Drama Queens - Work in Progress: Ariana DeBose

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

Broadway star and Academy Award-winning actress Ariana DeBose is taking on a new challenge...advocating for voting rights!  Ariana joins Sophia to talk about her journey with identity as a queer Afro-Latina, how she got into showbiz, and what it was like working in Broadway shows for years, including "Hamilton," before hitting the big screen in the movie that 'changed her life,' Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story." She also reveals what she told the famed director before joining the cast, the types of projects she is working on now, and having the courage to pursue magic!  Plus, Ariana talks about her important new role as ACLU Artist Ambassador for Voting Rights and what's at stake this election year! For more info, follow @aclu_nationwide on Instagram and vote.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, everyone. It's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Welcome back to Work in Progress, friends. This week, we have a guest who I've been a fan of for what feels like forever. Ariana DeBose is an award-winning actress. is known for varying roles on stage in film and television. I was lucky enough to see her in the original cast of Hamilton in New York on Broadway. I was so blown away by her, and she has just

continued this breathtaking trajectory, winning an Academy Award in addition to a BAFTA for her performance in Steven Spielberg's reimagining of Westside Story. She played Anita so beautifully, and she also in the midst of, you know, doing such an iconic role in such an iconic film and winning an Oscar for it, happened to make history because she became the first openly queer Afro-Latina to win an Academy Award. She's an absolute legend, and not only is she following up that project with incredible films, other plays, hosting the Tony Awards, not once but twice in two years, being nominated for Emmys. I mean, the list, literally goes on and on and on, but she is doing something that is so close to her heart and

mine. Ariana has taken a role as the ACLU's artist ambassador to advocate for voting rights. She is doing incredible work, making sure we all have the right to vote, and also helping the ACLU to debunk myths and provide trusted information in a year where it is more important than ever. So today we're going to chat about Broadway, art, identity, voting and probably plenty more things that make us feel excited, inspired, and motivated for the year ahead. Let's get to it. Hi, how are you? I'm good. I'm so happy that you're here. And like, just the overlap that we have with some of our favorite friends.

I'm just like, I have not gotten to spend time with her, but I love her. Same. I'm so excited. Is there anything that you want to know? Is there anything that you want to definitely talk about? Yeah, not really. I feel like, I mean, I don't claim to be an expert in anything. I'm just like a human.

So I always like provide a disclaimer on anything. I'm like, guys, just my perspective and experience. But I could be wrong. And that's okay. Yeah. It's kind of amazing when you learn more and then change your mind. Or just like expand your opinion. I think that's, isn't that an interesting thing about our lives too? Is like now because everything is so online. It's almost like supposedly every time you have a thought, you're declaring who you are. And it's like, we're not. Or we're just all on this journey together learning. Yep. Well, isn't that like the thing about America? You're supposed to be able to like change your mind, have an opinion, all the things. It's one of the things I feel like I can say to you because I know you are also such an activist and an advocate. Like when you say isn't that the thing about this country, I think yes, I think it's baked into even the ideals of who we are because we had these incredible founding ideals. that even the founding fathers who were by no means perfect

who have a whole lot of, you know, skeletons in and out of their closets, they were like, we're going to do the most progressive thing that's been done in history and we know we're not even building it the right way yet, so we're going to bake change into the foundation.

It's what James Baldwin said. Like, I love this country and therefore I criticize her. I want to hold her. Yes, like I need to hold her to the same. standards that she says are hers. And I think the job of our generations is to get ever closer to the actual execution of those ideals. Yeah. It's like that's why they created living documents. It's okay. It's like anybody who wants to be better than they were the day before, like I constantly like check myself, ask the questions, critique, you know what I mean?

Self interrogation. You self interrogation. Take the notes. You know, know, like, I feel like our, you know, we're as, well, I'm glad we're recording this because it's probably going to be really helpful. Yeah, I just feel like, you know, that's part of what being a citizen of the United States is, you know, like you are, if you are really being active and noticing it, it's like, no, we're not always going to get it right. The whole point of of voting is so that you can participate in the critique and the making better of the world that you live in. And, you know, for me, being asleep in that process is not really an option, partially because my identity demands that I stay awake. Yes. And yeah. Okay. So this is,

this is cool because we dove in. And I actually think that this is a moment that connects us well to what's normally my first question, but I was just like, you also want to change the world. Tell me all about it. When you think about that perspective, like you stand as this incredibly accomplished woman and what you have achieved is breathtaking and the way you use your platform is breathtaking. And you are also very aware of how your identity requires you to spend the privilege of a platform like this. When you, I always like to know, you know, when I sit across from somebody who like has an Academy Award on their shelf, I'm like, do you see, like, do you see Ariana today if you were to like hang out with your eight-year-old self? Would you see the through

