Titus Andromedon
| Titus Andromedon | |
|---|---|
| Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt character | |
 | |
| First appearance | "Kimmy Goes Outside!" (2015) |
| Created by | Tina Fey |
| Portrayed by | Tituss Burgess |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Ronald Effin Wilkerson (birth name) |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Actor/Singer/Waiter |
| Significant other(s) |
Vonda Brooks (m. 1998; separated 1998) Mikey Politano (boyfriend) |
| Relatives | 5 unnamed aunts |
| Nationality | American |
Titus Andromedon (also Titus Andromedon-Yoshimura; born Ronald Effin Wilkerson) is a main male character on the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Character life
Born Ronald Ephen Wilkerson in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, where he was raised by five aunts, Titus Andromedon had no choice but to stay in the closet, and an extremely awkward time in high school, stuck as a popular kid on the football team who girls wanted to have sex with all the time. He was selected prom king during high school.[1][2] He remained in the closet until his wedding day to childhood friend Vonda Jeanne Brooks. The thought of the wedding night was too much for him and he fled the reception without saying goodbye, travelling to New York to begin a new life under a new name, Titus Andromedon.
Titus is openly gay, and is an aspiring Broadway performer. He auditioned for The Lion King on Broadway at least 20 times and never got in because he never came off as straight. He tried to put on his own production, but only got one audience member, who had simply come to show him copyright laws.[3][4]
His rival is Coriolanus Burt (James Monroe Iglehart), who beat him for the role of Sharecropper #2/Cow in Alabama!, an all black version of Oklahoma!, by running onto the stage in the middle of his performance at callbacks and announcing the death of Gianni Versace.[5]
Titus rents from Lillian Kaushtupper (Carol Kane), and makes a few bucks by walking around dressed as an Iron Man-esque character. Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) becomes his roommate, and convinces him to return the costume and get back his investment fee, which, with some effort, he does.
Unfortunately, the money ($200) is stolen from him after Titus awkwardly sang "I'll Make Love to You" at a random man's funeral. He later gets fancy new headshots taken, and gets an agent. He then auditions for the role of Spider-Man #12 in the musical Spider-Man Too: 2 Many Spider-Men, a parody of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and over-crowded superhero movies. However, after humiliating Coriolanus when he loses as well, he is happy because he realizes the Alabama! role wasn't the big break he thought it was.
Titus then makes a music video of an original song, titled "Peeno Noir" meaning An Ode to Black Penis. Lillian films it for him, though finding the exact location is hard (including a bat-infested chandelier factory). As a result, he helps Xanthippe Voorhees clean up after her drunken party, in order to shoot the video in her house and keep from getting Kimmy fired.[6][7]
Kimmy then gets Titus a gig singing at Jacqueline Voorhees' dinner party, where he meets the owner of a spooky-themed singing restaurant, where he gets a part as a Frankenwolf. He auditions for a part at the restaurant with a monologue, but after he doesn't get it, he takes very intense acting lessons about how to act like a straight man.
Titus drags Kimmy down to Indiana for the trial of Rev. Richard Wayne Gary Wayne, where he takes all the TV and radio shows for her. One TV show starts without him realizing, causing his viral video Gonna Be Famous (Remix) to become an Internet hit. This video later led to Titus' wife Vonda, who believed he was dead, arriving in Indiana to see him.
At the start of the show's second season, Vonda attempts to sue Titus for spousal support; however, as Titus was legally declared dead in 2008, Vonda's lawsuit couldn't go forward. It was later revealed that Vonda wanted an apology from Titus, which he initially refused though Kimmy pushed him to do so. He eventually did apologize to Vonda at the train station, and the two reconciled as friends. Titus, who was often resistant to relationships because he felt he would be let down at the end, later became involved with a construction worker named Mikey Politano, who was initially struggling with his sexuality and would eventually come out with the help of Titus.
He also began workshopping his new musical Kimono You Didn't: Murasaki's Journey, about his past life as a geisha, which initially sparked internet controversy but was ultimately well-received, and, after being promoted to Spooky Gravedigger, quit his job at Dr. Dracula's Spooky Lab & Bar & Grill. He then booked a Miami cruise called Mahogany starring Dionne Warwick.
Critical reception
Burgess has received critical acclaim for his performance. Many critics hail him as the "scene-stealer" and breakout character of the series. In both 2015 and 2016, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
| Year | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Webby Award | Best Actor | Won |
| Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association | Best Actor | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
References
- ↑ "Tituss Burgess Talks 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,' Playing the Gay BFF and His Real Housewives Addiction - Essence.com". Essence. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ Megan Garber. "'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' and the Rise of Empathetic Comedy". The Atlantic. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ "'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' breakout Tituss Burgess on his alter ego (and 'Pinot Noir')". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ "Tituss Burgess: You're Rocking This Thing". NPR. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ "Pinot Noir, Broadway Star! Get to Know the Theatre Folk Behind "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" - Playbill.com". Playbill. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ "Tituss Burgess Entirely Improvised 'Pinot Noir' On The Set of 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'". Out. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ↑ Yvonne Villarreal (31 March 2015). "'Kimmy Schmidt' composer Jeff Richmond on the show's viral-friendly songs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 September 2015.