This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eila Mell: Hello and welcome to Behind the Awards. I'm Eila. As always, I am here with Bruce. How are you, Bruce?

[0:12] Bruce Gotlieb: I am wonderful. How are you?

[0:14] Eila Mell: I'm good. So tell everyone who we're listening to.

[0:19] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, that was the incomparable, I can use so many adjectives, for Debbie Allen, who just last week was at the Governor's Awards, was awarded her Oscar.

[0:31] Eila Mell: Amazing.

[0:33] Bruce Gotlieb: I mean, she, just the career. In part of the speech, I obviously couldn't put the whole thing up, but she talks about how growing up, her and her siblings and her family, they would watch movies and they were implored to see themselves in whatever they wanted.

[0:54] Eila Mell: So she grew up wanting to be Shirley Temple. Like that was her goal. That was her dream.

[0:59] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[1:01] Eila Mell: And in a way, she did. She became a dancer in movies and cultivated a career from this seed of a dream, which is amazing.

[1:12] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, I'm going to go one further. Now, no disrespect to Shirley Temple, but I think Debbie Allen surpassed Shirley Temple because Debbie Allen, I mean, first of all, great with one line in the movie Fame.

[1:27] Eila Mell: Oh my God.

[1:28] Bruce Gotlieb: You know, I mean, that's amazing. She was not only star of the TV show, but didn't she start directing episodes and also producing?

[1:41] Eila Mell: Yeah, and now she's, I mean, she's done it for years.

[1:45] Bruce Gotlieb: She's a mogul now.

[1:46] Eila Mell: And now Grey's Anatomy, she's executive producer and directing the upcoming Another World reboot that they're doing.

[1:54] Bruce Gotlieb: Different World.

[1:55] Eila Mell: Different World.

[1:56] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. And on top of that, she has a school where she, you know, she's interested in the education of new performers, kids.

[2:06] Eila Mell: And I mean, she's an incredible woman. And I've been lucky enough to meet her. And she's so warm. She's so nice. And she cares about other people.

[2:15] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, she definitely, through the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, through the work she does with Alvin Ailey School, like she just brings people up.

[2:26] Eila Mell: And that's, you know, what you want. She was at, did you see the clip when Mitzi Copeland took her last bow?

[2:32] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[2:33] Eila Mell: You just felt that.

[2:35] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[2:36] Eila Mell: That love that the two of them have. And, you know, she starred on Broadway. She was Charity. She was Anita in West Side Story.

[2:43] Bruce Gotlieb: One of the all-time best dancers.

[2:45] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[2:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. And all-time best people. I would definitely vote for her for president. So let's hope she does.

[2:52] Eila Mell: Oh, yeah. And then, you know, I love the little clips you get to see, even in the past, but even when you see them now, her and her sister, Felicia Rashad, like their banter and their, you know, their love for one another, just how they interact with each other.

[3:07] Bruce Gotlieb: I know.

[3:08] Eila Mell: It's just so fun.

[3:09] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, I'm so jealous. I don't have that in my life, you know.

[3:12] Eila Mell: Right.

[3:13] Bruce Gotlieb: But happy for them. You know, they're both great people. You know, we've had Felicia on the show, which has been such a thrill for us. And, yeah, I mean, two great ladies. But congratulations, Debbie Allen, Oscar winner.

[3:27] Eila Mell: Yes. One day when she's not so busy, we'll have to wrangle her for the show.

[3:30] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes, absolutely.

[3:32] Eila Mell: She's always got a project. She's directing the upcoming...

[3:36] Bruce Gotlieb: Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

[3:38] Eila Mell: Yes.

[3:39] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[3:40] Eila Mell: So she's a busy girl this Broadway season.

[3:43] Bruce Gotlieb: Good. She should be. People like that should always be working.

[3:46] Eila Mell: Absolutely.

[3:47] Bruce Gotlieb: You know, no pressure, but there's no need for her to ever retire.

