Lights! Camera! Greyson! Singer-songwriter Greyson Chance is about to make his feature film acting debut, portraying Danné Montague-King in the upcoming movie, Maybelline Prince. Based on the novel of the same name by Montague-King, Greyson stars opposite Robyn Cruz (Big Sky), Jamie Bernadette, and more in a retelling of how Evelyn Williams, an aging beauty and socialite who inspired the creation of the Maybelline makeup brand, and Danné King, an “eccentric, gay skin-care scientist.” Their friendship would change their lives forever, and such a role actually intimidated Greyson. “In the beginning, I was very nervous and quite skeptical to take on the [part of Danné],” he tells HollywoodLife.’
“I’ve always been a massive fan of film, but I never pictured a world in which I would be acting; I didn’t think I had the skill to do so,” Greyson says in an EXCLUSIVE interview. “It was after meeting Danné that I decided to take on the role… you see, Danné’s a performer, and I have been performing since I was 12-years-old. All of a sudden, it clicked in my head that perhaps the two mediums, singing, and acting, weren’t actually that different.”
While Greyson has acted in music videos – and in a handful of episodes of the Raising Hope TV series – a part in a feature film is a horse of a different color. “The biggest challenge was just having to retain a confidence within myself,” he explains. “You see, with my music career, I am the guy in charge, the one with the final say. That wasn’t the case with a production like this in which I am 1 of 40 people on set. I found myself meditating in the mornings before going to set, hyping myself up in a way, and reminding myself that I was good enough to have a seat at the table. That was the biggest challenge.”
Plus, Greyson portrays a real person who is still very much alive, and that’s a challenge in itself. “I spent a few weeks studying anything and everything that I could find online about Danné,” he tells HollywoodLife when asked how he prepped for the film. “Videos, interviews, articles, the whole nine-yards
“Closer to the beginning of filming, I then spent a long 6-hour evening with Danné, where I came in with, I think around 100 questions,” he continues. “I’ve always been an over-preparer. After that experience, as I would say to my friends, I ‘walked’ with him. I would prance around my house in all of my jewelry and begin talking like Danné, doing things I think he would have done, saying things I think he would have said. For three months, I truly felt as if I was him.”
Maybelline Prince will likely be the first time viewers are introduced to Danné, Evelyn, and their story. Greyson is aware of that, and instead of seeing a challenge, he sees an opportunity. “I wasn’t aware of the story before reading the script, and I don’t think most people will know this story either; there’s a beauty within that ambiguity,” he says. “There are certain stories in life that are too interesting, too bizarre, and too symbiotic to not be written about… The Maybelline Prince is one of those stories. I think it will take people by surprise.”
“I hope they see the beauty within this story, and understand how remarkably wild life can be, sometimes,” concludes Greyson. “As a viewer, they will also witness my character becoming incredibly humanized in the film by his experiences. For me, playing Danné taught me to slow down and enjoy the color within my own life; I hope that resonates, too.”
Maybelline Prince, directed by Seth Harden, recently wrapped filming.