Jay McGuiness opens up about the joy of being on stage again

In an interview with Her.ie, the & Juliet star said performing on stage has filled him with light on the dark days.

Jay explained how being part of the show has helped his mental health:

“When you're like left to stew for too long you can overthink, underthink, or just negatively think so getting out there and doing something that scares you can end up being the most rewarding thing. This role has pushed me to get out of bed in the morning."

The show has given him a sense of purpose, but more importantly, it has helped many people feel seen again. Speaking about the joy of being involved in such an inclusive show, Jay said: 

“& Juliet has a really lovely message about inclusion. The world is a pretty intense place right now so it’s incredible to have a non-binary character just woven so beautifully into the story.”

“I can see why people take refuge in theatre and art when the real world can be pretty depressing at times.”

McGuiness said being part of a production is something incredibly important to him. After years of self-reflection, the singer realised that being part of a team is what is best for him, which is why he loved his time in The Wanted so much.

Jay on the importance of reuniting with The Wanted in 2022

Many of us would’ve grown up listening to the singer perform with The Wanted in the 2010s. Some of us (myself included) would’ve screeched along to All Time Low on the radio and spent all of our pocket money to see the band perform live. The Wanted were a major part of our teenage years and fans were left heartbroken following the untimely passing of Tom Parker in 2022.

Fans lost a member of their favourite band, but Jay and his fellow band members Max George, Nathan Sykes, and Siva Kaneswaran lost a friend they shared some of the biggest moments of their lives with.

Jay said reuniting for a string of UK shows in 2022 was incredibly important for Tom Parker.

“I'm so grateful that we did it and they're some of my most treasured memories. People came out of retirement to come and support us and to support Tom. That felt amazing. 

“I really valued the most silly things like being together on the tour bus and doing goofy pranks. The same sort of thing that we used to do and we had almost no responsibilities. That felt so joyful.

As wonderful as it was to see the band together again, Jay said it was an extremely emotional time for them following Tom’s glioblastoma diagnosis.

The band reunited to honour Tom’s wish to perform together again, but singing those songs was an incredibly vulnerable thing for them to do. They were going through such a heartbreaking time with their beloved friend, but Jay knew they had to keep going.

Performing together as The Wanted is a memory they'll all hold onto.

“I found those songs really hard and I still do find the songs quite hard because a lot of the content speaks to me in a completely different way. 

“I found that quite difficult but I was aware that it wasn't just for my feelings, it was for the fans and it was for Tom's experience too.

"He loved being on that tour and I'm really glad that his daughter Aurelia was old enough to see him. She can now remember what it was like when he was in an arena like that.”

After speaking to Jay McGuiness, it’s evident that music and performing have shaped almost every chapter of his life, both the milestone moments and the heartbreaking ones too. 

Performing is second nature to Jay McGuiness at this stage. It’s clear from hearing him speak about his time on stage, whether that’s in a theatre or in an arena with his bandmates by his side, that it is something that fills him with hope and purpose, which makes his performance in & Juliet one you cannot miss.

You can see Jay McGuiness play William Shakespeare in & Juliet at Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from February 25th to March 8th.