[3:50] Eila Mell: Ever.

[3:51] Bruce Gotlieb: She's too talented.

[3:53] Eila Mell: That's right. That's right. Well, speaking of talented ladies, we have someone who I think is incredible, Chilina Kennedy on our show today.

[4:03] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right.

[4:04] Eila Mell: She was my Carole King in Beautiful. So, you know, I feel a bond with her. She doesn't know it yet, but, you know.

[4:11] Bruce Gotlieb: But it is. It's funny when you do see somebody play a part.

[4:14] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[4:15] Bruce Gotlieb: And you get that connection. That's who's your person.

[4:18] Eila Mell: Exactly.

[4:19] Bruce Gotlieb: When I first saw Les Mis on Broadway, it was Debbie Gibson.

[4:22] Eila Mell: Mm-hmm.

[4:23] Bruce Gotlieb: She's forever my Eponine.

[4:24] Eila Mell: Right.

[4:25] Bruce Gotlieb: With a character like Carole King, too, you know, you feel like it's such like a deep dive into that person's life.

[4:31] Eila Mell: So the actor who's playing that part, you know, if they're any good, and she was more than good, she was fantastic in the role.

[4:38] Bruce Gotlieb: You know, you feel like they're giving so much of themselves just to become this person.

[4:42] Eila Mell: And, you know, there are some special moments that happen in the theater, right?

[4:46] Bruce Gotlieb: And I feel like Beautiful is one of those shows that provide that.

[4:49] Eila Mell: Absolutely. Well, let's bring Chilina out.

[4:51] Bruce Gotlieb: I would love to.

[4:53] Eila Mell: We are so excited to welcome Chilina Kennedy to our show.

[4:57] Chilina Kennedy: Hello there.

[4:58] Eila Mell: Hi.

[4:59] Chilina Kennedy: Thank you so much for having me.

[5:00] Eila Mell: Thank you so much for joining us.

[5:01] Chilina Kennedy: It's our pleasure.

[5:02] Eila Mell: The woman who saved The Great Gatsby.

[5:04] Chilina Kennedy: You stepped in and were the hero of that show.

[5:08] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, I love that. That's the first time I've heard that.

[5:12] Eila Mell: It was a delight.

[5:13] Chilina Kennedy: And I would go back in a heartbeat. That was so much fun.

[5:16] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh.

[5:17] Chilina Kennedy: Now, were you part of the company? How did you come in for that?

[5:21] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah, I was. I mean, I think everyone is aware of, you know, the situation with Sarah. And so she needed to step away for a few months.

[5:32] Chilina Kennedy: And so I was really close with Mark Birney and Jason Howland and all of these wonderful people, a lot of people on the music team.

[5:39] Chilina Kennedy: And they were like, are you free? Are you available to come in? And I was like, absolutely.

[5:44] Chilina Kennedy: So, yeah, it worked out really well. I think I learned the show in like three days.

[5:48] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh.

[5:49] Chilina Kennedy: Like that.

[5:50] Eila Mell: Wow.

[5:51] Bruce Gotlieb: See, that's what your experience brings to the table, that you can do that.

[5:55] Chilina Kennedy: Well, and it's a really, you know, it's a really lovely part. And it was, yeah, it was easy because of how well they built the thing to just kind of step in.

[6:05] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[6:06] Chilina Kennedy: And Mark Birney. So, you know, I'm sure you hear this all the time, but you are my Carole King.

[6:10] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much.

[6:12] Chilina Kennedy: I adore Mark. This is now going to be our third project working together on Billie Jean, the play.

[6:20] Eila Mell: That's exciting.

[6:21] Chilina Kennedy: That is exciting. Everything he does, I think, is just so great.

[6:24] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh.

[6:25] Chilina Kennedy: And you get to be another icon.

[6:27] Eila Mell: Right, with the last name of King.

[6:29] Chilina Kennedy: Right.

