This was published 7 years ago
What I know about women: Michael James Scott
I come from a very loving, supportive and loud family. I am a mamma's boy – we talk two times a day.
By Jane Rocca
Michael James Scott
Actor, 35, in a relationship
Michael James Scott stars as the Genie in the hit musical Aladdin.Credit: Louie Douvis
I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and my mom [Karen] relocated the family to Orlando, Florida, for a new life. She didn't want her two sons to become black statistics. We moved from an inner city neighbourhood to the suburbs because she wanted us to have a good education and opportunities that didn't exist in Baltimore.
I come from a very loving, supportive and loud family. I am a mamma's boy – we talk two times a day. Mom is a church-going woman who managed my career early on. She is still married to my father [Michael] – proof that even though she had me at 19, she still made adult decisions and worked hard to keep our family together and happy.
Mom never wanted us to find excuses for being black. She taught us to get on with our lives and do what we have to do to be successful. She also made us realise that everybody has their own story and there are difficulties in life regardless of what colour you are. She told us to be nice and work hard.
I sang before I could speak. I started singing in church and responded to music early. That was definitely because of my mother.
Mom managed to put dinner on the table even after a full day of work. She was a superwoman and I didn't understand that sacrifice until I got older and realised just how selfless a woman has to be for the benefit of her family.
My father is also a mamma's boy. His father died when he was 15 and he was raised by his mother. He's worked hard all his life and would do anything for his family.
When I was in primary school my choir teacher, Miss Belinda Brewer, told Mom there was something special about me. She wanted me to join a performing group outside of school. Miss Brewer would drive me every day to rehearsal and it's where I got exposed to different things, like singing solos. That led to TV and theatre opportunities. Mom would get off work early to fit in with my busy after-school schedule.
I was a late bloomer. I didn't experience my first kiss until I was 15. I had a lot of self-image problems. I was a big boy known as the chubby happy kid. I think I steered away from any attention from girls because I was a little embarrassed. But that's what got me noticed – I was a big kid who could dance and move.
I don't remember the girl's name but we had a quick kiss after theatre group; we were all very close. I remember feeling embarrassed after it happened.
I had a crush on Janet Jackson growing up – I loved the way she danced, and she was curvaceous and beautiful. It was empowering to witness. I now have a crush on Beyoncé.
I was never interested in dating in my teens. I was too focused on theatre, dance and performance. It wasn't until I got to college and lost a bit of weight and got attention from both men and women that I started to change. Once I moved to New York, at 22, I started to date men and explore who I was.
Jeremy Merrifield [a filmmaker] and I have been dating for seven years. We got engaged in May this year. Jeremy is very close to his mother, Gina. She is also a very strong person who openly accepted me being with her son. That is a beautiful thing and it has made me stronger as a man.
Before Jeremy, I didn't really meet anyone worth investing time in, to be honest. I was happy doing my work and didn't have any big relationships until he came along.
I did know early on that I was gay, and I was more nervous about telling my father than my mother. But I think my mother had to struggle with it more than Dad. She is a church-going woman and wanted to be sure I was being honest with myself.
I have many close female friends.I love to have my posse of women, my tribe [laughs]. I love their honesty and friendship. Women who are strong have their perspective written on the wall. They know what they have to do to be themselves.
I met the amazing actress and dancer Gwen Verdon when I was a freshman in college. That was a life changer for me.
I got to see a living legend who gave me the sense that anything was possible.
To know where she came from and to survive in Hollywood's cut-throat business is true artistry.
Gwen taught me the famous dance Rich Man's Frug from Sweet Charity. Thank god I didn't know who she was at the time – I would have been an idiot around her. In me, she saw a person who was excited. I soaked up everything listening to her. It gave me the foundation of my career and my life as an artist. •
Michael James Scott plays the Genie in Aladdin the Musical at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney; aladdinthemusical.com.au.