Exclusive Interview: Kevin William Paul Chats ‘The Outsiders’ Musical, Crafting Living, Breathing Art, Embracing the Process, and Unraveling its Timeless Story

Kevin William Paul, a multifaceted storyteller renowned for his nuanced and dynamic performances on both stage and screen, has left an indelible mark with credits including Evil, Why Women Kill, and The Goldbergs. Now, he brings his exceptional talents to Broadway with his debut in The Outsiders.

Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, The Outsiders follows Ponyboy Curtis, his closest friend Johnny Cade, and their Greaser family as they confront the affluent Socs in a battle for identity and belonging. This exhilarating Broadway adaptation explores the journey of self-discovery as the Greasers dream of a place in a world that may never fully accept them.

Kevin shines in his portrayal of Bob Sheldon, the formidable antagonist and leader of the rival gang, the Socs. With his compelling performance, Kevin brings depth to the character, propelling Ponyboy’s narrative forward with every scene.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Kevin about The Outsiders musical, crafting living and breathing art, embracing the process, and more.

PC: You discovered The Outsiders back in the eighth grade, and it had a profound impact on you then. What was it like revisiting this timeless story in adulthood? How has your connection with it evolved?
Kevin: Yeah, I first read the book in eighth grade. I had recently transferred to a smaller private school after attending public school. My eighth-grade English teacher was Pat Stewart. It was during the second semester, and I remember it vividly.

The main focuses of our studies were The Outsiders and learning about the Iditarod, a sled dog race. These experiences were very interactive. We would read chapters of the book, watch parts of the film or parts of these races, and then write essays about them. She was a wonderful teacher and really got us involved in projects and various things.

With The Outsiders, I remember liking its aesthetic as a kid. I enjoyed the cover of the book and its grittiness. I found the characters’ names appealing. Even without delving into the story, it attracted me as a young boy growing up.

Once I started actually reading it, it felt dark, especially during that time. There was murder, drinking, gang violence, warfare, and everything going on, but it felt so close to home at the same time. It felt very real. It was odd to think that the author was fifteen/sixteen when she wrote this, and that the characters were only four years older than I was at the time. Understanding it from that lens was really exciting.

Also, I was the new kid at school. It was my first year at a school that was a little more insular, where many of the kids had attended their whole lives. Here I was, entering eighth grade as the new kid. I remember being massively impacted by the book and loving it. Beyond that point, that was really it. I always remembered and knew of The Outsiders. I loved watching the film and reading the book.

Then it wasn’t until many years later that I heard about it potentially becoming a musical and came into contact with it again. I would say that was my first interaction with it, and it was pretty exciting.

PC: Bob plays such an integral role in pushing this narrative forward and bringing that darkness to The Outsiders. So often when you’re playing the antagonist, they see themselves as the heroes in their own stories. It must be so interesting for you as an actor to embody this character. How have you been able to find Bob’s motivation and purpose? How have you approached him without judgment?
Kevin: I do a lot of ritualistic praying. I think you saw on my Instagram story, I eat a lot of kale and greens. I’m totally kidding. [laughs] With any character, it’s all the same, we’re all part of humanity. In a holistic way, you approach it as you would anything. Why are they doing what they’re doing? Where are they? How do they move? How is this person similar to me? How are they different? How do I approach this? There are so many different approaches to embodying a role/character.

I’ve had the privilege of living with this story and this world for a while, and that’s been exciting. I had the opportunity to perform it at La Jolla, and I auditioned for it before that. Six months earlier, we had the chance to workshop it. While the material has been shifting and changing around me, being a part of that and seeing it evolve into this “frozen form,” which still shifts day by day, is really exciting.

It’s all layers. There’s never one answer; it’s just layers. Every “aha” moment is additive. It’s not the new answer; it’s a part of it. It’s like life, right? You’re constantly learning something new about yourself. I remember when I was younger, I used to say, “That’s the answer to everything.” Then you begin to realize that’s one part of this. Now that I realize this is another part of it.

With the character building process, especially with someone like Bob, it’s a continuous journey. At one point, it’s about realizing the physicality and impulsiveness and understanding where that resides within me. Then, at another moment, it’s about zooming out and examining the broader context. How does this character relate to what’s happening in the world? What is my personal relationship to the story? Yes, he’s the “villain,” but how do I perceive the contrast in that? What is my perspective on the narrative? Then, at another instance, it’s reflecting on my own growth from my teenage years to my twenties. Every year in your twenties feels like dog years. So, my perspective at sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen is different from now, at twenty-five or thirty. Each of these realizations adds layers to how I approach the role. What’s particularly exciting is that everyone around me—cast members, scenic elements, lighting—keeps evolving, and that influences how I interpret the character.

Finally, because it’s live week to week and night to night, influenced by the audience, the temperature outside that day, and who’s on stage with me, it shifts the chemistry of everything. Additionally, my own personal state, as Kevin, continues to evolve. It’s so easy with “villainous, darker characters” to be one-note. That would never be my goal. I want to bring as much humanity as I can to it.

