How Michael Imperioli nearly tanked his ‘White Lotus’ Season 2 audition with the “Tears” song. (Photo: Netflix)
When “Tears” hit screens on Sunday, it was the first single off of the new season of the Netflix musical comedy series “White House Down,” which had yet to premier. It was also the season 2 finale to Michael Imperioli’s character, Danny “Drew’ Green, a former Marine and Navy SEAL who is about to enter the White House as the second-in-charge of security.
The moment, however, that drew most people’s attention to “Tears,” perhaps the only thing that was more remarkable than the song itself, was something that happened between director Michael Gracey and Imperioli early on in the audition: after taking his first sip from a cup of water, he got up immediately to pour himself another cup, with something extra on there.
“Tears” is a hit single, and one of the most highly-touted songs in a career full of hits. It was written by the likes of Mark Ronson, James Bay, Ellie Goulding and Troye Sivan, among others. And it’s certainly one of those songs that every fan of the show and every pop culture fan alike would like to hear.
But for Imperioli, who plays the lead, the song was something that left him feeling confused, nervous and overwhelmed — in the end, it nearly nearly tanked his chance at a callback audition that was supposed to take place the next morning. He found himself onstage, in front of the producers, being told to do a song he didn’t even know how to sing, and then, after all that, he was told that he had his callback — and his shot at his dream audition — and he was going to win.
The audition
Imperioli joined the show’s ensemble in the final months of the season 2 season
