Harry Lennix chats with THR at the Tony Awards red carpet and talks about representing the Broadway show 'Purpose' and celebrating with his co-stars at the Tonys. Plus, he reveals why he thinks now is a timely and thrilling season of Broadway.
00:00Congratulations on all the success of Purpose so far. What does it mean to be here tonight representing this show?
00:06Well, you know, it's been so great to be considered this 78 Tony season for a show, which I'm very proud of.
00:14It had been 17 years before I'd been in a play, the last time I was in a play.
00:20And so to come here with this show is especially meaningful.
00:24I think it's a definitive show of this new early part of the millennium.
00:28And I am excited to be one of the representatives here today.
00:33Talk to me about the brooch that you're like.
00:34Well, the brooch is designed by Chris Habana, and it is actually our program.
00:40If you look at the program, there's a picture of the patriarch and the rest of the family members here.
00:47So it's an ingenious design by Chris that I'm very proud to be wearing.
00:52And what does it mean to be able to celebrate here tonight with some of your co-star?
00:57Well, it's, you know, I think when you work this hard on a show, particularly when in many ways it's being written while you're doing it, you never really sort of even dreamed that it would come to this.
01:09We hope.
01:11And so this is kind of where hope meets dreams.
01:13A lot of people have been calling this such a timely and also thrilling season of Broadway.
01:20Why do you think that is?
01:22Well, I think that finally people are over this whole pandemic thing.
01:25I think that Broadway is back.
01:26I think New York is back.
01:28Just walking through Broadway, the Broadway community, people are buzzing.
01:33People are waiting in line.
01:34People are staying after shows.
01:35So I think it's just a kind of sense of release and relief and celebration in many ways.
01:41And to have so much new material out here in this season is especially profound and meaningful to us.
01:49I know there's been a lot of fellow nominees that you've been rubbing shoulders with the last few weeks, months.
01:53Is there someone that you have yet to speak with that you're hoping to either congratulate or speak with tonight?
01:59Well, there have been a lot of events.
02:00So I don't think that I've missed anybody that I'm – I would love to see some of their shows.
02:05I haven't had a chance to do that.
02:07I haven't run into Karen Culkin yet, but maybe a little bit later tonight.
02:11Laura Donnelly, I'm going to see her on stage.
02:13So I think tonight's going to be a great night to meet a lot of people I'm a fan of.
