The Jennifer Hudson Show/Instagram Back in April, Jay Ellis went viral for his turn downThe Jennifer HudsonSpirit Tunnel The actor reveals he had every intention of making the most out of the now-viral moment Ellis is currently preparing for his Off-Broadway debut inDuke & Roya WhenJay Elliswalked down the Spirit Tunnel ofThe Jennifer Hudson Showon April 14, he knew what needed to be done and executed flawlessly. TheFreaky Talesactor went viral for his turn down theSpirit Tunnelas he was seen not only dancing his heart out to the crew's rendition of Jay-Z's "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," but he also went back up the hallway to start over and even controlled the singing like a choir director at one point. Commenters were quick to note Ellis seemed to be delighted to be finally dancing through the now-famous hallway, and that was by design. "So here's the thing, I got to keep it a buck. I wasn't fully clued in to how big the Spirit Tunnel was. I had seen stuff, but it didn't really click how big it was. Like when you get there, the Spirit Tunnel is going to happen. So whether you prep for it or not, please believe, [it's happening]," he tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Gabrielle Union [actually] put me on game. I was doing press forRunning Point, and we were doingWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, and we were backstage and she was talking about going to dinner or something the next night in the city. And I was like, 'No, I can't. I'm actually flying back because I'm doing J-Hud tomorrow,' " he explains. Kimberly White/Getty "And she was like, 'Oh, you doing the Spirit Tunnel?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I guess, yeah. Does everybody do that? I've seen a few on my phone, but I don't really be on socials like that. So do we all have to do it?' And she was like, 'Oh, you got to bring it for the Spirit Tunnel.' " With just a day before he had to make his Spirit Tunnel debut, Ellis locked in. "I was just like, 'Listen, man, I only get one time down this tunnel. I may not get this again. I don't know what they're going to sing, but I may not get this again, but I'm going to take every single moment and eat it up. I'm going to soak up every single moment.' What you not going to say is I didn't have no joy walking down that Spirit Tunnel because I had all the joy walking down that Spirit Tunnel. You can't take that away from me," he says. Once his moment came, Ellis was even more hyped that they customized his Spirit Tunnel tune to one of his favorite artists. "What's crazy is that Jay-Z is like my favorite rappers of all time. So when I heard 'J to the E-L, L to the I-S,' which is really 'H to the Izzo,' right? I was like, 'Oh my God, they know me. They see me. Not only are they giving me my flowers, but then they also gave me my guy?' I was like, 'Oh, I'm about to go crazy up in here,' " he exclaims. And he delivered. Ellis was so captivated by the Spirit Tunnel says he practically lost himself in the moment. "I blacked out," he jokes. "I'm not even going to lie. When I went back [up the tunnel], I forgot that I had gone back. I just fully blacked out." Ellis is currently preparing for his Off-Broadway debut inDuke & Roya,coming to the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York from June 10 to Aug. 23. In the play, Ellis plays Duke, an international Hip-Hop artist who meets and falls in love with his interpreter, Roya (played by Stephanie Nur) while he's visiting troops on a USO base in war-torn Kabul. Robin L Marshall/Getty The play not only gives Ellis a chance to explore his musical side, but it also serves as another way to pay homage to his relatives, who were servicemen. "My father was in the Air Force, my grandfathers were in the Air Force. I was inTop Gun, obviously, so I've done stuff for the USO before as Jay Ellis," he explains. "The idea of playing this rapper going on a USO tour on a military base, to me, was like, 'Oh, I have an idea of what that is. I get that.' I've been on bases all over the world, and I know what it's like to go to do a USO tour." "So [this play is about] what is it like when you're a performer and you're up on stage and the troops are screaming back at you and you're going to a place that you've never been before," he said. "That got me super intrigued because I had a connection point to it just from my own military experience and my own life." Tickets forDuke & Royaare now on sale. The play officially opens on June 24, and is currently scheduled through Aug. 23. Read the original article onPeople
