NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - The Drink with Kate Snow: Ben Platt

Episode Date: September 19, 2021

Ben Platt discusses how he went from community theater to a starring role on Broadway. Platt is now reprising the role of Evan in the new film “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Hi, everyone. This is Kate Snow, and I'm so happy to share with you a conversation that I had with Ben Platt as part of my series, The Drink. Ben, of course, known for his Tony Award winning performance as Evan in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. But did you know that he's been acting since he was five years old? Ben talks with me about reprising the role of Evan in the film version of Dear Evan Hansen. He also tells me how he was able to deliver such a powerful performance night after night when he was on Broadway. And Ben may be eyeing a return to the stage sometime soon. You can hear so many more stories of success

from top artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. You can find it all at www.nbcnews.com slash the drink. I love live performance more than anything. And so both in terms of original music and returning to the theater, to Broadway, hopefully at some point soon, that's, that's a huge something that I see in my future. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hopefully returning to Broadway sometime soon.

That's going to get all your fans attention. Ben Platt, hello. Hello there. All right, what's your drink? It's slightly boring, but it's very healthy. It's just some water. I mean, I'm just going to say that Jane Goodall had a whiskey and we've had martinis and we've had kombucha and smoothies. Water might be the most boring drink we've had, but I get it. I'm proud. At least I have exciting nails to make up for the boring water. Hey, let me see those. I noticed those at the Met Gala. Okay. Wow. Those are exciting. You were there all decked out in denim. Yes, indeed. Yeah, I was in a Christian Cowan kind of like Studio 54 little gay cowboy moment. Nice. All right. The big question, Ben,

is always you've won a Tony, right? An Emmy, a Grammy. You're 27? Yes. How on earth did that happen by the age of 27? How'd you get here? A number of things. I mean, I think the earliest reason for my being here is that I had a wonderful family that really supported my love of the arts and of singing and performing. And also that my siblings before me had already been doing musical theater

at the youth program when I was born. So once I was old enough to join at like four or five, I started doing Cinderella and Oliver and all of those great kids musicals and fell just deeply in love with performing your father's a musical producer right so people and you're from La. I think some people might go wait so was it one of those like you were forced into Chuck child acting you know what I mean.

Yes, of course and I I naturally, I understand, but if anything, because my father's in the business, he knows what a unfortunately terrible business it can be and how deeply terrifying it can be. And they're always very cautionary and very realistic about what I was getting myself into. And I think when he and my mom saw that, not only did I have a deep, deep love for it, but I really had an ability and an affinity for it to go along with that. They, they, they got them for it. You do it all through high school. And then, am I right that you moved to New York to go to Columbia university? Yes. So I finished. How long, how long did that last? Not very long. I lasted about six and a half, seven weeks, uh, towards like the end of October, at which point I was fortunate enough

to be cast in book of Mormon, uh, which was opening a new company in Chicago at the time and so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to originate a role in a new company and so I I left to do that and been on this roller coaster since then yeah it's worked out okay I think yeah it was all right when you went in for a reading of Dear Evan Hansen, did you know right away? Like, did you have a moment like this is for me? Yes. It always opened with Evan's kind of stream of consciousness when he's trying to write this letter and thinking about all the ways in which the day could go wrong. And this like run on anxiety filled comedic kind of lovable rhythm that I felt really connected to.

And then on top of that was waving through a window is the first song, which was there from the very first day. And I think that really was when I sang that song and really felt just a deep connection, not only vocally and stylistically, but in terms of what's being expressed and communicated in that song. I think when I was finished singing it, I felt this, I have to make myself invaluable here.

