How Should a Man Go Through the Spirit Tunnel?

There comes a time during every actor’s press tour when he must embark on an odyssey of promotional videos. Over the course of a few weeks, he will undergo many public rituals: He will eat very spicy wings. He will get hooked up to a lie detector with his costar. He will talk to TikTokkers with tiny microphones in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park. And he will dance merrily down a hallway lined with employees of The Jennifer Hudson Show as they clap and chant his name.This hallway tradition, known as the Spirit Tunnel, is the gateway to the actual interview with Jennifer Hudson. Staffers gather to send the guest off to the stage by pumping good vibes into the space; the guest, in turn, does a dance of their choosing. Notable men from Henry Winkler to Druski have taken part since it started in 2022.Fun and lighthearted, yes. But it’s also a place where a man is put to the ultimate test: Does he have the swag, aura, and energy to make a 45-second-to-two-minute video of him dancing down a hallway look good?Regardless of the outcome, the video likely will make the rounds—which means every male celebrity’s Spirit Tunnel is important in crafting his public image. It is, arguably, more important than the actual Jennifer Hudson Show interview itself. I personally first heard of Aaron Pierre when his viral Spirit Tunnel—“Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa!” (try getting that out of your head)—shot to the top of my For You Page. The charm and charisma he exuded in that video is, to this day, responsible for the great vibes I associate with him. (I regrettably still haven’t seen any of his projects, but, because of his Spirit Tunnel, I hold him in high regard as an actor.)So, how does a man ensure he nails the Spirit Tunnel—or, at least, makes it through relatively unscathed?First things first: Timing is everything. Some dances are quick and to the point. Others…not so much. Tom Cruise’s recent, much-discussed journey down the Tunnel, in which he did a routine that hearkened back to his Risky Business days, sparked comments on the amount of time he spent in there (roughly a minute and 30 seconds). What this proves is that if you’re going to spend 90 seconds dancing down a hallway lined with employees chanting your name, that 90 seconds better be the most charming, charismatic 90 seconds of your entire life.It was also a case of Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise. And the best way to do anything—but especially Jennifer Hudson’s Spirit Tunnel—is to be yourself.“He brought back the Risky Business moves, which is a pretty great way to walk down a hallway,” Andy Lassner, executive producer on the Jennifer Hudson Show, tells me in an email. “The best ones all have their own flavor.”In the Spirit Tunnel, as in life, you must keep moving forward fearlessly. Many male stars have emerged from it in even higher standing in the public eye, proving that taking risks and being vulnerable pays off. Cruise’s Digger costar Riz Ahmed garnered much attention for the swagger he exhibited in his journey down the Tunnel—an uneasy feat to pull off when you’re surrounded by adults singing a version of Jay Sean’s 2009 hit single “Down” with your name replacing the lyrics. See, also: the aforementioned case of Aaron Pierre, or Penn Badgley. Badgley, who came dressed in Spirit Tunnel-ready louche suiting, is another noteworthy case. Sometimes, as a white guy, going down the Tunnel is your chance to prove to the world that you do, in fact, have rhythm and moves.It helps, of course, if you’re just an attractive dude. But many attractive dudes have only increased their auras by doing the most while in the Spirit Tunnel. Take Owen Thiele, who went all-in with his trademark high energy while keeping his walk to a tight, classy 45 seconds. Or Tyriq Withers, who fully leaned into the spirit of the occasion, coming equipped with props, goofy dance moves, and such positive vibes that he managed to make jumping like a dolphin look, as thousands of TikTok comments concur, hot.Doing the most is often better than doing the least. The Pitt star Noah Wyle, for example, famously (or infamously) declined to go through the Spirit Tunnel—possibly drawing more attention to his lack of a Spirit Tunnel dance than if he had just gone through with it in the first place. Doing the Spirit Tunnel is like many other things in which you get out what you put in. And, of course, if you don’t try, you’ll never know.So, once again, the advice I would apply to the Spirit Tunnel is the advice I would apply to life in general: Do something, as long as it’s not nothing. Exhibit A: Joel McHale, who recently went through the Tunnel not dancing but instead walking with his head held high, shooting fake money from two money guns. No shoulder shimmies, just cash. (Bonus points for creativity!) All that said, know your limits, guys. The Spirit Tunnel is broadcast to the entire internet. This isn’t the time to whip out a brand-new dance move or try a twirl that you’ve done only in the mirror.Lassner also adds that the best way to approach the Spirit Tunnel—which he calls the Happy Place—is by doing whatever feels natural. “There’s no choreography test at the end, and nobody has to do it if they don’t want to. If you’re up for it, just keep moving, make eye contact with the people who showed up for you, and do whatever feels like you. If you have a move, give us the move,” he says. “If you don’t, just enjoy the moment.”At the end of the day, the Spirit Tunnel is a mere 90 seconds of a man’s life. But it’s 90 seconds that come with a little jingle that’ll remain in the zeitgeist for years to come.