ENTERTAINMENT necessarily living under a shadow, but at least seeing somebody that you want to have respect for and want to work with, that impulses the relationship with his dad in a really remarkable way. He gets to see what it would be and could be like if he became The Flash one day or continued his journey with his sister. There is so much fun and so much excitement with everything Armageddon - you guys are going to freak out about what’s coming. Sari: So, have you always been a DC fan or Marvel fan? Jordan Fisher: Growing up, I wasn’t a Marvel fan. I liked DC a lot. But Marvel does this thing. They always have. Every character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Marvel Universe in general, has so much more humanity. You see, Superman, this alien from a planet called Krypton, comes to Indiana and lands on a farm and is raised by these lovely human beings, which is great, but again, he’s an alien. He’s completely invulnerable. In Marvel, there are real-life circumstances and real-life conversations. Like Tony Stark in comic iterations, he has a problem with alcohol. There are people with mental disabilities, and there are people with just real human stuff that as a person, as a fan, just as a human being, I can look at these superheroes and say, ‘Oh, I see me. I actually see myself in you.’ That connective tissue between film and audience is one of the most important things. Now, as a producer, I’m so focused on helping people see themselves in these characters in projects I am developing. Marvel has done that so well for so many years. I’m excited to see more heroes and more of a deeper dive into lesser-known heroes that have such great stories. It is really exciting. Sari: Speaking of great stories, “Happily Ever After” is one for the books. It has been such a massive part of so many people’s lives. Disney just retired the show in September. What has this whole experience meant to you? Jordan Fisher: The whole “Happily Ever After” experience was a bucket-lister I didn’t know that I had. It started off as an email from my team saying, ‘Is this something that interests you?’ I dropped my jaw and called them back and asked if it was a joke. They said, no, they actually want you to do this and make this music for the firework show. I was in New York walking to the theater to do Hamilton at the time, and I cried the whole way. It was just such a powerful moment of realizing that I was going to become a part of core memories for people. Realizing that my voice was going to be an anthem and narrative where families and kids that have dreamt of going to Disney World, of having an experience with friends and family and grandparents, along with couples getting engaged and pregnancy announcements - all these really big milestones that people save for that moment when they’re watching the firework show at the Magic Kingdom, it is such an honor. My wife and I have had moments at the Disney resorts, walking around or leaving a restaurant. Someone would stop us and say, ‘My wife and I got engaged to your song’ and just seeing the joy in their faces - it was forever changing in the best ways for me.
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Sari: You got your own ‘Happily Ever After’ recently when you married your childhood sweetheart. What do you think makes a good relationship work? What does being INLOVE mean to you? Jordan Fisher: Without question, please listen to this - talk to your partner about everything. Tell them everything. Reflect on everything. It builds trust and a foundation for you to root for one another. Good conversations, hard conversations. Either way, it is about growth. That is the big thing. Being in love is waking up every day, rolling over, seeing that person that you love on the other side of the bed, smelling their morning breath, seeing their bedhead, the crust on their eyes and everything, and going ‘You know what, that is what I want to see every day for the rest of my life. That is what I want.’ And choosing that person every single day, choosing to love them. It is an active verb – that is what being in love means. It means having a partner that is fully your other half, there to support you and take things on with you. The guiding hand, a guiding voice, a guiding light, and comfort, all of those things. That is what being in love truly is, and how to do that healthily? Laugh as much as you can. Tell jokes, be each other’s best friend - my wife is my best friend. There are so many people who don’t understand our humor, but we get each other so fully and laugh all the time. It is the best medicine. It is the best everything. Just be completely and utterly honest with your partner. Be fully transparent about everything, build that trust, wake up, and choose to love them every day. There are going to be days where it is just not as exciting as it was the day before or the week before, but that is also part of being in love - the ebb and flow of it all. None of us are perfect. We cannot just insert a chip in our head that keeps us infatuated with somebody. We have to wake up and choose them every day. Thankfully, we do. Sari: You’ve gotten to work with so many incredible people through the years. As a Broadway star, a singer, an artist, working with Lin-Manuel Miranda must’ve been a dream. I’m curious what he’s taught you? Jordan Fisher: Lin is incredible! If he has taught me anything, it has been by observation. It has been his work ethic and the belief in the story you are telling and that it needs to exist. I feel he is the Shakespeare of our generation. He is just so persistent in getting his message across, and that is such a beautiful thing to me.
Hoodie: Namara Jeans: Levi’s Shoes and Bag: Vibram
Sari: Style seems to be such a big part of how you express yourself. How would you describe your style, and how does fashion play a part in how you express yourself? Can you tell me more about the Be My Friend Apparel Collection? Jordan Fisher: I would describe my style as pretty fluid. I’m a very fluid person just in general, so that is definitely reflected in what I wear. Oftentimes, I wear a nice mixture of women’s clothing and men’s clothing, gender fluid pieces. I have always loved layers – long coats and sweaters – and boots with a little lift in them. If I had to describe my style, again, it would be fluid, but probably ‘Euro Chic.’ Most of what I love to wear is
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