lines of who you are or were you into completely different things when you were little? like how is it now for you to look back on yourself you know it's funny i look at if looking at my eight-year-old self i could see how she got here it's i mean i say that like really assuredly but i really can like i was a very creative child you know and i was the type of kid like when i was when i was born my mom and i would live with my grandmother and um i'm an only child there's racist an only child and yeah what do you do only children we have to find ways to entertain ourselves we sure do we sure do so I would like go outside we lived in like an apartment complex and I'd go outside and there were these staircases and I'd make the staircase like my stage and I would

just give shows for myself and like make it up songs or singing songs I heard and I'd like But like, oh, what if I did this dance step going downstairs? And like the neighbors would sort of look through the window and I would wave at them. And they were great about it. But look, I mean, I think about it now. I'm like, wow, they must have thought, wow, she's really going for it, that little girl. Just belting it out. Just belting it out.

Like, but it, I don't know, that sort of endless, like, childlike curiosity and the need to express because that's really what it was. I wanted to find a place to put my emotions or, you know, I remember when Titanic came out that, you know, Celine Dion's, my heart will go on like eight-year-old Lariana or however old I was, like, she was belting it out on the staircase, like really believing that she was on the Titanic

in the front of the ship with the sunset and the wind and the singing and the chest pounds like i there's a lot of that young person that is still inside of me but also you know my mom is a a public school teacher she's and an educator and um again she raised me as a single parent and um there were i was surrounded by educators and predominantly female educators for that matter and so it took it really took a village to raise me um but as you can see i'm the brown the brown but i'm black woman in the united states of america some people would look at me and be like oh she's brown and i'm like yeah but i'm black i am an afro latina um and my mom is white so and i was

raised by her side of the family really and our extended like chosen family so my father that that brings the latinidad to my existence was not present so spanish was not spoken in my home I was not raised eating the food at all times that are cultural to my identity. And so I didn't come to that portion of my identity of really having the opportunity to dig into that as much until my adulthood. So there was sort of a disconnect in my childhood. I didn't, and I hate the way this sounds, but it is my reality. I did not see color for the longest time.

And I didn't really have a concept of race. I could hear tone, like if I'm in the grocery stores with my mom as a kid and, you know, someone says something that doesn't sound very nice or throws us a look that is not very inviting or is judgmental. I could discern those types of things. But it wasn't really until, you know, I was, you know, very. very much in school that I really started to process all of that. And as we know, they don't put a lot of the realities of certain things in textbooks. So, but thank God I had an educator for a parent

who helped supplement all of that, you know. And she did go the extra mile, understanding that she has a child of color and she needed to explain certain things to me. you know and really give me an understanding of racism even though in my mind I wasn't processing if that makes sense I knew what racism was but I felt like the civil rights movement was so far away because it was in a book you know and so then as I'm in as I was developing as an adult or becoming an adult and moving to New York City and seeing the realities of the world. I'm like, nope, the Civil Rights Movement ain't that movement is not that far away. In fact, she's fresh. Yes. She's still fresh. Well, and when you consider the fact, speaking of

your mom as an educator, like, Ruby Bridgers is still alive. That little girl who had to be escorted by state troopers into her school at the age of five in her little Mary Jane's and little bows in her hair, like, she's younger than my mom. And so I think, it's so interesting to hear you the way you talk about this because I know that for me what feels like the experience of our generation is the waking up to what we were taught as children lived in books is actually our present day experience that remains reverberating and I don't know if I put myself in your mom's shoes like to think back to when you were a little and we weren't having you know common conversations about intersectionality we weren't we were we were

in that process like what an incredible thing that as you said your mom was an educator who had the wherewithal to say i'm a white woman raising a daughter of color whose identity is also intersectional right and like of course you've had a journey and thank god she was your mom like whoa what a what an experience was moving to New York because of how diverse it is and and because of how diverse artists communities are. Like, did that feel like a homecoming or a wake-up call or both? Both. To be honest, it felt like both.

I feel like, you know, my journey within the Broadway community has been wonderful and also fascinating. I think, you know, I came under what felt like to me living in the experience of it. I felt like I came under a lot of criticism that I was like the white black girl. I didn't sound black enough. I didn't sing black enough. I didn't really dance black enough. I just really wasn't black enough. In fact, there were several nights I'd be out and about with artists.

And there would be people who would try to tell me. about myself and my own blackness. And I was never afforded the, in those spaces, I was not afforded the opportunity to defend myself. It was never welcomed for me to explain anything. It was just assumed that I was elitist or thought I was better than everyone else. When in actuality, what was really happening

was I was trying to find community. You know, I would ask, example, like I would ask a question. You know, every culture has its own language, its own like euphemisms or whatnot. And like sometimes I'll be perfectly frank. Sometimes there were moments, especially when I was 18 and fresh in New York. And even into my second Broadway show, like, where I didn't understand something. And so I'd ask the question. And they'd be like, what the hell? Oh, so you're not really black. And I'm like, what does that mean? Like when I walked down the street, I'm very, I mean, the cops don't see a difference between me and you,

so I don't get it. Right. So things like that. And so that was very jarring for me. And to be honest, sometimes I still, like, have to chat that one out in therapy. Like, I don't, because I don't, I, I, I wasn't the first person to say, you know, being a member of both the black community and the Hispanic community, it's like, yeah. Yeah, there's, there's colorism is a thing.