[6:30] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, right. I only play people who are alive, who are famous and whose last names are King.

[6:35] Eila Mell: Yes.

[6:36] Chilina Kennedy: I will only be royalty from your part.

[6:39] Bruce Gotlieb: It's a very specific type you have there.

[6:42] Chilina Kennedy: Right.

[6:44] Eila Mell: But you have a new show. It's Reunions.

[6:47] Chilina Kennedy: And I'm so excited because I'm going to see it.

[6:50] Eila Mell: So the concept is two one-act plays put together?

[6:55] Chilina Kennedy: Yes, it's two one-act plays. So they're based on two very famous one-act plays.

[7:01] Chilina Kennedy: One is The Twelve Pound Look by J.M. Barrie. And a lot of people don't know that he created Peter Pan.

[7:06] Eila Mell: Yes.

[7:07] Chilina Kennedy: And that, I mean, I learned a lot just through, you know, doing my research for the show.

[7:10] Chilina Kennedy: And then Sunny Morning is by the Quintero brothers.

[7:12] Chilina Kennedy: And I think the first play, The Twelve Pound Look, is considered one of the most perfect one-act plays that there is.

[7:19] Eila Mell: That's great.

[7:20] Chilina Kennedy: And I didn't realize that either. But both are really, really beautiful stories.

[7:24] Chilina Kennedy: And the second one is particularly heartwarming.

[7:26] Eila Mell: So I think, you know, they're very, very different. And so, you know, I think it gives people a wide range of experience when they come to see the show.

[7:35] Chilina Kennedy: And it's all done as a one-act. Like, I think they timed the show last night and it was under 100 minutes.

[7:41] Eila Mell: So it's a really fun night at the theater.

[7:44] Chilina Kennedy: That's great.

[7:45] Eila Mell: So do you play one character throughout or do you change characters?

[7:48] Chilina Kennedy: I change characters. So I play Kate, who's a bit of a surprise, in the first act.

[7:54] Chilina Kennedy: And then in the second act, I play the young lover, which is really fun.

[7:59] Chilina Kennedy: So I get to sort of flit around in this cute little dress in a, you know, blonde love lock, is what it's called back in the day, with the big flowery hat.

[8:07] Eila Mell: Oh, that's fun.

[8:09] Chilina Kennedy: Now you mentioned J.M. Barrie and obviously Peter Pan. Is there any, like, is his writing always, like, have that mystical or fairytale tone? Is there any of that to it?

[8:21] Chilina Kennedy: He just happens to be the author.

[8:23] Chilina Kennedy: There's nothing really. That's why I'm so surprised. I'm like, oh, this is the person who created Peter Pan. Like, because I didn't really recognize that in the work.

[8:30] Chilina Kennedy: You know, the time period in London was the same. But the type of play that it is is really quite different.

[8:39] Chilina Kennedy: I just love how, but I love that, you know, a single writer can create two works that are so different.

[8:50] Chilina Kennedy: And what I love about The Twelve Pound Look is how it's built. Like, he's really great at giving you, like, these little bits and you think it's about one thing. And then it's like, whoa, surprise.

[8:59] Chilina Kennedy: And then he takes you in a completely different direction. But also with a very feminist message at the center of it.

[9:05] Chilina Kennedy: And something that is actually really still relevant today. I mean, I didn't realize that when I was sort of signing up to do it.

[9:11] Chilina Kennedy: But as we were working on it, I realized, oh, I think people are really going to resonate with the message of this show.

[9:16] Eila Mell: It's fun to unpack that and find those gems that you can kind of, like, cling to.

[9:21] Chilina Kennedy: Were you familiar with the story before you signed on?

[9:24] Chilina Kennedy: I don't know the story. No, not at all. I had no idea what either play was about.

[9:30] Chilina Kennedy: And I just, you know, I read the script. That was the first thing I did. And I really responded to the stories.

