John Legend is praying his well-received performance in the Jesus Christ Superstar TV special snags him his first Emmy Award and earns him the prestigious EGOT title.
The All of Me hitmaker took on the titular role in the Easter Sunday (01Apr18) musical production, which was broadcast live on U.S. TV.
The show, which also featured singer/actress Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, rocker Alice Cooper as King Herod, and Broadway star Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas, was widely-praised by fans and critics alike, and John admits it would be the icing on the cake if the small screen adaptation is nominated for the Primetime Emmy Awards later this year (18).
If he ends up winning an Emmy, the prize will score him entry into the EGOT club, representing elite performers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. Only 12 stars have achieved all four awards competitively, including Whoopi Goldberg and the late Audrey Hepburn, while Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli landed their places in the club after winning at least one of the awards in a special or honorary nature.
John insists he didn't take on the Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert role with the achievement in mind, but it will be a welcome accolade to add to his collection.
"I wouldn't say (I was) aiming for (the EGOT), but I wouldn't be mad if I got it! It'd be nice," he tells New York radio show The Breakfast Club, quipping, "We just did something on television on Sunday, so it's eligible!"
However, the singer explains awards are the last thing on his mind when he begins a new project: "If you start thinking like that, that's when you go astray, creatively, if you start thinking, 'How can I win an award for this?'," he says. "If you go into it thinking, 'I need to make this amazing,' then the awards will come, and that's the way I approach everything: music, film, everything."
John moved one step closer to EGOT status last year (17), after co-producing the Broadway production of August Wilson's play Jitney, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
He also has 10 Grammys to his name, claiming his most recent trophy in 2016 for Best Song Written for Visual Media for Glory, his collaboration with Common for the 2014 movie Selma, which also won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Rapper/actor Common is also one award away from achieving the EGOT, and John admits they are big supporters of each other's career endeavours: "He has everything but a Tony, I have everything but the Emmy," he shares.
"We're both proud of each other. Obviously we got the Oscar together and we got a Grammy together as well, we're rooting for each other."
