purpose? What is the reason behind it? You have to know your why. Everyone who supports my work is human, and they're all dealing with something. So if I can suspend their disbelief for a moment, through the content I'm creating or that I am on stage performing and it helps them go, "Oh, my God, I'm not the only one." I've done it.
For(bes) The Culture: What advice would you give to another Black or BIPOC person who wants to find their way and calling?
Jordan Fisher: I would say that being black, being a human in general, You're conditioned. You're conditioned to suffer silently. And that is never okay. Do not silently suffer if you desire to create and build. Be loud about it. Find your allies and find your community. Find your partners, talk about what you want to develop, talk about what you want to create and put it in front of people. I'm about to drop a massive piece of news, Forbes exclusive, for you right now. The entertainment industry is crying and dying for black creatives right now. Companies have realized they don't have any creative people of color on their team, producers, directors or financiers. No one's going to hand anything to you, So fix it. The big secret is that the entertainment industry is dying for it. They want it right now. So be Black and be creative. Make stuff, put it out there. Ask people to share it, talk, talk about it. Be transparent, be open about your feelings. I don't care if it's like white fragility. We have an opportunity right now to step forward and puff our chests out and say this is our space, too. So let's take it.
You can watch Jordan's performance in New York City during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC, airing Nov. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones.
