Ryan McCartan Sits Down with Broadway Time at Carmine’s

Over a heaping plate of pasta at Carmine’s in Times Square, Ryan McCartan sat down with us to talk about his journey from almost becoming an English teacher to donning the iconic pink suit of Jay Gatsby in Broadway’s The Great Gatsby.

For McCartan, the road to career started with a dramatic life pivot. “I decided that I would rather fail trying at something I love than succeed at trying something I hate,” he says. After just 60 days in college, he left to pursue the arts full-time, despite coming from a family of educators.

Even when the offer came, McCartan was stunned. “I first asked my agent if it was a mistake. I was like, me? There’s no way. And then I saw Jeremy [Jordan] walk up onto that platform and I was like, oh shoot, I have to.”

One thing that erased the pressure was the creative team’s approach. “They didn’t want a Jeremy Jordan impression, they didn’t want a Leonardo DiCaprio impression. It could be a living, breathing man with my opinions and sensibilities,” he explains. That freedom allowed him to make Gatsby his own without the shadow of past interpretations.

Of course, the conversation wasn’t all gravitas. Asked about his funniest onstage moment, McCartan didn’t hesitate: “I forgot the gun in Heathers. Came out with nothing, walked off, came back with a gun. Kind of a pivotal prop… forgot the gun.”

McCartan’s career spans Disney Channel, Broadway, film, TV, and regional theater, a breadth he embraces with humor. “I’m 32 and I started when I was 7, so I can say to a lot of people, probably including you, I’ve been doing this longer than you’ve been alive.”

Now, five months into his contract, McCartan still finds the role surprising and rewarding. “You get to that Saturday night show, and you still have two more. And you do it. You remind yourself what you had convinced yourself you aren’t capable of. We keep coming together, we keep making it happen. It’s so gratifying, and it hasn’t worn off.”

Audiences can see Ryan McCartan as Jay Gatsby at the Broadway Theatre. For tickets and more information on The Great Gatsby visit www.broadwaygatsby.com