[9:36] Chilina Kennedy: I just thought, okay, there's something here that's really exciting. And the fact that they're based on these famous one-act plays, I was like, you know, the source material is pretty strong.

[9:43] Chilina Kennedy: And then, you know, I've worked with Dave Barry before. And so I was like, listen, I'm happy to be back in a room with that guy anytime. He's wonderful.

[9:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Because some people, you know, we don't know it, but other people know this story. Do you feel like there are expectations for your character?

[9:57] Chilina Kennedy: No, not at all. Which is so fun because the play starts and you think it's going to be about a certain thing.

[10:03] Chilina Kennedy: And then I'm the surprise, you know, element of the play. And so what I love is the theme of the two plays.

[10:10] Chilina Kennedy: It's about the sort of surprise coming together of these two people. And so you don't know what the relationships are.

[10:16] Chilina Kennedy: You don't know what that surprise element is going to be. So the reunions part is the thing that's fun.

[10:23] Chilina Kennedy: What's going to be the thing in this play that is the element of the reunion? Like, what is that going to be?

[10:30] Eila Mell: Right. I'm sure people come in with that notion. They know what the word means. So there's an expectation when they sit down.

[10:36] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah. And in fact, we did an exercise at the beginning of the rehearsal process where everyone had to bring in a song or a poem that reminded them of coming together or reunion and tell a story.

[10:51] Chilina Kennedy: And it was really beautiful because we realized through doing the exercise that every single person has a really deep connection to that idea of reunion and what it means to them.

[11:00] Chilina Kennedy: Like, who is the person that you would most want to be reunited with? This is Gabe's idea, and I thought it was fantastic.

[11:06] Eila Mell: I love it.

[11:07] Chilina Kennedy: And it took this beautiful, emotional, really funny journey of like what it means to all of us as individuals.

[11:14] Chilina Kennedy: And then it sort of deepened that understanding in the show of how important these relationships are and how important these reunions actually are, how life-changing they can be.

[11:23] Eila Mell: You know, it's so interesting because the whole concept of reunions has changed so much in the past 10 years, right? Because we don't, you know, growing up, once I lost contact with someone, that was it.

[11:37] Chilina Kennedy: There was no venue to look at their lives from a distance.

[11:40] Eila Mell: But now, we almost don't leave people.

[11:43] Chilina Kennedy: So, you know, it's really interesting.

[11:45] Bruce Gotlieb: That is actually a really, really great point.

[11:48] Chilina Kennedy: And, you know, I was thinking about that a lot because my father was in the military and he was always away peacekeeping and stuff.

[11:53] Chilina Kennedy: And I thought to myself, because, you know, I have a son. I have an 11-year-old.

[11:56] Chilina Kennedy: And, you know, we FaceTime all the time. I was like, my God, you know, but we did FaceTime when my dad was over in Cyprus and I was growing up.

[12:04] Chilina Kennedy: Like, life would be completely different. I would have had a totally different childhood.

[12:08] Eila Mell: So, yeah, I think, you know, kids nowadays, they don't know what it's like to be truly separated from anybody because you can always just dive in with images or a phone call or FaceTime.

[12:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Right.

[12:18] Chilina Kennedy: But I don't know that that's better, right? Because missing someone, you know, that's a big deal.

[12:24] Eila Mell: Oh, I know. I know.

[12:25] Chilina Kennedy: You know what I love so much, too? I know this is really nothing what we're talking about.

[12:28] Chilina Kennedy: But it just made me realize that, you know, that the French term for missing is you are missing from me.

[12:34] Eila Mell: Oh, that's right.

[12:35] Chilina Kennedy: I just think it's such a beautiful thing.

[12:37] Chilina Kennedy: And also because our second show is Spanish. I love thinking about these terms and, like, different meanings culturally, you know?

[12:45] Bruce Gotlieb: Sure.

[12:46] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah. I just think it's such a beautiful way of looking at missing someone.