There's interdimensional prejudice that is going on for various different reasons. And sometimes you really have to sit down and unpack what that is. And it's, it can be really hard because it's pitting the community against each other. And then, and also those two communities in particular, it's like they get pitted against each other all the time. When in reality, it's like, we should be working together. I'm really unclear and yet we're still arguing about minutia and not that the minutiaa is not important but given the world that we live in can we not find our common ground and elevate that first you know like is are there I I don't I would I wish that we as communities could have those conversations and like see see our differences or the beauty of the minutia as like these make us individual but these things bring us together And sometimes that's not the standpoint that's taken. I would be the first to admit that.

And now a word from our wonderful sponsors. And what a hard thing it must be to be growing up, growing into yourself, wanting to amass more understanding of your, multi identities and in a way to be told that your multiness is the problem you're like but this is me like I live here I'm literally this person every day and it's the it's the you know what I look back on like my first experiences in New York and because I was so hungry for community and like and to be honest I coming to New York and and finding as an artist and finding the

Broadway community also was one of the best things that could happen to me. But I think when you are developing and trying to embrace who you are, what is interesting is that for me, it put me in a place where I allowed people to tell me who I was. And I am innately in Aquarius and I don't do well authority figures. But I look back on it now and I'm like, oh, but I let people try to tell me which box I could be in, which also created issues because I butt heads against that. So I was sort of cultivating this cycle of unhappiness, which is not unlike voting rights. Oh, my God, it's so weird that they all sort of tie together. It's really amazing.

But I feel like it's, I look at it now, and I think I started finding a flow in my life when I embraced all of the things that make me neat and instead of trying to like put a lid on some things I by owning them it allowed me to actually live my most authentic life and I've found happiness in my life that doesn't mean everything's cupcakes and sprinkles it's not but there became a flow and so I could find the spaces that were meant for me you know it's almost like I had to be ready to accept all of that, that there was going to be good with the bad, and you were never going to be able to cookie cut yourself down enough to be acceptable. It's like, I don't, I don't fucks with palatability anymore. I think that's death to creativity, palatibility,

bye-bye. Goodbye. Jinks. I love it. But that's such a, that's such an experience of stepping into power. And it's like, you know, we clearly don't have the same experience as young women finding our artistry and our specificity. But like, I'm hearing you talk about this. And I'm like, girl, yes, to so much of it. I, you know, at 21 moved for my first big job and moved to a very small town and felt very isolated and really wanted to be an adult and really wanted to prove that I was good enough and really wanted to do all the things right. And, you know, I carried all my familial and childhood trauma with me. And I wanted to like build a life. and do a thing. And I didn't have anybody saying if what is offered around you doesn't feel

like enough, go out and seek it. I was sort of like, okay, well, if these are the five forks I get to choose from, I'll do this. And if this, and I built a life to be like kind and a good team player and palatable in things and wasn't good for me. It's a, it's a journey, I think, to discover how to seek more, how to be grateful for what it is, but like not give up on yourself a little bit, not shrink yourself a little bit. And people especially don't like when women don't shrink themselves. And they especially don't like when we don't shrink ourselves and we're political. Oh. Like the worst for them. No, yeah, they just, they melt down. But like, even when I think about your art, like, your identity

is inherently political. Your art has been political. like, hello, you were part of the original cast of Hamilton. Like, you made politics, pop culture in this, like, beautiful way in a way that claimed diversity, chose diversity, like, what, what was that like? Because by the way, I remember coming, like, early days. And then, like, this is the most inspiring thing I've ever seen. All I care about is, like, the actual potential of the realization of the American documents. Does everybody know?

Like, do people know? And then I remember like within four weeks I wanted to bring a bunch of friends back and like couldn't get tickets for four months. And I was like, okay, everybody knows. Like and what was it like to be in it? Because I know as an audience member and a fan, I was just like melting down. And I was like you as a kid on the staircase like bopping around in my car with the windows down singing along to you guys. Like what did it feel like to be in it? Oh, I mean, I could say it was wild, you know. I think. think I don't know if you if you speak to any members of the original cast I don't know that we have good words for it because it felt so singular to be honest but you're but what what you said is exactly what we did like we made art political it's like how it's so rare that you get like every you know you get presidents to Broadway like what the secretary of state is coming to Broadway like yes you know like senators actively want to see this it like it like it made you know art it gave art a different platform and it certainly gave broadway a different a different

