Adam Shankman is definitely different. And his voice rings throughout Hairspray. The remix of the original, Shankman brings the musical side of the ‘fight the power’ comedy of the late 80s to the millennium. With high kicks and energetic numbers in every other scene Adam Shankman directed a phenomenal cast that not only holds their own but stays in line with the much continued success of the original John Waters’ version of Hairspray.

Are you a huge fan of the original Hairspray?

Adam Shankman: I’m a huge fan of the original. You walk away and feel something. John gives you that. I just got to capitalize on that magic… you know. 

What do you think are the differences between the two?

Adam Shankman: Their monolithic… the music. John (John Waters) told me don’t try to copy me, do your own thing. The story is only told well when it’s told from your own perspective. And I’ve always felt like an outsider. And having done this, I’ve come to terms that everybody feels like an outsider that’s how being an insider is the great myth. And that is why you have to celebrate difference. We are all artists. We live this message every day. He (John) lives it but with a bit more acid. I do it with a little less acid.

There are also a lot of ‘winks’ to a lot of old movies?

Adam Shankman: Yes. I saw a lot of Funny Girl. The opening shot is sort of Mary Poppin’ and West Side Story. I did it all over the place. I had to create a level of reality that audiences wouldn’t be turned off by. I had to do what the music does. You can’t do Good Morning Baltimore dark. It doesn’t work. So you fight the material… and your head is hurting after. My movie is through Tracy’s perspective. When you do a movie through the eyes of a 17 year old that is all joy… it becomes about music.

You talked about the differences in this film compared to the old; Is that what you did when making this movie?

Adam Shankman: John Waters told me not to do his film and not to do the play. When I first got the job I really took that to heart. I wasn’t really trying to do anything but please myself. Up to this point I only made movies that were offered to me or given to me. At my heart I’m a dancer so I take the job that is in front of me. Like it or not that’s who I am. Right now I’m in a position to start developing scenes. I just needed to get paid up till this point. But now this one for me I was looking for… on that screen its like a safe deposit box to my head. It’s really interesting because… I always felt different and outside. It’s how I hope to be in the world. In maintain those convictions and courage maybe a little bit of change can happen. 

You sound like lots of celebrities that say in the beginning its about making money and getting paid but in the end when that’s all done they can do things that they really love.

Adam Shankman: I never thought I could do something that I loved because I was never a person who needed to make something. When this came up I needed to make this. I’m so happy that this worked out. New Line saw that in me. I think. I hope.