You began very young in theater. Did you ever audition for Annie? I actually did audition for the original incarnation when it was on Broadway. It was one of my favorite musicals when I was growing up. I knew every word. What is the appeal of the duplicitous Lily St. Regis? As the script is being interpreted this time around, Lily is a con artist equal to Rooster. Together they’re drawn to the bad side through their own fun and passion, and they sing what I think is one of the great songs from Annie, “Easy Street.” Will this production of Annie Live! go back to the original or is it going to be modernized? LeardeBessonet, who is the director, has such a fresh mind and such a clear perspective of what she wants to do for Annie, that I think it will definitely come through her creative eyes of what the world is now and new equality. Annie is part of NBC’s new musical holiday tradition. What’s a holiday tradition of yours? Christmas was always a big deal in my household. We always waited until Christmas morning to open presents, and now that I have a 10-year-old son, who is such a negotiator; he’s worked some scam that he can open at least one present from me on Christmas Eve, obviously, before Santa comes. Why did you choose to host the Fox-TV revival of Name That Tune? Coming from a musical theater family, we used to watch Name That Tune all the time in our home and try to outguess each other on who could get it in fewer notes. I liked the idea of doing a show that the whole family can play along with at home. I’m thrilled to say we’re making season two. You play Emily’s mother in Dickinson, which is airing its third and final season on Apple TV+. The family appears to be in a bit of chaos in season three. Season three script-wise is actually one of my favorite seasons. It’s a complicated season. I think Mrs. Dickinson has the growth of having incredible loss and incredible joy, which is a great dichotomy for one season and for one character, but I think it is a dichotomy that addresses much of what we are going through today. I think we are lucky to find the joys when they come. There’s a tremendous amount of loss in the world. This season takes place in the middle of the Civil War, and as the show has always done, it has always used historical and biological facts, using the 19th century as an unexpected mirror that reflects what it feels like to be alive today with many of the situations that we are going through in the world. I like that they are playing with the idea that EmilyDickinson is the original sad girl. I’ve always loved the dichotomy of the show, of it using such modern dialect, modern terms and modern music against the background of Emily Dickinson’s times. So much of your career has been in comedy. Is there a great drama role in there that you’d like to tackle? You’re asking me in times where I feel like we just lived so much drama in real life that I am so thrilled to represent comedy and lightness in this world right now. I feel it’s been a gift to me and my life to work in comedy. So, for right now, I’m going to leave the drama to real life, and I’m really thrilled to bring any entertainment, relief or smiles or laughs to the people who watch. With all of your experience, do you still get nervous before a new role? Every single time. And I think that’s good. You hope the creative juices flow. Before we start rehearsal, I still get nervous and I’m just hoping to be able to make something good out of it, even just my part alone. I hope I have ideas that I can fulfill and that I can make happen. One of the things I love so much about getting to work in this profession, and something that really resonated with me during the past two years or so of COVID that we’ve all gone through, is that it’s such a collaborative world and job. What I love is the collaborative endeavor. I think it takes every bit of collaboration to make something wonderful and special and what you hope it will be. And so, I always feel equally exhilarated and nervous for every part I take on because I hope that all the collaboration comes together to make it something great, and that includes ultimately the audience watching it too. Because you can make something that’s great that people don’t see. I just felt so grateful this past year to have been able to work on many, many projects, like the final season of Dickinson, Name That Tune and Schmigadoon!, which I loved working on. They were all through the confines of COVID and COVID regulations. I always appreciate what I do, but even more so during COVID. Being on set with the hundreds of people that it takes to make these shows, I was just so grateful for everyone’s participation. You look around and everybody in their department is back working and taking tests three to five times a week—all the hoops everybody had to go through to keep everybody safe. But we all just so wanted to be there. And so, I feel like in the project I am doing right now, gratefulness is at the top of the list, even higher than the nerves of starting a new job or hoping that the collaboration is wonderful. It’s more of gratefulness that I get to do what I do and gratefulness for every element that is involved that makes it so it can happen. Broadway is back, which you honored earlier this year with a special. Are you looking forward to going back? Oh, my gosh, I couldn’t be more excited to get back there. I think of Broadway as my home turf. Obviously, New York City is my hometown. Being in New York City without Broadway felt like a part of New York City’s heart wasn’t beating. So, I’m so thrilled that everybody is back. I’ve been to a bunch of shows already fully masked, fully vaccinated, and I only encourage everyone else to do the same. I always get a great sense of pride of the audience members all being so respectful of being there and honoring the art. I’ve never had more of a heightened appreciation for the performers, who are out there, who are obviously not wearing masks, and who are giving it their all to provide art and entertainment. I couldn’t be happier to support everyone who’s there right now and performing right now, and I can’t wait to reopen in something on Broadway as soon as possible. I’m someone who’s very drawn to the discipline of eight shows a week. I’m drawn to loving the exhaustion and that it takes everything you have to get out there eight times a week. Outside of work, is there still something that you would like to achieve? Oh, my goodness, that’s such a big question. I feel like my greatest day-to-day job is raising my son. My daily goal is to try to raise a nice gentleman who loves women, who honors women, who respects all people, and I hope that I can do that. It’s one of my daily mantras and I hope that I can ultimately make that happen, to make a nice, young gentleman in this world. It’s not easy on the day-to-day. If you have any kids, you know that. But also, with all that they’ve just been through, it’s been very eye-opening to go through the readjustment back to school, the new anxieties that they have, or learning how to live in this world, wear your masks every day, and the new restraints that you don’t want to see put on childhood as a whole. So it’s been very interesting. But in the bigger picture, I think it’s important to make the children our future, and I hope that I’m doing my daily part to make him a good person in society. Next, Dickinson Star Hailee Steinfeld on Why Emily Could Be a Hero for the Millennial Generation