audience you know and i think that was really cool and there there there it wasn't a you could be in your 70s or 80s and still love hamilton you could be a child and love hamilton for different reasons but the the the messaging behind it the diversity it spoke to the you know facing some truths about women. Women in the sequel, work, you know? Like, um, there was, there was a lot in there that I think, you know, created a different synergy and showed a lot of people it was possible. I think, um, fighting, personally, fighting the Revolutionary War eight times a week was really hard. Girl, I thought about you guys again, because it's just like one of the shows I've seen the most times. And I did a play, like a straight play on the West End in 2023. And I would get to the end

of a five show weekend and literally collapse. And I was like, wait, I have friends who do this and they sing and dance. Yeah. Like, how? You, like, I look at you now, like a person with superpowers. It's incredible. It's the wildest thing. I will always say that, like, Broadway and, like, theater theater in general if you're if you're doing theater at a high level which the west end is so like more power to you it was so cool and also doing straight plays on the west end i find just inherently intimidating because like the brits they they know their theater you know what i mean oh yeah great yeah i was the one american in the play and i was like cool no pressure i'm gonna be fine oh my god i heard you're great though actually um i'm sad i miss it

But I heard you were absolutely wonderful. So go you. I loved every minute of it. I was crushed when I got like, you know, as so many people did, like hit so hard pandemic sickness that I was like, oh, I'm actually like too sick to keep working. I've never had this happen before. I've left the hospital and gone back to set. What do you mean? I have to go home. But the months that I got to be there and do it, it gave me the bug in such an intense way. And now I'm like, what's my next play going to be? I need it. I'm really excited. I need it. Okay. Now I'm going to be like, cool, cool, cool, so, so if you want to do a straight play, are you with me, I'm ready. Great, great. All right, I'm going to keep a lookout.

Okay, right. You heard it here first, everyone. Let's go to Broadway. Broadway. No, but I do think, what was I saying? Oh, I do think there's no training like doing theater. It's a different kind of stamina. It's a different kind of work ethic.

You know, and I had the privilege of doing like six Broadway shows almost back to back. Wow. Yeah, you never stopped. I didn't. And I'm very grateful. You know, I got some great advice when I was doing my first Broadway show. I ran into Judith Light, who is one of my favorite humans on the world in the planet. Icon.

And she was like, just say yes. Just keep saying yes. You will learn something from every show that you do. and the lesson may be easy, the lesson may be hard, but you will learn and you will always have an income because, you know, I didn't go to university for what I do. I think people, like, assume that maybe I went to Juilliard or maybe I went to, you know, a really great... Like a conservatory. A conservatory, thank you.

Nope, did not. Did not. I graduated in 2009. So there just wasn't any money. The recession. No, but like the, they always say like the bubble burst in 2008. Yes, it did. It did. And there was no money for scholarships. And again, I single parent home with a public school teacher salary. It's like we barely had money from me to go to a state school. You know what I mean? I was reliant on scholarships. Even in my, when I was training, like I went to a competitive dance studio and received incredible training. But I worked as a teacher's assistant to pay off some of my basic tuition. And then every time we went to like a convention competition or something, I was, I took them very seriously because in the class portion of the convention, I wanted to do well.

I was very focused, not to my detriment, but I knew that if I didn't get a scholarship, nine times out of ten, I would not be coming back the next year because we could not afford it. So like dance was such a savior to me because it gave me a structure for my life. I found something I loved and I was willing to do the work to, to keep, so that my opportunities would continue to advance. Like, I could keep the doors open. And, you know, at one point in my life, there was a very privileged white woman said to me, like, you're so privileged because you had a white mom. And I was like, in what way do you think that I was privileged? I lived in a small town. For a time, we lived in subsidized housing.

And people really looked down on my mom because she had a brown child. child or a black child. And so I'm, I don't get it. Like if the cops stopped us and saw me, there's like a myriad of questions. Even sometimes, you know, white women in the, in the grocery store, like would say some things like, is that your child? Like her students at times were like, are you adopted? Like there was always this question around my, what I came to believe, my validity. And now that does not mean that we had it harder than absolutely everybody. That is not what I'm saying. I am saying that as a child, I understood that there were differences. And no, my mom did not have an easy time of it. And perhaps at times, my identity

might have made it harder, you know, but like she's my mother and she loved me and she busted her butt to give me a good life. But whiteness at times does not always translate to privilege. And I think there will always be an inherent privilege to whiteness, but given my identity and the life that I lived growing up, I saw some real times where it was not helpful. The whiteness did not come into play as a helpful factor, if that makes sense. And so, and there are white and there are people who have trouble hearing that. It's so odd to me. I don't understand why people want to always couch what others have gone through. It's like, why? Why would someone even feel the need to say that to you? Because then, by the way, you're required to do the emotional labor of

educating someone to be like, you know what? I, because I lived with my mother, might have had proximity to a version of her privilege, but I also was very aware of how that privilege didn't extend to me because I don't look like my mother. Like, just the fact that you have to sit and say that to somebody? It's like, God, it's exhausting. Say that. Oh, it was exhausting. And to this day, at times, it is exhausting. But it's like, I share that with you in this moment, because I also am like, but this podcast, people love this podcast. And maybe they never thought about that. And I'm like, I don't have a problem sharing. But in the moments where it's like, oh, God, controversial, again, I don't care about being palatable anymore. I'll just say it. If that makes sense.

