Ben Platt At the Head of the Class in ‘The Politician’

Ben Platt, star of Netflix’s The Politician, joins the Water Cooler to discuss his acclaimed performance in Ryan Murphy’s comedy series. He also dishes on his expectations of the Dear Evan Hansen film.

Netflix’s The Politician stars Ben Platt as Payton Hobart, a high school student in the midst of a heated campaign for student body president. His ambition doesn’t end there. He is also a self-proclaimed future President of the United States. As played by Platt, Payton is a fascinating cipher and walking contradiction. He wants people to love him, but he can’t figure out exactly who he is. He’s naked ambition, but he’s unable to achieve his goals independently.

Platt’s lead performance received raves when The Politician premiered last fall. He delivers the Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan dialogue in rapid-fire brilliance. He balances the tricky tonal shifts with ease, conveying the darkly comic moments as easily as he does the heavier, dramatic moments. And, yes, he sings. Three times.

Ben Platt joins Clarence at the Water Cooler to discuss his performance over The Politician‘s two seasons (season two dropped June 19). He talks about how he found the character and about what it was like to face off against Jessica Lange, Judith Light, and Bette Midler. He also talks about what The Politician ultimately has to say about politics and the young vote. Finally, he talks about his life-long dream of performing at Radio City Music Hall, which was filmed and released on Netflix earlier this spring.

And we talk a little about the upcoming Dear Evan Hanson film.

[powerpress]