[14:22] Chilina Kennedy: And it is a break from the first character of Kate who is very much sort of like the catalyst and the feminist of the piece and the one who kind of comes in and changes everybody. And it's, you know, I have to be honest, like it's nice to kind of get that done first, like to have the bigger part happen at the beginning and then to be able to kind of like navigate. That's right, I really enjoy what I get to do in that too. It's a lot of fun, and Brian Fenkart is fantastic, and Courtney, like we're just working with so many greats. Chip, oh my gosh, Chip is one of the funniest people I have ever worked with, and Joanna, like it's just such a fabulous cast. And it's really wonderful because we get to take turns sitting out and watching each other's work.

And yeah, he's sort of like a master of comedy. He's like a master class, so that's really fabulous. Oh, that's the other thing I wanted to mention too is that for anybody, you know, because most people don't know the show, I feel I'm describing it as like Downton Abbey and Sunday in the Park with George and something else. Oh, Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder kind of had a baby. So if you like Downton Abbey, come and see us because, oh my gosh, I was such a weird kid that like my favorite thing was Sunday in the Park with George as a teenager. I mean, it's funny, my son is really into Downton Abbey right now. He loves all that like old-fashioned, you know, fashion and, you know, all the...

[15:31] Bruce Gotlieb: Does he love the Gilded Age too? Because, you know, all of our Broadway friends are on it.

[15:36] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, that's right. Yeah, no, I haven't introduced him to that yet. I think that's so funny. That's right, didn't Paul Nolan just do that?

[15:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes, he's in it, right?

[15:44] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's great. It is also in that world of, you know, comeuppance and, you know, all of that. There's all those threads in there, which is fun.

[15:54] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, it's so much fun. You'll be on it in 10 minutes probably because everyone's on it.

[15:59] Chilina Kennedy: Everyone's on it in the best possible way though. It's the best cast I think on TV.

[16:05] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I've heard lots of great things about it. So have you worked with any of your cast mates in Reunions before?

[16:12] Chilina Kennedy: Only Brian. Brian and I go back to actually ironically with Gabe Barre. We did A Sign of the Times together. We did a full bunch of the workshops and the readings together, and then we've never actually done a full run of a show. So this is the first time I've done a run, and I gotta tell you, like these people are so much fun. Really, really, like that's one thing that Gabe does incredibly well is he selects really wonderful people to be in a room with. So, you know, you're always going to have a good time when you do a workshop. You know you're signing on just for the workshop, and you don't know if you're going to be available if it goes to a full production or what the deal is going to be.

[17:01] Bruce Gotlieb: Is it hard to let that go?

[17:03] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah, it's a... I mean, normally now I don't, I tend to not do those things unless I do get some kind of a commitment for, you know, future involvement down the line. Like with Billie Jean, for instance, you know, I had this agreement of first right of refusal for Broadway, and so it just made like working on it even better because I knew I was invested for the full time. But yeah, when you don't have that, when something is just starting out and it's in its beginning stages, it can be really scary because, you know, I mean, geez, I just met with somebody the other day, and I was doing a project with her, and she just mentioned the same thing. Like she was involved with this thing for years, just found out that day or the day before that she did not get it, and they replaced her with a star. And that's happened to everybody at some point, and it feels terrible. I mean, that's just the way of the business though.

[18:02] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, and it's hard because the lifespan to get it from that birth or infancy to getting up on its feet can take, you know, 10 plus years easy.

[18:10] Chilina Kennedy: Well, and you invest because, you know, for readings and workshops, you don't get paid a lot, and it's a lot of time. It's a lot of investment, and then it always feels like, oh, now at the moment where, you know, we could all sort of reap the reward, they're like, and we're going to bring in the star, you know?

[18:25] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I know. But also, you know, not only that investment, but your DNA is in that character too because you helped create it.