Yeah. And now a word from our sponsors that I really enjoy, and I think you will too. Well, that's the thing. Like, I think we have to be as frank as possible about reality if we ever hope to create better ones. Yeah. And to your point, like, okay, if we want to rally the troops for a better America, if we want to make this country live up to its ideal, actually us women should be mobilizing 51% of the population like let's go but we have to be willing to hear about the different experiences of the women like if if we're all in a pool then we're a bunch of buckets in a pool and if I don't know anything about what you go through or I'm not willing to hear what you go through or I'm not curious about what you go through not only am I doing a disservice to you in our relationship, I'm also making myself more ignorant, so I'm going to

advocate less well for you and for me. Like, come on, we should just, we should just be willing. Yeah. Not dissimilarly to a good script, right? Like, to our friends at home, you hear me talk about this a lot with other actors, like how a really good movie or TV show will make, they will tell someone's specific story. And when you do specificity really well, everyone identifies with it because it's also universal. And like, we only create a good universal outcome if we are willing to pay attention to everybody's specificity and then design an outcome that supports us all. And honestly, you say it so plainly. I'm like, yeah. Come on. Just that. It's pretty, it seems so simple to me, which is also why I was just like, you know, I'm, I, I, knowing my, I mean,

well, I love my life, so I know my journey. But like, knowing all the, these different, like, mile markers in my life, it's like, okay, I want to, I want to try and cultivate community in the ways that I might not have had growing up, you know what I mean? And, and so I try to choose my art from that standpoint like who can this speak to um or how how can my presence be a value ad like i'm not someone who just like inserts myself just because like i'm very intentional about things when i like i think that's very important but that's also why i think about like just to sort of whack because like i know i'm like l u realness um i especially on a day like today but I think when I think about my idea my identity my my my journey I'm an artist they all work

together and like sometimes separating because I think clarity about like what is going on both with your identity and your work because people like to confuse the two is very important but that's how I come back to like who am I as a human and what am I trying to do with this platform that I've been given so for me when I was was like, oh, I love the ACLU. Why? Because they are not. They're advocating for all of us. I think that's really important. They're advocating for everyone. Even the people, and that's the beauty of being an American. Like, I don't always have to agree with my fellow American, but I do believe that we all have a place here in this country, and we all have the right to be heard. And so I was

like, I can get down with that. I love that. Let's go. That also takes a certain willingness to self-interrogate and to hold yourself to the standards you say you believe it, to say, like, I really do not agree with this person's bigoted opinion, but guess what, under the First Amendment, they're allowed to say it. So what am I going to do to support the people they might be verbally attacking? How am I going to build a better system? How am I going to allow them to be who they are, whether I agree or not, and then make sure I'm defending the people who their rights might harm? Like, that takes a bigness. And, you know, again, when you talk about your identity, your journey, your work, like, I think about you being in the original cast of Hamilton, I think about you as this woman who lives at the intersections you live at, in 2022, by the way, like talk about how history is now, you became the very first queer woman of color to win an Academy Award for West Side Story.

And, you know, you're talking about how as a kid you didn't grow up speaking Spanish, like, what has it been like to lean back into your culture? Have you learned your language? How have you built that community? What did it feel like to stand up and do that job and then get like the best award for it? What I see is the exact thing you were just talking about, about how all these pieces of you come back to connect. Does it feel like that from? The inside, does it feel like a homecoming? You know, I mean, here's the thing about homecomings. Sometimes they're uncomfortable. And that's okay. That's life. So the journey with West Side Story was both highly uncomfortable and cathartic and wonderful and shiny.

It was all of it. But I think the only way that I was, I did what I always do. I came to it authentically. It's like the very first day I met Steven Spielberg. He was like, so what do you want me to know? And I was like, well, I want you to know that I'm Afro-Latina. I am a black woman who is Hispanic. And he was like, eh.

And I was like, yeah, I know, I know. But like, it's real. And that if you are not willing to, you know, explore that in the context of the making of your movie, then don't hire me. That was what I said to him. And he just sort of was like, thank you for your honesty. And I was like, and I'm also going to tell you that I did not grow up with Spanish spoken in my home. So I took it in high school.

I was pretty good at it. But like, this is going to be work for me. And also my dad is not in my life. And he was like, ha, ha. Thank you for your honesty. And I appreciate it. Like, I was always honest about who I was, you know, and who I am. Like, there's no need to not be for me.

