Sex and the City alum and current And Just Like That star Mario Cantone was unmasked as the Maize during the October 12 episode of The Masked Singer. He performed a rousing rendition of “Heaven On Their Minds” from Jesus Christ Superstar. Mario spoke EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife and revealed who from AJLT could do the show next.
“That’s a good question. Sarah Jessica [Parker] could do it because she can sing,” Mario said. “She’s sung on Broadway. She can sing. I don’t think Cynthia [Nixon] sings. I don’t think she’s ever done a musical. She’s done tons of Broadway shows and is brilliant in every one of them. I don’t think Kristin [Davis] sings. Who else? I don’t know.”
After his performance, Andrew told Mario, while still in the Maize costume, that he should turn professional. Mario was thrilled to have received such a compliment from a living legend.
“I said to him, ‘I could live on that for the rest of my life,’ I spoke to him afterward, and he kept saying, ‘You have a young voice.’ I’m like, ‘Young? I’m 95 years old.’ But it was a pleasure to hear that from him and the rest of the judges. They were very flattering. So that’s all that matters. You want to impress them,” Mario told HollywoodLife.
Mario admitted that it was “tough” to perform as Maize because it got “warm” inside the costume. However, unlike some of the costumes, there was lots of room inside. “You get a little lost because you can only see out of the mouthpiece and you’re twirling and swirling. Sometimes I did it well. Other times I was like, ‘I am going to fall off the stage.’ I missed my mark a little bit here and there, but I didn’t fall off the stage,” the actor admitted.
There was a special reason why Mario was so drawn to the Maize costume, and it has to do with a female screen legend. “When they showed it to me before they built it I really liked it because it looks like Mae West as a ear of corn,” Mario quipped. “They were like, ‘Oh, it’s like Vegas showgirls.’ I’m like, ‘No, that’s Mae West.’ Not that that matters to anybody else except me because I love Mae West.”
Jenny McCarthy was the first Masked Singer panelist to toss around Mario’s name as a possibility for Maize. Mario wasn’t surprised Jenny guessed correctly.
“Jenny and I worked together when I was co-hosting and guest-hosting The View and performing and doing comedy. I sang a lot on The View. She knew my voice, so I think it made sense that she hit it right,” Mario said.
The actor and comedian decided to do The Masked Singer simply because he loves to sing. “I sang on Broadway and I sang on The View over the 20 years that it was on. I sing in my standup. I always have a band. So I just stand up and I sing and I do concerts. I play the Cafe Carlyle in New York. I mean, I love singing. I’m pretty good at it, and my husband’s a wonderful singer,” Mario continued.
Mario and the rest of the And Just Like That cast are back in New York City filming the second season of the highly-anticipated sequel series. Mario is excited to continue Anthony Marentino’s story.
“It’s amazing. I’m a lucky boy,” Mario told HollywoodLife. “I’m very, very happy. Last year’s experience was amazing and sad and a lot of things, but the people you work with we’re there for each other, and we get each other through it. It was a lot of stuff last year, and we really miss Willie. It was very difficult. This year, we’re back and I’m having a great time. Once again, I’m working with Michael Patrick King, who I’ve known since 1983. He writes for me better than anybody, so I know I’m in really good hands.”