Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Rob Lake talks AGT, magic and his performance!
Among the list of incredibly talented performers, internationally known magician and illusionist, Rob Lake, is competing for the grand prize on America’s Got Talent.
Rob Lake — (Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC)
With mind-blowing illusions and jaw-dropping performances, Lake has entertained millions around the globe. He’s performed shows all over the USA, Japan, Australia, Europe, Guam, and Thailand. He also performs on television and on other occasions. Due to his impressive display, he’s been named “the Top Illusionist in the World” by Caesars Entertainment Group, the world’s largest gaming organization. He’s won many awards over the years. Among which, he was the youngest magician in history to receive the Merlin Award, as “International Stage Magician of the Year.”
As a magic consultant, Rob Lake has worked for big TV shows and films, as well as a large number of musical productions. Among the list, Lake has contributed to “Masters of Illusion (TV Series),” ”The Jimmy Star Show with Ron Russell (TV Series)” and “The Magic Of Rob Lake: 2017 Season.” Among musical productions, he’s consulted on more than 800 productions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast around the world, dozens of productions of The Phantom of the Opera, and many others, including Shrek the Musical, A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan, The Woman in Black, and The Wizard of Oz. That’s pretty impressive. Being a magician has taken rob to some of the best venues in the world.
PCG had the opportunity to talk with Rob about America’s Got Talent, his many performances and his love for charity. To start, we asked him why he chose to audition on AGT.
“This is the biggest stage in the world. And millions and millions of people see it. And I’ve been performing magic for a long time and I just felt like the time was now, to show off my illusions and creations to the world.”
We fully agree. In fact, as raw and honest as Simon tends to be, he thought Rob’s was “a very good audition.” After an incredible performance, Rob got approval from all four judges. We talked with him about how that felt.
“Well, I do a lot of shows and people ask if I had stage fright. The answer is no. I actually feel at home on stage. So, for me going in, it was just another performance when I first went out there. I’ve done this illusion several times. It wasn’t anything special. I told my staff we are just going to go out do what we do on a normal night. Nobody think anything special. But once I hit that stage… I don’t know if it was the cameras or the audience, and I’ve had audiences bigger than this and audiences smaller than this and it wasn’t the judges but something in me… this switch just flipped, and I said ‘Oh wow, this is a big deal!’ And I just had this rush of energy and excitement and thrill that this happened. Of course it’s going to come when I’m on stage, with cameras rolling. And it happens for the first time. And my heart was beating faster than normal. My performance went on, and when I had the four yeses, it was not relief. It was excitement. It was thrill. It was validation. It was magic.”
The talent who perform on America’s Got Talent are all unique. And they each bring a different talent or skill set to the table. Their talents help define them. We love how Rob Lake stays true to himself. He shared a little about his personality, both on and off stage.
Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Rob Lake talks AGT, magic and his performance!
“It’s just me. It’s really just me out there. It’s probably magnified, since I’m pretty reserved. I don’t want to say shy, anymore… I was much shyer as a kid. I’m very introverted and reserved, but elements of my personality and my being come out on stage. It’s not that I’m becoming a different person. Just certain parts of me become magnified and shown off. And then, once the show’s over, I’m tired and back to myself. It’s just me. Things that have developed over the years. Quirks and little fun things I like and do. That’s what happens. Just me comes out.”
Those who audition on AGT have to wait to watch the show at the same time as the rest of us. It’s a unique experience seeing yourself on TV. Rob shared a little of what he felt during that moment when he saw his audition.
“I was terrified. I knew how it went and the outcome. I knew everything, but I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know how I would look on screen. I didn’t know how the reactions from the public would be. I was legitimately terrified. I couldn’t remember if I was so nervous I was frozen, or if I was so nervous I couldn’t stop moving. But once my audition aired, I applauded. I was thrilled. My phone was blowing up like crazy. Everything was happening at once. It was surreal and terrifying. That transformed into the biggest excitement.”
We’re glad everything went so well and turned out how it did. We then asked what Rob’s favorite charities were.