But I went into it with like, this may not be good enough for you. You know, I was. Honestly, I was ready for it to be like, it's not. Like, you're not, you don't look like Rita Moreno. You don't look like Cheater Rivera. Your background is not good enough. You know, I was ready to have all of those normal things that have thrown in my face, or traditionally.

And he didn't do that. And so from there on, it made it, like, it gave me permission to continue to bring the fullness of my identity to that job. And so then being the first openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award, was incredibly special because every part of the process was that like I I never had to be anything but who I am you know and if I had a thought I could share it you know I'm opinionated I I share my opinion I believe I share my opinions in a way that does not smack someone else down that is not the point of me sharing an opinion but I share it from the space of let's

open up the opportunities the horizons like maybe there are several different paths we could go down and if we if we commit to one without first considering these other things like what are we even doing sometimes um but it was wild and but the short answer to to your question was um no it didn't always feel good but it was it the whole process was totally mine and it complete i got to completely embody and own it every step of the way so the uncomfortability i owned the the celebration of it I owned and you know during that process I discovered I got to do some family digging and my um Hispanic roots um come from San Dorsay. It's a little barrio outside of San Juan. Um, though my father's family is from San Dorsay. Like I took the Spanish lessons.

And to be honest, I'll be candid and like I'm I have a musical ear. My accent is good. But like language when you don't learn it from a young age, it's usually. lose it or lose it. And it's hard. And so I still get anxiety in Spanish speaking spaces when I know what's being said and I can't think quick enough to respond in Spanish. Like it kills me and I want to cry and I turn into five-year-old Ari who like isn't good enough. It's very hard for me. But I still try. And I think that's the important part is like you have to make the effort. Well, and what I hear you saying really is like you're advocating for the fullness of yourself in yourself and I and I don't think it's accidental that you are such an advocate for

other people too like that passion to lean in you know tracks for what we were just speaking about with the ACLU and like for you to be on your journey and simultaneously want to go on a journey for everyone for us for people's rights like you sit you know today you're the newest voting rights ambassador for the ACLU. And you mentioned, they defend everybody. They do all the good work. They make sure everybody has access to the same rights. But we know that voting rights in particular have been so under attack. And what made you want to jump into this? And is there like, you know, being the resident expert on this call? Like, is there a little overview you can give to our friends who are listening at home? Because I know that so many people in

my audience are like, it feels like everything keeps getting worse. What do we do? And you actually have some steps of things we can really do to, you know, be here for each other. Yeah. Well, I mean, I wanted to jump in because I just felt like my identity again sort of demanded it in a way. And I care about people. I really do. Even the ones I disagree with. I still care about you. I want you to have a good life. Even if you don't want that for me. But I also. like I'm also passionate about young people. And I feel like when I watch our, you know, our rights in general get like dwindled down. And it's it for me, I look at it. I'm like, you're just trying to put people in boxes and I'm so not here for it. You want you're like,

we've, we've changed the narratives so much to try and kind of keep people small and keep them from asking questions. And so for me, the basis of my ambassadorship really starts there. It's like, I don't think there's a single dumb question. when it comes to voting rights. I think you should ask them all. Even the ones that you're like, this may not have anything to do with anything, but I'm going to ask it.

Like I want to sort of demystify that, you know, and just ask the questions people may have. And the ones that I have. Also, knowing that I may not have the answer, but an organization like the ACLU probably does. And they can explain things. It's like I know I was reading, you know, which is hard. Reading the news is hard or listening to it can be like debilitating and depressing.

But I was reading a lot of these, you know, decisions that were coming down from the Supreme Court. And I was like, oh, gosh, this is like so much. And this language is so like heavy and honestly makes me feel really dumb. And everything in me just wants to like not read, but I know I need to. And so that's when I would like call up my girl just go over at the ICU. you and be like, what does this mean? And she was like, oh, let me prefer you to so-and-so and they can tell you. And I was like, that's what we should be doing. Like when these decisions come down, that it's hard to understand, I want to be like, hey, this thing happens.

And I'm pretty sure it affects so-and-so in Arkansas or this came down from the Eighth Circuit course. And who does this affect? And I want to ask those questions and see how we can open up the conversation or at least make the facts easier to digest. And, and again, just remind folks, there are no stupid questions, but the only dumb questions or stupid questions are the ones you don't ask and you don't try to find the answer to. And so I'm sort of putting myself in that space, you know. And also, I know you know all about that because like, hello, we're, I've been in it for a long, long time. Thank you. I look, I think we're all in this together. And it is, it is so important as as we were talking about earlier like when you when you manage to have a platform because

of what you do like you got to do good with it so when you talk about all of the things that you know you've been learning and the questions you've been asking of the folks at the ACLU we are in an election year are there any myths that you want to set straight or any any fun facts you want to give to people oh that's a really interesting question you know what I think I think I think There's, and this is a large, like a larger conversation, but I think a lot of people are like, oh, well, the presidential election is the only one that matters. Now, I know you've talked about this on your podcast, and like, that's not the truth. Yeah. It is so not the truth.

