8 Things You Should Know About GLEE’s Finneas O’Connell
Actor Finneas O'Connell is the newest addition to the GLEE cast, appearing as Alistair in last night's episode. In real life, Finneas is the frontman of a band The Slightlys. In a recent interview, we asked Finneas all about his musical preferences and what it's like to become a part of the cast.
Who is your single biggest musical influence?
1. The Beatles
Was there any album that shaped your childhood when you were growing up?
2. A Hard Day's Night by The Beatles and Fresh Wine For The Horses by Rob Dickinson
What's your favorite song on the radio right now?
3."Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
4.Ke$ha. Hands Down. I think she's amazing. Listen to "Past Lives," one of my favorite songs ever
Describe your favorite guitar
5.My Thinline Telecaster. So much fun to play that guitar. And it's light too, which is important for long shows
Do you have a pre-performance ritual?
6.I just do a lot of pushups.
Which fictional character do you relate to most?
7.Peeta Mellark. I love bread.
If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
8.TOUGH… Rockin' The Suburbs by Ben Folds
What has it been like to be a part of the GLEE cast?
Overwhelming. It's a show that's been on since I was 11 years old and to join it during its final season has felt so special. The cast and crew have been so welcoming and they're all so incredibly talented, I feel so lucky to have been a part of it.
What can you tell us about your character on GLEE? How are you similar to him, and how are the
two of you different?
My character Alistair and I have super similar tastes in music and literature for sure. We both read the same books, J.D Sallinger, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, stuff like that. We listen to a lot of the same music too, which made me laugh when I first read the script and he talked about some of his favorite bands. Simon and Garfunkel were big for me growing up, my parents loved them. As far as differences go, I'm straight in real life and my character is openly gay on the show, but I just tried to play him as honestly and respectfully as possible. The great thing about acting is getting to pretend to be people you aren't in real life, so that was really a cool experience.
What is your musical background? Have you performed on the show, and how has that experience been different from your experience in your band, The Slightlys?
I grew up singing in The Los Angeles Children's Chorus and playing musical instruments. My whole family is super musical so it's almost like our second language with each other. It's how we communicate. As far as differences between performing in my band The Slightlys and performing on GLEE, in my band, I play guitar as well as sing, and it's all original music, but on GLEE we're performing covers and I get to dance and sing, which I also love. I have the time of my life in my band and on the show.
For even more from Finneas, be sure to follow him on his Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also join the discussion in GLEE fan clubs at Sweety High.