[18:30] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah, you helped build the whole thing. Yeah, and that's, I mean, that's what we do is the collaboration is so, I mean, what we do relies on the collaboration. You can't do it without collaboration. It's one of the most creative and collaborative things ever. I mean, it just depends on that.

[18:49] Chilina Kennedy: Hi everybody, I'm Chilina Kennedy. Behind the Awards, we'll be right back.

[18:59] Bruce Gotlieb: So at what point are you with Billie Jean? When can we see that? Do you know? Can you say?

[19:05] Chilina Kennedy: Well, here's cross. We're waiting for a theater. So we did it in Chicago, and now we're just waiting to hear. And yeah, Harriet is our lead producer. It's just fantastic. I mean, she's brought this thing from, you know, from an idea now to waiting for a Broadway theater, so it's really exciting.

[19:21] Bruce Gotlieb: That is exciting. And Billie Jean came very involved with it. He was quite involved with it.

[19:27] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah, and she was involved in La Jolla too back, yeah. You know, when we first started when we had our first, it was a different writer, but we had another production in La Jolla, and she was involved then as well. And her wife, Lana, and Lily Tomlin now is on board. She's a producer. We've got these great people, you know, in support of what we're doing. Icons.

[19:48] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, how does truly, how does being able to spend time with these people, you know, because they've lived a life and they have their stories of the experience, how does that help to inform your character portrayal of them?

[20:00] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, it's huge. I mean, to be able to sit down, I mean, you know, for instance, with Carole, when she came to the show, you know, we sat down at the piano, and she, because I'm a classical musician, so the way that I play piano is very different than a rock and roll where it's always, and you know, like I can't help you let my posture get straight. And she's like, you know, I think I'd love to just sit down with you and just kind of like show, because she's a very, very specific piano style where she, you know, she does this thing with her left hand, and her whole body gets into it. I'm like, wow, you know, so I like sat next to her, and I just kind of like imitated the way that she was using her left hand and the pedal and her body, and that wouldn't happen otherwise. You know, she's in their stories, Gary and her babysitter and all.

[20:46] Chilina Kennedy: Now, thank you, Billie Jean. Like I spent the first time we had in Zoom, I think it was like an hour and a half, and then we had another hour and a half just over the summer, and it was incredible. And she's so generous, you know, telling me about all of her life and answering my very difficult questions.

[21:03] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah, just that show. I went in with a bad attitude because I didn't want to see it. My aunt chose it. She was in New York visiting, so of course I had to let her choose the show because she wanted to. So she, you know, grew up in Queens, you know, same age as Carole King, and so she definitely wanted to see it. So I said, all right, you know, I'm probably not gonna love it. From the moment you came out and started on the piano, I was won over. By the end, it was so emotional, such a beautiful show. No pun intended.

[21:36] Chilina Kennedy: Actually, no, thank you. That means so much to me. I love it when people come in with this sort of, my mom says this sometimes, so she's like, oh, I wanted to hate it, and I loved it. Like she just looked at when you go in, you know, with a certain idea, and then they bring you over. It's just fabulous.

[21:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I didn't know what to expect. You know, I just thought it was going to be, you know, not for me because I didn't live that generation. You know, it wasn't my era, but loved it so much.

[22:03] Chilina Kennedy: It's a pretty great show. Yeah, I mean, I did it for four and a half years, and the only reason I could do it for so long was just because it was so beautifully written and directed by Mark.

[22:12] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, yeah.

[22:13] Chilina Kennedy: The way to do everything. I feel like it's the gold standard for bio musicals, truly.

[22:18] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, they did a wonderful, wonderful job. Do you feel like you learned anything just from playing Carole for so long, such a long period of time that she became part of you?