Like, it doesn't matter. It does not. I'm not here to tell you who to vote for when it comes to the presidential election, but I am here to, like, remind you that, like, anything that is, like, important to your life, whatever you're showing up to the polls. for, right? Nine times out of 10, those local elections are real important, my friends. And we don't think of that because what's in the news so often is these bigger, these bigger elections. And so that's part of it. I mean, just reminding people that like it takes work to be a voter. Voting is not easy. And the institutions that surround us don't make it easier for us. It does take time, effort, and planning. For the longest time, even myself, I didn't even know

how to find the correct websites for certain things. Like, how do I find people's platforms? Like, what is even on my ballot? And then I did find resources like I am a voter. But you have to do that work. And you have to want to have your voice heard. And the reality is it does matter. It really does matter. And it matters more in election years like this year, every year it matters but when you have so many ticket items on the ballot if you don't show up and vote then for me I'm just like that then we're not

we're not seeing the fullness of our democracy take hold and again because I vote it in my mind is my own personal opinion now I can reserve the right to really criticize my country like I will go ham at her yes because I showed up to vote

yes because I did my part. And now for our sponsors. The way I think about it too is like voting is a, it's a relationship. Ooh, that's nice. Like democracy to me is a verb, like love is a verb. It is an action. It's an action.

It is so important to take that action because your entire life is governed by policy. Your experience, the roads you drive on, whether or not they have potholes, whether or not kids have, you know, healthy schools, whether or not people can go to the doctor. It is all designed by policy. And so we have to show up and exercise our right so that we can have a healthier relationship to life in this country. Yes. And that is the thing, like when people talk about feeling discouraged or things feel dangerous or like this election matters so much because it will decide the future. of the Supreme Court, and we already saw how that went in the last one that didn't go so well. Like, people are being harmed by the outcomes of these events, and if we want to undo that

harm, we have to show up and vote like we love each other and this country. That to me is the part. I think, you know, I've had personally, you know, I've had some slightly uncomfortable conversations with members of my family. Oh, yeah. And it's, it's tough when you do come. to someone who doesn't necessarily believe that their vote actually speaks for their families as well, or members of their families. Like, your vote isn't always necessarily just for you. It's for your neighbor.

You know, it's for someone you love. Like, you know, I am a queer woman of color and my family members are white. But every time they cast a vote, I'm like, just remember, vote for me. I'm going to vote for you. I'm going to vote so that your, your identity, your wants to. and needs are encompassed in mine, you know, are encompassed in my vote. But am I encompassed in yours? Yeah. And that's hard because there's there's the rights of the individual. And then we also have to look at the rights of the whole. And again, I've heard you talk about this a lot. It's like

it's not a pie, guys. Rights for me doesn't mean there's less rights for you. It just means the rights get bigger. Bigger. Like the pie gets bigger. Yeah. Creating more equity meets creating more pie. Yeah. Like, me, and I love pie. I want everybody to have it. So for our friends who also love pie,

should we should we tell them where they can begin? Because to your point, it can be hard to start the journey. So would you recommend, like, you know, the ACLU on Instagram is ACLU nationwide. Everybody maybe should go there first.

Yes, I do think that the ACLU, if you, like, if you aren't sure where you stand, right? If you're just interested in learning, the ACLU provides a breadth of information on a breadth of topics, right? Yeah. And again, it is nonpartisan. So this is literally about human rights. It's about your rights.

For all. For all. And that's why I think there's such a great place to start. If you really are not here for like, I'm blue, I'm red, why don't you just be? Try being first. The ACLU nationwide is a great place to start. Instagram account is honestly one of my favorite things to follow. And yes, because obviously we're dealing with facts and things that are happening in real time all across our country.

Sometimes it can't be depressing, but it's informative and it's always hopeful. There's always hope because knowledge is power. Yes. And I love that. That makes sense. And also vote.org, as far as like just process, if you need to check to see if you're registered, little, The basic one-toes and threes, everything you need to know to vote. I love that. Or I am a voter. Yes. And I will say to our friends at home, you can, look, I don't like a lot of text messages.