Once again, reflecting on childhood, I was always drawn to opposition and understanding why someone behaves a certain way. I’ve always been intrigued by that. In recent years, I’ve been fortunate enough to inhabit several characters that reside in the world of darkness, bringing contrast to the story. There’s a certain level of patience required in embodying the ghosts of such stories and trusting in the process and in how others perceive it while you’re immersed in it.

It’s not always scripted with applause, where you emerge as the hero. Some of the things we don’t realize we’re receiving are acknowledgments of a job well done. I might not feel great walking offstage, but learning that within this role, sometimes that discomfort is the right feeling to have. I might feel triumphant and heroic and think, “I nailed it,” but sometimes I don’t, and that might actually indicate that something genuine occurred in the moment. When I feel deep loss or recognize that I’ve inflicted hurt upon someone, that’s real. Learning this comes with time.

PC: It was also really important to the creative team that the ensemble felt empowered to play in this sandbox that they’ve created. How did that trust allow you to take agency over Bob’s journey throughout the years and the creative decisions that you made throughout?
Kevin: The best thing is that we’re a community. I’m so fortunate. I’m so close with all these boys and girls in the cast and everyone that we’re working with. We’ve created a wonderful community. We circle up before shows. If anyone has anything they want to share, sometimes it’s more guided, now it’s a little looser, it’s an open share and setting intentions, clearing the air, having good communication at all times, and realizing that we’re only as strong as our weakest link. I’ve always believed in that in regards to team building. We all have the same mission, yet we can all achieve our individual goals by giving into this shared pot of what we’re contributing to and showing up.

The biggest thing with trust, to me, typically involves how we deal with change and how when a song gets cut or a piece of blocking gets shifted or moved, sometimes it stays, and sometimes they revert back to the original the next day, and sometimes it leads to another brilliant discovery. But something I’ve learned through this process, which is one of the longest processes I’ve ever been through, is how to be patient with that process and through the trust in the creatives and the people who are around us and knowing that it takes time to see our visions come to fruition, so we all have to allow that sometimes one of us is taking more of the lead and sometimes one of us is being led more. You can’t do it without that trust.

PC: There are so many different facets to your talent. You’re an actor, musician, and writer. How have those disciplines lent themselves to one another as you made your Broadway debut? Congratulations, by the way. How will that inform how you approach your work on screen?
Kevin: That’s a great question. It’s a holistic journey. It all influences everything. The more work that I do in any story and in any artistic medium, the more it influences everything else. I love having a varied approach to how I get into anything, so it’s nice to have structure. Let’s say I’m doing a role in a film. You have to learn lines and maybe you’ll have to do a table read, but I might pick up my guitar one day and start strumming and make up a song that I feel like the role would connect to. I might meet with a friend and go on a walk. There are so many creative ways to take all of my passions and the things that I enjoy. I love sports. I’ve always played my entire life. Using the voice, the mind, the body, painting, writing to get into whatever the bones of the story that I’m working on. That’s one of my favorite things about what I do.

If someone was a fly on the wall, it wouldn’t look that different from film to TV to stage. It’s pretty similar. What’s different that I’m realizing now is the timelines of things, and with theater, the repetitive nature of it and it’s so ephemeral, which is exciting and exhilarating but it’s very challenging. “You’re only as good as your last performance”, whereas in film, if you get that take and you get that cut in the edit, it can be saved forever. It’s a slightly different mindset. I’m learning so much though from everyone I work with, which is always true, and that’s really exciting.

With theater in particular, because this is what I grew up doing, it’s a lot like coming back home. There’s something beautiful to that because it connects us all even further with our inner child and how we got started with all of this and being in front of people when there’s blood and sweat and in such a feral gritty show that we’re in, I couldn’t have wished for a more exciting, more grounded and true story to be a part of as my first foray into the Broadway world.

I remember when I was in L.A. speaking to people saying I would really love to be a part of a musical but the right kind with an edge to it. I’m really into these themes of masculinity in the world right now. I remember saying these things and here I am, and I feel very fortunate.

PC: As you brought your interpretation of Bob to life, being so familiar with the source material and the film, what’s something you wanted to make sure was translated from page to stage? What’s something new you brought to him?
Kevin: What’s really cool is that I got to talk to Leif Garrett, who was the original Bob, and S.E. Hinton, who has been integral to our process. Everyone always said the same thing, and that was to make it my own. But what’s cool is Danya Taymor, our wonderful director, would often talk about the ghosts of these characters and the people that have played them before and the people who will play them, and speaking about things holistically and how our sweat being in the dirt and how that lives on in the stage, and all these different things.

What’s really exciting too is with this story and everything that’s already been done with these characters in the film and the book, they live on, whether I try to embody it or not. I’m sure none of us are trying to do an impersonation. Josh Boone’s wonderful. He’s not there to copy Matt Dillon. I talked to Garrett but I’m not being him. But inherently, speaking the words, living through that character, the ghost of that continues to live on. Through me and then it will be through me to others, and they’ll bring their interpretations. It’s trusting that and having fun and being playful within that. That’s so sacred, but it’s also fun. It always comes down to finding as many colors and shades to show, especially when it’s a “villainous” character that can so easily be boxed into one type of thing, especially in a medium like musical theater where we’ve seen that so many times where in some cases maybe that works for the show, but that’s not what The Outsiders is. That’s one of the key things.

