Aydin Eyikan spends most nights of the week as Fred Astaire, playing the legendary dancer and inspiration to Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical.
It’s the 23-year-old’s fourth Broadway show in as many years, after making his debut on the Great White Way fresh out of high school in The Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster back in 2022. He also appeared in both Bob Fosse’s Dancin‘ and Wicked before landing his current gig.
But while Aydin—who first broke out on NBC’s World of Dance as a teen—now has a dance-off against Michael Jackson eight times a week, he’s also got his eyes set on his next act. And that transition could see him jumping from Broadway to Hollywood, after he recently started taking acting lessons in NYC.
Though he notes he’ll “always be a dancer,” we spoke with Aydin after his sizzling photoshoot with Zachary Olewnicki for So.Gay, where he opened up about this exciting career pivot, what he learned from Jackman, the hard work that goes into his Broadway Bares performances, and his dream collaborators.
So.Gay: Well, first off, I’ve seen some of the pictures from your photo shoot. I don’t know if you have yet.
Aydin Eyikan: I have not. Oh my god! Are they great? I saw a preview of one or two at the actual shoot, and I was freaking out.
So.Gay: What was that experience like for you? And how does it feel to be recognized by a queer publication like this?
Aydin Eyikan: It was such an honor. Doing the actual shoot itself was so amazing. Zachary is such a visionary. I love showing up to something like that where you know I sort of walk in knowing that I have my own idea of things that I like to look at on myself. Then I know that So.Gay is going to have their vision, right? And I feel like walking into that space, we were both able to collaborate in such a like equal and also just sort of like ever flowing way. It sort of felt like the momentum didn’t stop the entire like two and a half hours that we shot, so it was such a fun day. Zachary’s a genius.
And to be recognized by a queer publication, I mean that’s surreal. Growing up as a gay kid, I think it takes a lot of people a long time to be able to feel like they can celebrate that part of themselves and not hide it, like it’s not something to overcome. And I definitely went through that as a kid for sure, even though, at three years old, my mom was like, “He’s gay.” And I’m so lucky to have a really supportive family, and that’s something I definitely never take for granted. But even with that being said, everybody sort of grows up, no matter what industry they’re in, they sort of feel like it’s this thing that they have to be successful in spite of.
I’ve definitely come into this space, especially in the last couple years, where I feel like it’s the opposite. Like I’m celebrating the fact that I am gay and I am a successful gay performer, and to have a queer publication like So.Gay reach out and want to recognize me was really a moment that I’m very proud of.
So.Gay: As you should be. And now I know, right now, you’re currently playing Fred Astaire and MJ the Musical on Broadway, you do a dance off with Michael Jackson himself every night. Can you just talk a little bit about what it means for you to not only be in a Broadway show—I know it’s your fourth in as many years—but also playing a legendary dancer, dancing against a legendary dancer.
Aydin Eyikan: Yeah, it’s sort of a pinch me moment every night. Even at this point, I’ve been doing MJ for a little over a year now, and I still get to that part of the show, and I am in the wing, about to enter, and I sort of have this moment of like, “Wow, I get to do this.” I think, especially being somebody who grew up as a dancer, dancer, dancer, not theater. I wasn’t doing the school plays. Like blinders on, focused on dance, and so in theater, there’s not a ton of opportunities for just dancers. Obviously, that’s not the case anymore. Now I do everything, but especially starting out, I was very fortunate coming into the Broadway scene, I came in doing a show that was very focused on dance, and that’s sort of what opened the door for me.
So to get to do this show where dance is so featured, and it’s really about Michael Jackson’s process and how he creates and strives for perfection. That’s really the message of the show. What are the stakes? What does it cost? What do you give up? What did he navigate creating the things that the world saw as so magnificent? And a big part of that was his dancing and his dancers on his tours.
I get to play one of his dancers, and then you meet his dance heroes at the top of Act II, and I get to, of course, play the legendary Fred Astaire, which is major. My teachers, I had great training growing up, so like I was fortunate enough to watch Fred Astaire and know exactly how incredible he was. To be able to come out and just have that like those few minutes every night to try to do him justice is pretty amazing. The biggest compliment somebody can give me at the stage door—and this happens often, I feel very fortunate for it—is when people will be like, “Fred would be proud.” And I am like, “Thanks!” Who knows. But that is a very special moment I get to have.
So.Gay: Now I know you were on World of Dance when you were much younger, but getting some high praise there from people like Jennifer Lopez. And then you were in The Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. You also recently did a cameo with The Tonight Show. Just do you get starstruck at all when you’re meeting some of these people for the first time, and how do you get past?
Aydin Eyikan: Oh my gosh, you know what’s funny? There’s a handful of people that I still would now. I think that as a kid, I had such diluted confidence—and maybe not diluted, I was really good at what I did. This is probably just a testament too to being a kid with a dream and sort of this unshakable like belief in yourself. And I think anybody who reads this feature maybe can relate or sort of understand. I think being 15 years old and filming World of Dance, I walked onto that set and there was J.Lo and I was like, “Yeah, of course.”
So.Gay: This feels correct.
Aydin Eyikan: Right before I did Music Man I did this movie called Spirited with Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer and a whole bunch of people and I remember Ryan Reynolds, making him laugh. At that point, I just turned 18, and they had been filming this movie for like seven months and I came in to do one number. So he knew all the other dancers but I was new to this project, and I, first day on set, walked right up to him and was like, “Hey, I’m Aydin,” and just shook his hand. I still looked like this little kid. He literally said out loud, “I can’t believe you just just walked right up to me and you’re not nervous at all.” And I was like, “No.” And now, he follows me on Instagram. It was like this moment of respect.
I would get starstruck if I saw Taylor Swift. That’s really it. Especially if I’m working with somebody, then it feels like an equal relationship.
Working with Hugh for like a year and a half on Music Man, one thing he really demonstrated as a leader of a company, and also just being somebody who is so famous, he knew every single crew person’s name. He knew every single usher’s name. He was a class act, and it really was a great demonstration of, if you’re in that place and you’re a good person, then you are equals. The only people who make somebody feel like that’s not the case, if you’re on a set working together, are the people who don’t have the right ideas inside their hearts probably.
So.Gay: I also just saw the picture you posted with Camila Mendes from Riverdale backstage at MJ. How has it been having celebrities stop by the show as well?
Aydin Eyikan: It’s so fun. My favorite probably since I’ve been there, P!nk came. There she was in her ALO sweat suit. I love P!nk. I listened to growing up all the time. My mom loves P!nk, so that was pretty exciting. It’s so fun.
They come backstage often, and they’re just so sweet. And they’ve just watched us, so even if you’re a fan of them, it’s not a fan and celebrity relationship, which feels imbalanced. It’s like they come backstage. They just watched you do something incredible, and they’re like, “Oh my god! Tell me about that.” And you’re like, “Hi, Beyonce!” John Stamos was another one, he stayed and talked with us for like so long.
So.Gay: I know when I go to a show, I think it’s a very gay thing for us to immediately start following anyone you think is hot in the cast on Instagram. I’m just curious if you see a spike at all after your performances.
Aydin Eyikan: Oh my goodness, I do! I have a whole message request folder that I don’t open, but there is quite a … yeah. Especially because, in the show, what is mentioned frequently is in “Startin’ Something,” I have these gold booty shorts that sort of leave nothing to the imagination and those are a hit. That’s my boyfriend’s favorite costume that I wear.
So.Gay: I think he’ll like this photo shoot too. And I know you also just did Broadway Bares, which raises money for Equity Fights AIDS. I believe this isn’t your first time doing it, but just what is it like to be part of that show? Because it always looks like such a blast.
Aydin Eyikan: It is like the Olympics, especially if you’re in a show at the same time. The weekend itself is insane. You wake up at like 6am on Saturday, you go and you do tech all morning, you do a run through, you go do your matinee, you come back between, you do another rehearsal, you go do your evening show. Sunday morning, you’re up at 6am, you do two dress rehearsals—or undress rehearsals as they call them—in the morning. You go do your matinee, you come back, you do another dress rehearsal, and then you have your 9:30 show and your midnight show. So on that Sunday alone, you do 1,2,3,4,5, performances of Broadway Bares, plus your matinee, and you’re running back and forth the whole time between the Hammerstein ballroom and your theater. So just that alone is crazy.
But the actual show itself is such a such a celebration of gayness and and it really has become such a Pride event. What I love is there is obviously this tie to Broadway, but most of the audience for Broadway Bares are just gay men who now see it as this Pride thing, which I think is epic because then those people come and they actually end up seeing people that are from the Broadway world. Shoshana Bean came out this past year and is singing her face off. So then they get drawn into the Broadway world, but through this event that they think is just a Pride event where they can watch hot guys strip.
And then also just the most important thing overall is of course like the money that it raises. It’s like the biggest fundraiser of the whole year and it’s really cool to be able to do that and it also instills in everybody who does it a really big sense of individual responsibility because everybody who performs—there’s like 200 something dancers—every single person has to do their own fundraising.
When you finish and you’re like, “Oh my god, I myself not only contributed to making the show happen, which in turn sold tickets, but I also raised my own money that will go and help people.” It’s really, really a cool feeling, and I don’t think auy fundraiser really gives people that opportunity to, as individuals, feel that sense of contribution.
So.Gay: Do you get a little competitive with any of your friends when it comes to who is going to raise the most?
Aydin Eyikan: I don’t, because I win. It’s not a competition, but I win.
So.Gay: Looking ahead for you, I believe you’re taking acting classes now. What does the next chapter look like for you? Are you starting to maybe make that transition?
Aydin Eyikan: This is the most exciting thing, honestly, going on in my life right now, which is funny because I think to the outside world it’s like the least shiny thing. I have been dancing since I was seven, and I love dance. I’ll always be a dancer.
And MJ is my fourth Broadway show. It’s a show that features dancers so much that I’m sort of in this place where I don’t feel the urge to leave MJ to go dance in a different show where I’m going to be further in the back, further in the dark. With MJ, I’m such a big part of the story, and it’s so fulfilling. That being said, the last couple years, my passion for acting really started growing, and I have really incredible representation in that area. I got this spot in MJ, and I thought to myself, okay, I have this stability and this time, which are two things that in this industry are rarities. So, I have that, what am I going to do right now to work towards goals that I have?
And all of a sudden, it hit me, especially with my representation being so great in that area, that I was like, I’m getting auditions for all these things that I want to do, play that gay person on TV and so I decided to go to a full two-year conservatory for acting. Meisner technique, very legit. I haven’t gone to school since like sophomore year of high school, so being a student again, I’m like, “Whoa!”
I just started this past week and it’s really exciting. Even as a kid, which is so funny, I remember at like 12 years old writing down, “I want to have an impact on people.” I remember feeling at dance competitions that if I performed my solo and then afterwards people were telling me that it moved them or they’re crying, that was impact to me, and that meant more to me sometimes than winning. So, as life has progressed, I think impact is still a big factor that I strive for.
Even at this stage, how many young queer people I’ve touched, and how many kids follow me on Instagram—and hopefully block out the Speedo photos—but are recognizing the fact that I’m a queer person who’s very out and proud and vocal and not hiding a single thing. There’s me in my relationship on Instagram with a man, like that kind of thing. To me, it’s sort of like acting increases that impact. It not only increases what I’m capable of as an artist, but if I’m able to play that role in that show and represent this queer person, then think about how much more impact that I have on this show on Netflix now that many more young people are looking and being like, “Oh, there’s me in this show. I’m this young, gay kid.”
For me, growing up, there was Glee. That was it. Which, by the way, Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel, just started following me like the other day, and I died because little Aydin was like, “Oh my God, it’s Kurt.” But, to my point, it was more of a rarity. There is so much more of that now, and I would love to be able to step into that.
So.Gay: Is there like a dream project or maybe person you’d like to work with?
Aydin Eyikan: Oh, I would love to work with Dan Levy. That would be a dream. Ryan Murphy, I’ve always loved. I just think his ideas are so brilliant and also just mind blowing. Interestingly enough, when I am doing comedic things, I find myself pulling a lot from Dan Levy. It just kind of comes out because we have a similar humor, I think. I would love to do something Dan Levy is creating.
So.Gay: Well, we’ll put that out there. Hopefully, it will manifest itself!
Keep up with Aydin by following him on Instagram at @aydineyikan