I don't like a lot of emails. Like, too much communication is the bane of my existence. So I helped organize the I am a voter chatbot because I was like, if it texts me all the time, I'll be furious and it's partially my organization. You can text the word voter from anywhere in the country to. 26797 voter VOTER and it will give you your updated info on registering. You can make sure you're registered and it will send you a text reminder before the election, remind you of where you're going, where you're polling places in case it's changing. It is like the best amount of information with the least amount of being bothered possible. So go online and then also send a text and we

will make sure you are covered because we want we want everybody to have more pot now my dear you are obviously spending this year being a voting rights ambassador for the ACLU you are working to defend American democracy you are out here advocating for people and and reminding people of the ways we can be better deeper more aware of each other and I know people are like and where else can I see her. I got a lot of questions about you. Like, what's next in your career? Where are you going? People are like, they're just desperate for more of you and your voice and all that you are. Oh, that's really sweet. You know, well, I'm currently in Winnipeg, Canada, making a movie. Yeah. You are in a cold place. I am. I am. But hey, I'm still paying attention to what's going on in the

country. Yes, ma'am. So that's the other thing. It's like, I take it all, I take it very seriously. Like, it's a responsibility to like wake up, pay attention, read. Anyways. But yes, I'm working after, you know, the entertainment industry was on strike for like what felt like an eternity for absolutely every person involved.

And so I really wanted to work this year. And I'm very grateful to have opportunity. So I'm doing just that at the moment. But I've got some things up my sleeve. Okay. She might be doing, your girl might be doing some things, might be taking some big swings, trying some new things. Okay, I'm very excited to hear what they are when it's time. When it's time.

I mean, that's the name of my game, though. Like, I, when it becomes formulae to me, that's when I don't want to do it. Yeah. Because I don't like doing the same thing twice. Every show I did on Broadway for 10 years was different. None of them were the same. And I'm really grateful that I seem to have a path in this new facet of the industry that is allowing me to do that. I'll be honest, it's not always easy.

Sometimes you really got to go in there and, like, advocate for yourself in a way that's like, yes, see me for this part. I know it doesn't make sense. It doesn't have to, but let me try. Yeah. Just look. I have a hunch. Just look. I just have a hunch.

Like, my gut is telling me, you'll be pleasantly surprised. So it's really a lot of that. And I'm, this is my year of, I said to myself at the beginning of the year, if the energy is not electric, I do not want it. I love that. So that's my sort of like guiding light. And I'm following that. And so everything I do right now feels very creatively stimulated.

And while that did not answer the question. of what do what am i doing next and where is it coming beyond making where's it going beyond making movies i can tell you i'm very excited about the things i have in front of me and sensibly terrified because uh when you take on bigger things and it is scary but i do scary things every day and i think that's what makes life magical i agree you know so my favorite question to ask everyone is the following. And I wonder if maybe that's part of the answer is, is that it works around like courage and fear. When you look out at the year ahead of you, what feels like your work in progress? I mean, the wholeness. My whole being is a work in progress. That's the work

in progress. And here's why I say that is, you know, I think it's fairly well. well documented that my life changed very quickly. West Side Story absolutely changed my life. And then even though I had worked for 10 years on Broadway, that was the thing that suddenly people knew about me, right? And I think the work in progress for me is having the courage to own this new identity, part of my identity. And to really dig in and see how far I can go with it. You know, it's like there's a part of me that feels like I've only scratched the surface of this area of my life, this part of my creativity. And every day it is a work in progress to not let the fear of platform of criticism of failure get in the way of that. You know, so it does

take courage to like, it takes courage to pursue magic. oh my god yes that like if i were opra in the audience at harpo i'd be like tweet it that's a tweet it moment for sure my god it's so good it takes courage to pursue magic it really does it does and it looks different for everybody but that's also why i think you know part of this work and this year and my ambassadorship with the ACLU it takes courage to pursue the magic of making space for everyone and for allowing everyone to be heard. It is courageous because it's hard to please, right? It's so hard to please everyone. And that is, that is a reality. But I think the endeavor to allow everyone the opportunity to live a beautiful life and to be

heard, that is a life well lived. Yeah. Yeah. And she drops the mic at the end and the lights come on. My God, thank you. That was, that was beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Thank you for letting me share and for talking with me. I just think you're so, you're so smart and you're so inspiring.

I love hearing you speak. Oh, my God. I just, you're everything. You're everything. I can't wait for us to go to a play together. Add it to the list. Added to the list, honey. Yes. What a dream. Do not be surprised. No. By the way, tell me, I'm ready. Let's go. I am. I so appreciate you taking the time today, especially because I know you're on location. And it is a lot to show up and offer like, you know, your heart and your thoughts and your journey to people in such an authentic way. So thank you for doing that in the midst of like a job that, you know, has you in the tundra. It's, it's nice,

effort and I appreciate it. Oh, it's my, honestly, my pleasure. I was honored to be asked. I'm always happy to speak with you. Thank you. You're a dream. Likewise. I can't wait.

Come home. Let's go see some shows. Let's go see shows. Oh, my gosh, yes. There's so many to see. Okay. I just turned into like 12 years old. You're like, it's time.

It's time. You can't take the Broadway out of the girl. You really can't. All right, my dear. You have an amazing rest of your day. Thank you. Thanks, darling. Appreciate you.