Age: 23
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
In the show: Ren McCormack, formerly known as "the Kevin Bacon role." Ren moves to town from Chicago with a street-smart attitude and his newly divorced mother in tow.
In the real world: Walter Bobbie and the creative team of Footloose found Kushnier just days before a crucial workshop; composer Tom Snow has admitted that writing Ren's anthem, "I Can't Stand Still," was impossible pre-Kushnier. In Canada, he's performed in both the original Canadian and touring productions of Tommy and as a swing in the Toronto Rent.
The infamous bus ride: Much has been made about Kushnier's 12-hour overnight bus trek to New York for the audition. After an initial tryout, Bobbie made him stay overnight in the city; he was offered the part the following afternoon, 30 minutes before is trip back. "I found out I got the part, and I didn't have time to tell anyone. I had to ride the whole way home beside two parolees on their way to Utica to meet their parole officer."
The New York apartment situation: "Know of any? Me and one other guy from the show are looking for one. I'm staying at a hotel on the Upper West Side, but I have to leave soon."
Walter Bobbie, Dr. Feelgood: "He has a clear idea of what he wants, and a way of making you think it was your idea all along. It makes you feel good!"
Jeremy Kushnier, Broadway star: "I've been doing this for 10 years. I come in and do what they hired me to do. I get neat perks out of it: doing interviews like this, and getting my picture in the paper. But it's a job."
The pointy sideburns: "This is my look. I had these sideburns when I came into the show, and it's now part of the design."
A little Canadian humor: "Culturally, there's very little difference between Canada and the States...other than that we have a different day for Thanksgiving and the fact that we wear underwear on the outside of our clothing."