Casting Their Spells

We invited the most honored performers of the current Broadway season to pose for us just 24 hours after they learned they had been nominated for Tony Awards. Needless to say, they were a happy bunch.

Ari’el Stachel, Tony Shalhoub and Katrina Lenk

“It seemed like a perfect opportunity to fall flat on my face. So I took it on.” — Tony Shalhoub

Hailey Kilgore

“At about 6 or 7, I was doing full-on productions of ‘Sweeney Todd’ with my father in the living room. My father was Sweeney, and I was every other character. I’m pretty sure my parents thought I was going to be a serial killer if I wasn’t on Broadway.”

Michael Cera and Brian Tyree Henry

“I was in preschool, playing Santa Claus. They were feeding me lines. There’s a picture of me offstage saying to my teacher, ‘What’s my line?’ And she was like, ‘Merry Christmas.'” — Brian Tyree Henry

Gavin Lee

“I used to do disco competitions in London. I think one year I won the boys’ category in my glittery vest and jazzy disco pants that my mom probably made. Who knew back then that I would be a tapping octopus on Broadway?”

Nathan Lane

“It turns out the real prophet is not Prior Walter — it’s Tony Kushner.”

Lauren Ridloff

“Sarah’s fire and succinctness is irresistible to me.”

Andrew Garfield

“The first acting I did was a kids’ play of ‘Bugsy Malone’ at my local community theater. Those are the days when it was pure fun. It didn’t cost anything, and there was no risk of failure. It was all pure play. I try to remember that as much as possible.”

Norbert Leo Butz, Lauren Ambrose and Harry Hadden-Paton

“There are so many great parts, and you don’t get to play them all, but I get to do this one, in this lifetime, and that’s just extraordinary.” — Lauren Ambrose

Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond

“I was extremely jealous of any child performer on television. If there was a Shirley Temple movie on, I would demand that my parents turn it off — I was that jealous of talented children.” — Tina Fey

Ethan Slater

“He’s naive, sure, but he’s really optimistic, and he loves his neighbors — and that love really trumps everything else.”

Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry

“My parents were actors. They taught me that this can be amazing and powerful and fulfilling, but you have to balance your life as well.” — Jessie Mueller

“With Billy it was really hard to connect with him because he does things that are just awful and wrong. So my entry was the passion and love that he has, and the determination to do something for his family. I just had a son a month ago, and that’s my connection.” — Joshua Henry

Denzel Washington

“I started on the stage. That’s where I learned to act. So this is coming back to my first love. You find out every night how they feel.”

Anthony Boyle, Noma Dumezweni and Jamie Parker

“Sometimes you have to do things that scare you because you’re owning your own truth. It’s as simple as that.” — Noma Dumezweni

Condola Rashad

“I’ve fallen in such love with Joan, and the respect that I have for her grows every single day.”

John Leguizamo

“We Latin people are the only minority that has fought in every single war that this country has ever had. And we’re the most decorated minority. Just those two little facts changed my whole sense of being a Latin person in this country.”

Taylor Louderman, Grey Henson and Ashley Park

“It was a hobby for all of us, and now we’re getting Tony-nominated.” — Grey Henson

David Morse

“I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this character. But then I started to understand: It was the love that this man has for these people. It’s the great thing about him, and the tragedy.”

Alexander Gemignani, Lindsay Mendez and Renée Fleming

“Whenever I’m talking to my castmates, we talk in the Maine dialect. But also when I’m talking to my dog, I’ll talk to her in Maine. She doesn’t tell me she doesn’t want to hear it, which is lovely.” — Lindsay Mendez

“This came out of the blue — it was not on my list to sing music theater. But the timing was right, and I just thought, ‘Hey, I love new experiences.'” — Renée Fleming

​Susan Brown

​"I play three men and three women, if you count the angel in the second heaven scene. The aim is to make it look easy, and hopefully I do, so people don’t go, ‘Oh, good heavens, I saw her a minute ago as another character.'”

LaChanze and Ariana DeBose

“I didn’t know that Donna Summer didn’t like to be touched.” — Ariana DeBose

“I didn’t know that she didn’t like to be called the disco queen.” — LaChanze

Tom Hollander

“I don’t think anyone understands it. I’m not sure even Tom Stoppard understands it.”

The Tony Awards will air June 10 on CBS.