Big Brother sixteenth-season contestant Frankie Grande has landed his dream Broadway role.
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Grande, a 31-year-old YouTube personality from Boca Raton, FL, who finished Big Brother in fifth place, has been cast as Franz in the Broadway musical Rock of Ages.
"I'm so unbelievably excited. I have wanted to play Franz ever since I first saw the show. I think it is one of the best, funniest, most clever roles," Grande told People of the major character who may not be well known to fans since he was cut from Rock of Ages' 2012 movie adaptation.
Grande has apparently been auditioning for this role for a while because he's been "obsessed" with it and feels it was written for him.
"I've actually had three final callbacks since the show originally opened. Every time I made it down to the final two people, they went with the other guy. The first time I wasn't blonde. The second time I was too blonde. The third time I was too short. That is how Broadway works. They have a surplus of actors, so they can be that picky," said Grande, who also has interest in playing Frankie Valli from Jersey Boys.
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Grande told People he'll be inviting his Big Brother showmance partner Zach Rance -- who insisted he wasn't gay despite wanting to cuddle and flirt all the time with the openly-gay Grande -- to sit in the front row when he begins starring in the stage production on November 10. Grande will maintain the Rock of Ages role at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York until January 18.
Until he moves to New York, the actor has been spending time with his family since Big Brother concluded late last month. During the season, Grande lost his grandfather whom he was very close to.
"It's been great to see my unbelievable family. It has been a very happy and cathartic few weeks," explained Grande, the brother of pop star Ariana Grande. "I've been spending time with my [grandmother] going through my grandfather's closet and preparing for his celebration of life, which we are having next month."
Grande made his Broadway debut in 2007, when he was part of the Mamma Mia! cast.
Grande was best known for his social game on Big Brother, as he was very outgoing and friendly, in addition to his unique style. His male alliance members ended up turning on him and voting him out because they viewed him as a huge threat to win the game.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski