Name: J. Robert Spencer
Age: 41
Neighborhood: Harlem
Occupation: Actor/writer/director. Currently appearing in Next to Normal on Broadway, a performance for which he was nominated for a Tony, and which celebrates its one-year anniversary on April 15.
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
John Cassavetes.
What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
Anything at Carmine’s.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Entertain audiences.
Would you live here on a $35,000 salary?
If it’s $35k a week … for sure!
What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
God of Carnage.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
I give ‘em food.
What’s your drink?
Guinness.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
I’m able to prepare two meals a day at home. Breakfast is eggs with spinach, oatmeal, granola, and coffee — LOTS OF COFFEE. Lunch is any type of pasta with garlic and olive oil. And dinner in the theater district is usually spicy crunchy tuna roll and hot sake at Kodama Sushi.
What’s your favorite medication?
E3Live from Juice Generation.
What’s hanging above your sofa?
Nothing: We live in a loft.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
Sixty bucks.
When’s bedtime?
Usually I wind down around midnight.
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
New. I like it because you can see my behind in the Jersey Boys billboard on 47th Street.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
His buildings block too many views for New Yorkers!
What do you hate most about living in New York?
Carrying strollers up and down the subway stairs.
Who is your mortal enemy?
Public restrooms.
When’s the last time you drove a car?
Four months ago. Took off to look at a house in Jersey. It was TOOOOOOOO BIG.
How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
It threw our 401(k) for a loop, dropped our stocks, and all the responsible “suits” have disappointed the shit out of me and all Americans.
Times, Post, or Daily News?
Times.
Where do you go to be alone?
Any rooftop or fire escape.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
Their attitude.
