And now, he's taking on a new challenge by starring alone onstage in "The Unknown," a psychological thriller where he plays 10 characters over the course of one show.
Eyewitness News entertainment reporter Joelle Garguilo sat down with the team behind the production.
Joelle Garguilo: So, "The Unknown" is...
Sean Hayes: A play I'm doing, a solo show. I play a writer who gets harassed by an actor I didn't cast in a play. A whole cat and mouse game happens. It's very tantalizing and seductive.
Director Leigh Silverman calls it a ride that pulls you in.
Leigh Silverman: It's about obsession, and I think it's going to be a real edge of your seat experience.
Playwright David Cale says working with Hayes has been everything he hoped for.
David Cale: Thrilling. It's really been thrilling.
But playing 10 characters for 80 straight minutes is a massive lift.
Sean Hayes: On the first day of rehearsal, after a few hours, we took our first 10 minute break. I sat in a chair in the corner, and Leigh walked up to me and said,
"You thinking about how to get out of this?" And I said, "Yeah." And she goes, "That's exactly where you should be."
Joelle Garguilo: What's something you didn't know about each other until you began working together?
Leigh Silverman: Sean and I had been looking for a project. I told him, "I think I have a play you're going to love." And he said, "Great - as long as it's not a solo show."
Then came something else no one expected.
Joelle Garguilo: Did you know which musician he toured with?
David Cale: You toured with a musician?
Sean Hayes: I did.
Joelle Garguilo: Kenny...
David Cale: Kenny Rogers?
Sean Hayes: Yeah. Kenny Rogers.
David Cale: You toured with Kenny?
Sean Hayes: I did. When I was about 23. I played a Christmas elf on his Christmas tour. I was stoned every single performance. Between songs he talked a lot, so we called him "The Rambler."
Joelle Garguilo: At what point do the lines fall away and you're just living it truthfully?
Sean Hayes: I'll let you know.
Joelle Garguilo: If your character were a guest on "SmartLess," what would you ask him?
Sean Hayes: "What is wrong with you?" Honestly, that's the only question.
Silverman says that tension, and the imagination it sparks, is the magic of a solo show.
Leigh Silverman: You're asking the audience to use their imagination. That's one of the great things about theater, not showing everything. Sean describes what's happening, and the audience imagines it. It becomes a real collaboration between them and Sean.
Joelle Garguilo: I love the way you described that.
Sean Hayes: Yeah, she's amazing. See, the writer and the actor have no idea how to talk. That's all the time we have. This has been ABC 7. Please come see "The Unknown." Previews started January 31. It stars me. I'm the lead and the understudy, and that's it.
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