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00:00Hi, I'm Jonathan Groff.
00:01Latonya Richardson-Jackson.
00:02Conrad Rickamora.
00:04Jasmine Amy Rogers.
00:05Tala Ash.
00:05Athena Straza.
00:06Andrew Durand.
00:07Joy Woods.
00:08And I'm with Parade.
00:14I really remember the first, like, month that I moved to New York.
00:19I was waiting tables at the Chelsea Grill of Hell's Kitchen on 9th between 46th and 47th.
00:25Lots of rejection, lots of, like, particularly really, like, failed dance calls, like, going to dance calls and getting cut and feeling like, what am I doing here?
00:37And I remember going back to my apartment and taking down the Bible that my Mennonite grandmother had given me on moving to New York and being like, hmm, is this, this isn't making me feel better.
00:50I remember putting the Bible back up on the shelf and running to Central Park and standing in front of the Bethesda Fountain and looking up at that angel and being like, whew, I got this.
01:05I was feeling the, like, magic of New York City, the magic of Central Park, the magic of, like, the Angels in America HBO special had just come out.
01:13And so feeling like I was also about to, like, step into my gay self for the first time.
01:19So that was the moment looking at that statue that I was like, okay, everything's going to be okay.
01:24This is a magical place.
01:25I want to be here.
01:27And now here we are.
01:28I have never had that point in my life that I would ever give up because there was always a job at the ready for me.
01:35That's always something to do.
01:36So you don't give up.
01:37You stay in it.
01:39I believe in a God that provides, that there is no lack in life.
01:44So in the end, you shall reap if you faint not.
01:48You know, it was right before I booked this, booked Betty Boop.
01:53It was August of 2023.
01:55And I was just auditioning for everything that I could.
01:58And I wasn't getting anything.
02:00And I actually had an audition for Gavin Creel's Walk on Through.
02:03And I didn't get it, but he sent me the most beautiful email.
02:08And it lit a fire underneath me.
02:11And a couple weeks later, I went in and I booked this.
02:13So honestly, I feel like in a way I have him to thank.
02:16I was doing Romeo and Juliet in Philadelphia.
02:19And I was in my early 20s.
02:22And I was playing Romeo.
02:23I got this scathing review in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
02:28It was the first time I'd ever been reviewed.
02:31And I made the mistake of looking at the review.
02:33And I then was in a depression for like two months.
02:37And I was like, well, if everyone hates you, do you still want to do this?
02:41And I was like, yeah.
02:43And it's the thing that I still ask myself.
02:46I mean, this is so nice to get to be nominated.
02:48But the thing I learned back then was, if you bomb, do you still want to do this?
02:54And I told myself, yeah.
02:56The answer was yes.
02:57And then that made everything a lot easier.
03:01Well, there was one time I was working for a tasker app.
03:06And I was building a cabinet for someone in their house.
03:08And they were like, did I see you in War Horse on Broadway?
03:12And I was like, yes.
03:14Where would you like this cabinet?
03:15You know, so yeah, highs and lows.
03:18That's what it's all about.
03:19But it also, like, I'm grateful to be an actor for that.
03:22I mean, I used to resent that.
03:23But now I love it.
03:24Because I appreciate the highs so much.
03:26And the lows are just the time to sort of gather yourself and look forward to what's next.
03:31Oh, my God.
03:33So many times this process, doing Gypsy.
03:37I really, really struggled this season in feeling like burnout.
03:45Feeling like I didn't know what I was doing in the show.
03:48Feeling like I just needed to step away and be able to come back.
03:53And boy, oh boy, I'm glad I stuck it out.
03:56But about a month ago, you know, many times as an actor, you go through periods of it's
04:04really difficult, you know, and it feels like there's, you know, not another job around the
04:09corner and acting is not something you can really do by yourself or I haven't figured out how.
04:14So, yeah, there's been many, many moments.
04:17But inevitably, even if it's a day on a workshop or a reading, I'm reminded, oh, this is why
04:25I'm here.
04:26This is what I have to offer as an artist.
04:29You know, we didn't celebrate and we haven't celebrated.
04:32He's in London doing a film.
04:34And I called him that morning because my daughter called and said, my daughter, who's a big producer,
04:40called and said, I can't get to dad.
04:42I'm trying to find out about my Kendrick Lamar tickets.
04:47Can you call him?
04:48So I called him and said, do you have her tickets?
04:51Blah, blah, blah.
04:52And he was like, I told her they're going to call her, blah.
04:55And I said, OK, no worries.
04:56He said, I'm going to say that.
04:57I said, OK, bye.
04:58And we hung up.
04:59About an hour later, he calls back and says, why didn't you tell me you got nominated for
05:04Tony?
05:05I said, because I called you because she called me to ask about those tickets.
05:09And that's all I was thinking about.
05:11So when I tell you, I got 500 jobs, that's what was happening.
05:15And then it dawned on both of us at the same time.
05:19I said, wait, wow, Sam, I got a Tony number.
05:23He said, that's what I'm talking about.
05:26I said, so, you know, it comes when it comes.
05:29It's like, I'm overjoyed.
05:30My feed was delayed when I was watching the nominations come out.
05:34So I didn't ever actually see the category come up.
05:36And instead, my phone started blowing up out of nowhere.
05:40And I was nervous to pick it up, hoping it would be good news on the other line.
05:44But when I found out, I just kept repeating, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.
05:49And I kind of feel like that's still where I'm at.
05:51I'm just in shock.
05:52That was the most exhausting but thrilling day of my life.
05:57I literally, toward the end, I was like, I have no more emotion left in my body.
06:01But it feels magical.
06:03I am on cloud nine every day.
06:06Some days I have moments where I'm like, I'm a Tony nominee.
06:09Do I deserve to be a Tony nominee?
06:11But I'm like, there's no room for any of that.
06:12I feel like I'm living in a dream.
06:15Last year, everybody was telling me that I was going to get nominated for Here Lies Love.
06:19And then it didn't happen.
06:21And because everybody was telling me that constantly, I was devastated.
06:26And so this year, I had to, again, be like, you know what, show up and do eight shows.
06:30Luckily, we're still doing the show.
06:32So doing eight shows a week makes you tired and focused on your job.
06:36So I didn't want to look.
06:38So I made my coffee in the morning.
06:40And then I looked at my phone and saw that there were 60 missed messages.
06:43And I was like, oh, I guess something happened.
06:45And then it felt great.
06:46It was totally surreal.
06:48I couldn't believe it.
06:50I don't think I did believe it until I looked at my husband who was crying.
06:53Yeah, it just, it felt truly surreal.