[22:25] Chilina Kennedy: She definitely became a part of me. It's funny because I used to describe this as, I'm sort of cringe saying this now, like because I've grown so much since then, but when I first started, I used to think of myself as maybe someone who didn't necessarily see the glass half full. Like I had a bit more of a jaded perspective on the world, and then as soon as I stepped into her shoes, I realized how joyful she was and how positive she was and how glass half full she always was, even when she was met with some pretty bitter disappointment and some of the things that, you know, that are not necessarily in the musical, but that I knew about her life because we had talked tonight about her biography, about her brother and her family.

Like, you know, to see the glass half full and to move through the world the way that she did with all of that underneath her, it just was such an inspiration, and that rubbed off on me. And I definitely felt lighter in the role, and I felt like, oh, this is good for me, you know? Like it's good for this to be a part of my life. You know, sometimes you're playing like really dark characters or like alcoholics or whatever, you're like, oh boy, I gotta like leave that at the theater and, you know, wipe my feet and definitely like do some energy work before I go home so I don't trail that character with me. But I was happy to leave the theater with Carole every night. I'm like, bring it, bring it home.

[23:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, and the fact that just the audience comes in and loving her already probably is huge too.

[23:55] Chilina Kennedy: As soon as you say, you know, like I was sure ready to get applause, but I was born in Brooklyn, and I was like, oh, we didn't start the evening.

[24:01] Bruce Gotlieb: Is there a different approach for you as an actor playing somebody who is, you know, you're playing a real-life person versus originating, you know, a new role that's never been done? Do you have to approach it differently?

[24:19] Chilina Kennedy: Absolutely, yeah. I'm, you know, I'm one of those people I get really, really almost sometimes like I think too set on being accurate and really zoning into not being a Saturday Night Live impression of the person, but I do want it to come organically through me. But the, you know, I want to get their mannerisms. I want to make sure that like my voice is in the world of where they were and that my speech pattern is similar. So yeah, I do get quite, and also because these characters, I mean, especially my guy Billie Jean and Carol, you know, everyone has very particular opinions on them and relationships to their work. Like whether it's the tennis playing or whether it's music, everyone's got such strong emotion around that and what they think that person is to them.

And so I don't want to disappoint either the people who come to see the show or, you know, the human themselves. Like it was so stressful when we came to see the run in Chicago because you could feel the audience going, looking at me, why did she, she really do that? You know, and a hundred threats in the show that are really vulnerable and dealing with harder parts of their life. Like it's a really naked feeling, all for you as the actor, but also for the person whose life you are depicting. So yeah, there's a ton of pressure and a responsibility of getting it right. And then when you're playing somebody like Kate in Reunions, I like carte blanche. I could do whatever I want, and no one knows this character.

And so it's just about making the most interesting choice and about really, you know, building a brand new thing. But then when you are playing someone who, you know, is real, well, you know, you can't just be a shell of that person, right? I mean, you're an actor, so you have to bring who you are into that character too.

[26:04] Chilina Kennedy: Absolutely. I always describe it like the rainbow of personality. Like if Carole, I was described Carole like yellow because she's so sunny, and if I'm like a red, I'm a bit more like intense, then my Carole is going to be probably orange. Like some days it's going to be closer than yellow, and some days it's going to be closer to red depending on how I show up during the day. And like Billie Jean is like green, you know? And so some days it's going to be like, you know, closer to that. My goal is to obviously to make it authentic and to let her breathe through me, but to be closer to her, right?

[26:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, because, you know, if you didn't bring Chilina into the character, then we wouldn't feel anything for Carole, even though we already love her.

[26:46] Chilina Kennedy: Well, you know what my coach used to say, and I love this, I tell people this all the time. I tell my students this, and I tell like I tell myself this night after night, like being a good student is the enemy of being a good artist. And so my job is to go out into the world and to live my life and to have tons of experiences and to really watch people, feel people, to be in the human experience, not to study it, not to get it right, not to be so perfect and vocally on that I miss living and that I miss being a human being. And I think that's what allows us to get so deep inside somebody else's experience that we can actually channel that truthfully. So I try to keep my experience as wide and as deep as possible. A couple years ago, you worked on your own musical that had a concept album, which is amazing. How does, I guess, where is that, you know, where does that project live? But also, how does the experience as an actor feed into that of being now a writer?

