Watch: DWTS’ Harry Shum Jr. Defends Dance Experience After He, Jenna Johnson Land Highest Score
When it comes to his dance background, Harry Shum Jr. is not leavin’ it all behind.
In fact, the Dancing With the Stars contestant shares a surprising history with the song he and pro partner Jenna Johnson are using for their tango routine on the upcoming “Mariah Carey Week” episode Oct. 6.
“Confirm or deny: Are you braids guy in the music video for Mariah Carey’s ‘It’s Like That,'” E! News’ The Rundown host Erin Lim Rhodes asked Shum in an exclusive interview, to which he replied, “Embarrassingly, that is me.”
But don’t fret if you didn’t know about the Glee alum’s blink-and-you-miss-it moment. Even Shum’s own family had a hard time catching his cameoâin which he rocked cornrows and an all-white suit as a backup dancerâwhen the visuals first came out in 2005.
“You couldn’t rewind it back then,” the 44-year-old explained. “You literally had to wait another hour before you watched it again, so my parents weren’t really into that waiting.”
As for how he ended up on set with the music icon? Shum credits his lucky break to choreographer Debbie Allen.
“When you do those music videos, you’re dancing in the back. You’re kind of just watching from afar,” he said. “Debbie Allen choreographed and did her tour. I was working with Debbie, so it’s kind of cool to have that connection.”
But the music videoâwhich also starred Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller and Eric Robertsâwasn’t Shum’s only claim to fame during the early aughts. After all, he was one of the faceless silhouettes dancing in the 2004 commercial for Apple iPods.
“What’s funny about the iPod commercials is that we weren’t really full-on dancing,” Shum shared. “They need silhouettes, so you have to dance big.”
Disney/Andrew Eccles; YouTube
He continued, “So you’re like, ‘I don’t even feel like I’m dancing because I’m just trying to stretch and show moves and shapes.’ Maybe that’s prepared me for bigger movement?”
That’s why Shum and Johnson, 32, believe judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli expect them to perform at a higher level compared to other DWTS celebrity contestants.
“It’s living up to that expectation or surpassing that,” Johnson said in her joint interview with Shum. “It’s where the judges are holding us, which we kind of knew that going into it. I respect that. It just helps us push ourselves and want to bring our A-game every week.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
Besides, as Shum noted, scores aren’t based on “purely technical” standards.
“It’s also perspective,” the Grey’s Anatomy actor said. “It’s the eye of the beholder. Everyone’s opinion, they’re going to see something differently than [what] they might see in someone else. And as far as the scoring goes, it’s a different show. It’s a hybrid of things. It’s not just technical.”
As such, Shum’s only goal is to dance his heart out.
“We try and make sure we tell our story,” he added, “and then see what happens after that.”
Keep reading to get to know the rest of the DWTS season 35 cast.
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