00:00It was almost like me seeing my childhood self being like, being like, you were right, bro.
00:04It's like, you did it.
00:11What was your reaction to finding out that you would be playing Elphaba?
00:15I started laughing.
00:16Really?
00:18Violently laughing, and my agent was like, are you well?
00:21And I was like, no, I'm not.
00:23Because I was like, in such shock.
00:26And at that point in the process, I had been so, I'd been so clear with myself that no matter what the outcome was, I was going to be okay.
00:35You know what I mean?
00:35So for this childhood dream of being on Broadway to come through, just in front of my eyes in that moment, I was just like, it was almost like me seeing my childhood self being like, you were right, bro.
00:47It's like, you did it.
00:50So it was an out-of-body experience.
00:52Did you have any sense going into it?
00:55Were you like, oh, things are really going right here?
00:58I think towards the end of the process, like I've done five or six rounds at that point.
01:02So I was like, I think the odds are in my favor.
01:05But at the end of the day, like the person who fits the best and is going to be the one.
01:10And I like, whoever gets it is going to be great.
01:12So yeah, I think I did have a sense of like, hey, this is going well.
01:14But nonetheless, I still have to protect my spirit because I get very emotionally invested in these things.
01:20It must be hard not to, I imagine.
01:21Yeah, yes.
01:22You put your whole life into it.
01:24Yeah, absolutely.
01:24So prior to this, you were on Hamilton in Hamilton.
01:27How do the roles compare?
01:29Obviously very different shows, but...
01:31Hamilton is a completely different genre than Wicked.
01:35So the storytelling style as an actor and like the vocal requirements are very, very different for me.
01:43I played Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton on tour for five years.
01:46So she's more of like a supporting lead character, whereas Elphaba is like the main character, obviously.
01:53So like the volume of work is like in a different universe.
01:56I always tell my family it's like playing AAU basketball versus like being in the Olympics.
02:01Like it's just like a completely different playing field, basically.
02:05Do you have to prepare differently given, you know, you have to sing probably a whole lot more?
02:10Yeah.
02:11This is going to sound crazy, but like I've never had to warm up my voice in my life.
02:15Ever.
02:15Don't listen to that, kids.
02:17You should do your warm-ups.
02:18It's very important and healthy for your body and sustainability as an artist.
02:21However, with Hamilton, I've been doing it for so long that my body was so conditioned to it.
02:27So it was very easy for me to just jump on stage.
02:29But like you said, Wicked is like, it's like 97% of my vocal ability.
02:34So like I'm having to warm up the lowest register that I have and like pretty much the highest I can sing.
02:39So yeah, I do a pretty consistent warm-up, whereas I've never really had to do that.
02:44What kind of warm-up do you like to do?
02:45Like you want me to do the warm-up?
02:47I mean, you want to.
02:48Like the very simple one I do is just like a lip trill.
02:52It just like helps me loosen up everything.
02:58And then like I do a very strong physical warm-up too.
03:01It could just be like 10 minutes of like jumping jacks and squats and like stretches just to get my body moving.
03:06Because the stage at the Gershman Theater in New York is slanted.
03:10So an additional...
03:12Like a hill, if you will.
03:13Like a small hill.
03:15Which like, yeah, with all the other elements is like another stressor on the body.
03:20So it's just very important for me to do those physical warm-ups as well as warm down at the end of the show.
03:24So I calm my body, get it back to like equilibrium.
03:27I asked Ali as well.
03:28So I hear that there are different vocal runs that sometimes you're not allowed to do.
03:32Is there one that you're like, oh my gosh, one day, my last day, this is what I'm going to do.
03:38Well, I will never do an unapproved riff on stage because I just don't believe that's like, that honors the art.
03:46So like I have a lot of really fun ideas in my brain that like maybe if I get to do like a, I don't know, like a fun little cabaret or I do like a solo concert one day, maybe I would throw some jazz in there.
03:57Like I really want to create like a acoustic version of Wizard and I or like something just super off kilter from what everyone's used to in like my own artistic way.
04:09Well, perhaps you'll join the Stairwell Sessions.
04:12This is true, Aus Capella, baby.
04:14They're so amazing.
04:15They're so amazing.
04:16And so obviously Wicked has been, you know, having quite a resurgence.
04:20It's been popular for years and years and years.
04:22But with the movies, it's like a whole other level.
04:27Do you get to be involved at all with the press or how excited are you for the next movie to come out?
04:32Oh, I'm so excited.
04:33Like to see how it's affected people just from the first movie and how just like more people get to understand the Wicked World.
04:41Like I'm so excited for people to get to see this film version of a show that people have been in love with for so long on stage.
04:49I'm so excited.
04:50What would you say to someone who hopes to be on Broadway one day, but, you know, maybe doesn't know if their dreams might come true?
05:02I would say even if you don't see yourself in a position that you want to be in in the world in general, that doesn't mean you don't deserve it or that you don't belong in that space.
05:12Because like I'm a testament to that.
05:14Like no black woman has played Elphaba full time on Broadway in the 22 years of the show running.
05:19And as a kid, I did not even dream of being in this show because I didn't see myself represented in it.
05:25So I I hope people go for what what their inner voices are telling them, because like that's the truth of who you are.
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