I can't ever let this go. I sing and I know how hard it is to sing. I mean, every night and you're not just singing, you're like laying bare your soul. I mean, you're crying and singing at the same time. Physically, how did you do that? Water is a big way that I did that. There's water. And then also, I think just, I was blessed to have material that really called for that,

giving that much of myself. You know, I got to experience firsthand the way that it literally saved people's lives and started conversations and really made people feel seen and heard in like a really deep and kind of universal way. And so I think if there were ever nights where I was like, how am I going to get up on stage and do this again? and started conversations and really made people feel seen and heard in like a really deep and kind of universal way and so I think if there were ever nights where I was like how am I going to get

up on stage and do this again or how am I going to put my body through this again it was reading a letter that I'd gotten or reminding myself looking on on social media and hearing someone who was coming to the show for the first time or just reminding myself that it's so much bigger than just my own experience even when the dark comes crashing through, when you need a friend to carry you, and when you're broken on the ground, you will be found. It really is about mental health, right? And his anxiety and acceptance and so many different themes that are tough. Yes. That are relatable to everyone.

I also wondered how much of you is Evan Hansen or how much of Evan Hansen is you? I think yes and no. I think more so when I was playing him on stage, the most important thing we share, which is what makes the story the most meaningful for me and this experience most meaningful for me is that I have struggled with anxiety for my whole life, particularly as an adult. I think having that shared baseline

is always what makes me feel the most connected to him. And I think in coming back to it for the film, the biggest difference that I really tried to apply to sort of protect myself was to maintain a really healthy distance between who he is and who I am. What do you want people to take from the movie? On the most basic level, I just hope it's a nice escape. And on a deeper level, I hope it makes people feel connected and it reminds us of our shared humanity.

There's been a lot of talk about your age. There's been a lot of like, oh, he's 27 and he's playing a high school kid how are you processing all that I am trying my best to tune it out because there's nothing I can do about how old I am I'm very privileged and very grateful that I was given the opportunity to preserve the role and that the director in the studio deemed my performance worthy of of of the film version and so I all I can do is play a character. And when I'm playing a character, there's all sorts of things about myself that are not like who I am. You know,

I'm way a little less, or I dress a little differently, or my hair is a little curlier. And in this particular case, I'm someone younger than I am. And that's my job as an actor is to play things that are not like me. And flip side is you're 27 years old. You've won all these major awards. You've achieved a lot. Flipside is you're 27 years old. You've won all these major awards. You've achieved a lot. Where do you go from here? You know, I would love to continue to make original music and perform my original music. I love live performance more than anything.

And so both in terms of original music and returning to the theater, to Broadway, hopefully at some point soon, that's a huge something that I see in my future. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hopefully returning to Broadway sometime soon. That's going to's a huge something that I see in my future. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hopefully returning to Broadway sometime soon. That's going to get all your fans attention. Oh, nothing, nothing. Okay. Nothing imminent. Nothing imminent. I wish I'm on the search.

I would love to find the right thing, but certainly I hope and pray to return many times in my life. Can we do a lightning round real quick? Of course. Weirdest thing about you? Oh my gosh. Weirdest thing about me? Oh, I can't really turn around because my house is a mess. Probably the fact that I have Legos everywhere. I really love to build Legos. I find it very therapeutic if I'm feeling stressed or anxious. I put on like a podcast or a TV show or an audio book and I just build a Lego, which is weird, but I love it. Favorite Broadway moment. Probably my closing night of Dear Evan Hansen.

I had all of my loved ones there and all of my family. And I finally got to like release that version of the story for the last time. Then afterwards I got to go do karaoke and drink which was fun what's the best advice you ever got the best advice I ever got was probably from my dad and he said that to be a decent artist you need to be a decent human being and that being a decent human being needs to come before being a decent artist worst advice you ever got you can have a drink after the show. You'll be fine. Well, you'll be fine if it's water. Exactly. Last one. What advice would you give to your younger self? Oh, wow. I tell him to be

present more and less in his head and less thinking forward and thinking backward and worrying about things that have happened or are going to happen and just take in what's happening around you because it goes so fast. Well, Ben Platt, I can't wait to see your next project. Thank you. Really appreciate you taking time. Likewise. So nice to talk to you.