“I’ve got a couple. I do animal rescue shows every year. I go home to Oklahoma where I’m from, and I do benefit shows for animal rescue groups. It’s one of my biggest causes. Especially dogs and cats. All animals, but especially the local animal rescue groups are a passionate cause of mine. I help them as much as I can.
“And then every year I do a month or longer tour to entertain the U.S. Military and their families in remote areas overseas. I’ve been doing that for 11 or 12 years now.”
Amazing! How inspiring! We love hearing how big of a heart Rob has.
Rob Lake — (Photo by: Trae PattonNBC)
Given Rob’s extensive experience throughout his career, so far, we asked which performance was his favorite.
“It would definitely be AGT! I would say the first round was my favorite, until the second round happened. Then that was my favorite. During the first round, the audience reaction was astounding. Whenever I appeared, the audience left their seats even before the judges could react to what had just happened. And the judges reacted with shock. You’ve seen the video where Mel B’s jaw just dropped. And Hedi’s, on stage, saying ‘What?!’ And Tyra’s, saying all sorts of things that probably didn’t make it to camera. The audience… there were 3,000 people just on their feet screaming, and that was the loudest I’ve ever heard an audience. Until the second round. He revaled to PCG and continued. “On the second round, I had just flown in from Europe. Every year I do a tour to entertain the U.S Troops and their families. And so we had to reschedule some shows, cause I had just come back from Europe. I’m jet lagged, I’m exhausted, I had just gotten off of 18 hours of flying in. And then, you know, I’m nervous because it’s the Judge Cuts round, and we didn’t know if I would go on. The competition is so tough this year. And we performed the illusion, and it went perfectly. My parents were in the audience. It did a lot to stick to the show. And the response from the Judge Cuts round was even louder and longer and more astounding to me than the first round.”
Many magicians and Illusionists gain inspiration from others, during their journey. There are some incredible magicians, such as Derren Brown, David Blaine, Criss Angel, David Copperfield, Dynamo (Steven Frayne), Harry Houdini, etc. We were curious to find out who Rob looked up to.
“I’ll introduce this in two parts. For me, it’s a two sided question. I had two wonderful mentors that helped me out. And one of them that passed away 10-years ago this month. And he was a dear, dear friend. He was a local magician, but he was a professional magician that would do hundreds of shows for corporations and stuff. He was a comedy musician. He grew up in my town and really helped guide me and teach me. And was a dear dear friend.
“My other mentor happened to be from the first magic show I ever saw. About five years after I saw his show, he became my mentor and started helping me. And then when I actually dropped out of college, I moved in and lived in his guest house with his wife, and they took me under their wing and helped me start my career. So, I had wonderful mentors and teachers, and they really guided me and helped me.
“In fact, my round two illusion was based off of one of my mentors creations. It was definitely inspired by something he did. But to further answer your question, my real heros are people I think are the greatest magicians of all time. People that you might not consider magicians, like Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg and Jim Henson. For me, they are real wizards and masters of the magical arts. And I get great inspiration from them and their stories and creations.”
Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Rob Lake talks AGT, magic and his performance!
America’s Got Talent is not just a talent show, but a journey and learning experience. Rob shared a little about his journey and learning on the show.
“I’m still learning. Every show I do is a learning process. Not learning more, but just more validation to trust my instincts and to believe in myself, because I have been working everyday of my life since I was 10-years-old for this.”
The great German Philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, once said: “Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.”
Rob Lake has an incredible passion for what he does. He makes every performance shine. We told him that he’s amazing for constantly following his dream and being so humble while entertaining the world. It’s going to be a thrill to see where his America’s Got Talent journey will take Rob Lake. He’s an amazing performer and it’s fantastic to see his success on AGT.
We’d like to send Rob Lake all the positive vibes we have, and we can’t wait to see more of his amazing magic!
If you haven’t had a chance to check out Rob Lake’s performance, you can see it below. Be sure to follow him on his official website,Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook And if you’re enjoying the positive vibes, you can subscribe to our Positive Celebrity Newsletter. That way you can stay up-to-date on the latest positive celebrity gossip and entertainment news!
