We got to speak with one of our favorite magicians, Mat Franco, recently about his upcoming special on NBC, his favorite magic act and what Magic means to him…
In case you don’t know him. Magician Mat Franco, is the season 9 winner of NBC’s hit reality-competition series “America’s Got Talent.” We’ve included his performance video below to show you what a bright talent he is.
Be sure to tune into Mat Franco’s Got Magic this Thursday, September 17th on NBC (9-11 p.m. ET)
In this new special, “Mat Franco’s Got Magic” will feature appearances by Neil Patrick Harris, Heidi Klum, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Mraz, Penn & Teller and others. Be sure to check out our interview below and the teaser clip as well. Be sure to tell us who your favorite magician is…
Question: Is there a special segment in your upcoming special that is your favorite?
Mat Franco told us… “…Yes, the set that I did back in Rhode Island.
Back where I’m from [as this is a] road trip that chronicles my journey going from Rhode Island to opening the show in Las Vegas.
All I can tell you is that I shot some footage over at the University of Rhode Island, which is a place that’s close to my heart. Of course, that’s where I went to school. I’ve performed there, in some cases, nine times a year. It’s just a place that has voting parties for me when I was on America’s Got Talent. They had riots on campus when I won.
…we stop off at amazing locations all across America, but it does sort of really mean something to go back home and be able to thank the people there that really supported me on this journey; in particular, my college, university of Rhode Island. I really was excited to go back there and shake their hands and say thank you. And I’m also really excited about the special magic that I came up with just for them.”
Question: Can you tell us who are some of your favorite special guests that will be on your special?
Mat Franco told us… “They were all just amazing to work with. One that was really unique because it was sort of different – a lot of the celebrity guests that we have like Nicole Scherzinger – we released a sneak peek of that. I performed magic for them.
But in a couple of instances — like, for example, with Neil Patrick Harris — because he is a magician – a lot of people don’t realize he actually has a real background in magic. We collaborated together to create a trick that we could perform for people and that’s what we’ll see on the special, which is really cool.
And we did the same thing with Penn and Teller. Since they are magicians – so we thought it would be a cool opportunity to collaborate rather than me performing a trick for those particular celebs.”
Question: Have you gotten your invitation to join the Magic Castle?
Mat Franco told us… “Yes. I’ve been to the Magic Castle a good handful of times because I spent the past six months in Los Angeles before I came here to Vegas, which is where I am right now as we’re chatting here because that’s where my live show is tonight. We have our residency show here right in town and before that I filmed the special.”
Question: What is your favorite magic act of all time from either you or any other performer?
Mat Franco told us… “…if you look back on America’s Got Talent, my favorite piece that I did on the show that I’m most proud of is my very first audition where I told the story using a deck of cards that I customized to be about America’s Got Talent, to be about my journey.
…the reason I like that so much is really just because it’s a personal piece.
I like things that include a story and have surprises along the way, and keep it fun. But people often ask is there an ultimate magic trick, and my answer to that is really that I think it depends on your mood just like a song. You might be in the mood to listen to a fast-paced song because you want to dance. Or you might want to hear something a little bit slower and relax you a little bit.
…there are a lot different types of magic and a lot of different genres of magic. And I tried to include as many of those as possible into the two hour special. But really it changes day to day what my favorite thing is that I’m working on.”
“Magic is just what I love to do and I’d be doing it even if no one watched…You’ve got to do what you love.”
For More on Mat Franco visit his official page on NBC here http://www.nbc.com/mat-francos-got-magic
“Mat Franco’s Got Magic” will capture Franco traveling from his home in Rhode Island to Las Vegas, stopping off at incredible locations, wowing celebrities, performing street magic and visiting the family, friends and everyday Americans who helped make his dream come true. When he reaches his final destination, Franco will learn what it takes to put on a high-profile show and fulfill his dreams of becoming a headlining act in Las Vegas at The LINQ Hotel & Casino.
“Mat Franco’s Got Magic” is produced by FremantleMedia North America and Syco Entertainment and distributed internationally by FremantleMedia International. Executive producers are Thom Beers, Toby Gorman and Sean Hancock.
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