Danya, in my final callback, asked me before I left the room, “Hey, Kev, are you really ready to go there? Are you really ready to do what I’m asking from you? I’m asking you to really go there and do this.” I said, “Of course.” I didn’t realize how hard that was going to be, but I’ve developed a wonderful partnership with Danya. She’s incredible and she’s guided us through all of this. That was one of the most pivotal moments because I got what I asked for. I got that challenge and now I do it every day. I’ve learned so much.

PC: There’s such a commitment that you’re bringing to your performance as well as that vulnerability. There’s such a hustle and bustle when you’re working in theater and in a production like this. But it’s also your Broadway debut. Have you found time for yourself to carve out that space and really embrace this moment?
Kevin: I haven’t. Breathing is important. Taking your breath, looking around, and taking it all in. I had a wonderful opening night weekend. A lot of my closest friends and family got together and my mom put together a nice thing after the show where I could be with everyone at the same time who saw it. There were so many people that have been there with me since day one. That was one of the most impactful moments to settle into this reality and be with the people that I’m closest with. That’s continued now. I’ve had friends from my school and everyone coming in and other friends and relatives showing their support. That’s what makes this the most real to me; it’s sharing this moment with people.

Frankly, it’s moments like this and talking about what I’m doing and taking a second to start to have some perspective with it. That helps. But since day one, what I realized was I’m going to stay present day to day. I tend to be someone where I want to enjoy it while I’m in it. Once it’s done or coming to an end that’s usually when it’s easier for me to back up and say wow that happened and I can observe it. But when I’m in it, I’m in it.

PC: One of the central themes of this story is chosen family. You can tell the immense love that you all have for each other on and off the stage. What is the story behind Socs Saturdays and that tradition?
Kevin: Oh my gosh. I don’t remember the exact specifics, but I remember we were in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Emma [Pittman], who plays Cherry, found a shirt in the Outsiders house museum area. It’s a yellow shirt that says Soc on it. She got one and I was like, “Emma, where did you get that? I didn’t see that.” I went and got one. I share a dressing room with Dan Berry, who plays Paul. He was new to the show at that point. We were together and we looked at each other and I said, “Let’s get a handful of these and bring them back to the boys who are the other Socs guys with us.” We got a handful. Some of us cut up some of them.

On our first day of rehearsals, we handed them out, and that kind of started it. I don’t know if it was me or Barton [Cowperthwaite] or who it was that said the words Socs Saturdays, but it started during the rehearsal process. We did it a handful of times, and it was a really beautiful thing because it created this unity. S.E. Hinton wrote the story to be like, “Let’s go, Greasers.” Even though that’s the crux of the story, we have to be like, “Let’s go, Socs,” to create that contrast and honesty of what’s really going on. So it went from something that was a sweet way for us to come together and get even closer as a cast, especially with some of the new people, but it actually supported the story and the camaraderie of what we were doing.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, which I missed because I had to leave the theater before curtain call, but there’s Saturday Nights on Broadway, which is new to me, which I still haven’t done, which is called S.N.O.B. It’s where you do a celebratory toast after the show. We were going to do Socs Saturdays and do that in mine and Dan’s dressing room or Emma’s, but I wasn’t able to attend because I was in the E.R., but the next one I’ll be there.

PC: Every night on Broadway is different and you never know who’s going to be in the audience. For you, who’s somebody who hasn’t been to the show yet that you hope makes an appearance throughout this run?
Kevin: I would love for the rest of the cast and the creatives from the original movie to come. A handful of them have. Matt Dillon was just here, and S.E. I would love for those people to come and share with us in what we’ve created. That would be really special all around to be able to share that with them.

PC: I know that you love living in the present, but I feel like this project is going to open so many doors for you. Outside of this, is there a dream role or story that you’d love to bring to life either in front of or behind the camera?
Kevin: This is a great question. I tend to always say it’s the next role to come because, like you said, whatever I’m doing is what I want to be doing in that moment. The thing that I’m doing is what I’m supposed to be doing when I’m doing it.

I would love to continue to work with people who both challenge and inspire me. I know I do my best work when I’m surrounded by people who I’m inspired by and who I think are incredible, whether that’s the creatives, the cast, the crew, whoever I’m around, that’s what’s going to bring the best out of me. Whether it’s doing another wonderful musical or play or doing film and TV, I love all of it as long as the work is truthful and grounded and I’m working with the people who are bringing the best out of me. I’m always going to bring it. I’m just opening the wings, setting sail, and I’m going to see what starts to come down the pipeline.

To keep up with Kevin, follow him on Instagram. Pick up your tickets for The Outsiders today.

Photo Credit: Brad Everett Young