[27:43] Chilina Kennedy: I think anything he's believed in the projects from the beginning. So we went and we did musical con in London and just to sort of, you know, stay in that community because they've been so warm and so receptive to the show. And, uh, yeah, we're, we're now a, we're, we have a, a new script. We've got a brand new writer who's, uh, joined the team, Danny Stoler, and we've got a new director, Kristen Hange, who got the, uh, the Tony nomination for a rock of ages. Though she's pretty obviously she's doing Romy and Michelle right now. And she's fantastic. So we've got a really great team and we're reworking the script and we're going to have a couple of table reads and then we're, we're ready for our first production.

So, uh, it's all happening again. It's really fun to like see it through, uh, an initial phase of development and then take a little pause and go, okay, what do we need now? We need this, we need some help with these areas. And then we're kind of re-infusing it. And honestly, being an actor, I feel like being an actor helps in all ways. Like it helps me in every part of my life. It helps in my communication skills with my family, with my friends. It helps me in writing. I mean, it just makes you so much more compassionate. I think to what everybody's going through. Uh, you know, we had a situation in London where we had, you know, two weeks for them to learn the show and do this huge concert to, you know, theater Royal jury lane, which is a ton of pressure.

It's a huge space that was sold out. And you know, this one who played the lead Rachel Tucker, she's phenomenal, but she had like a mountain of stuff to learn. And so eventually she was, you know, she was really nervous about remembering all of it because the time was so limited. And so Brian and I talked about it. And eventually I was just like, I was so compassionate towards her. I was like, if it was me, I would want to have some monitors, you know, with the words on them. And so, you know, Brian very graciously got some monitors for the cast so they could just relax, you know, do their show. And, and I think being an actor just makes me more, um, receptive to what it is that they need. And then thinking through that lens all the time.

[30:00] Bruce Gotlieb: I'm guessing you didn't have that safety net during Great Gatsby when you had a few days to learn your part.

[30:05] Chilina Kennedy: I did not, but I mean, not as much material. I had my, you know, it's sort of like the princess track. I love it. You kind of come on, you do something fabulous. So then you go and you hang a dressing room when you come back and you do something fabulous again. And in that show you had such a dramatic role, you know, it was so fun. Dying on stage is my favorite thing. It's like my absolute favorite thing. I've only done it, I think twice. And I'm like, Oh yeah, I get to lie there while someone picks me up from the arm, hanging down open side. It's so dark, but it's really fun. And her death is, is certainly dramatic too. I mean, yeah, it's amazing. And the way they do it too, everyone, I loved giving backstage tours afterwards because I was like, this is the car that hits me. And it's like, it's just a couple of lights and it looks like a car. Like it does, like a full size car. It's incredible. No, it's so much fun. That show. Yeah, really.

[31:00] Bruce Gotlieb: Is there talk of your production after London, maybe being able to come over here to, to Mount, I guess is maybe that the goal or the objective?

[31:10] Chilina Kennedy: We, yeah, we're, we're sort of examining all, um, all possibilities, all possibilities. Like right now we have a lot of interest from London, a lot of enthusiasm there, but we also have some here in the States as well, but we also have like lots from Canada. There's some in Canada who are like, Oh, please come here and do a regional production. And so I think it's just a matter of going, okay, like what's the best route for this show to, you know, what's the best way that we can support the work and support the team and, and, and really get, um, you like, it's a complicated thing because you don't want to like right out of the gate, go to some big place where you're going to get reviewed. You want to beat it up a little bit.

You want to see it on stage for the audience, learn like where the weaknesses are and then get a chance to rewrite a little bit and then maybe go to a bigger venue where then you are a little bit more under the spotlight. So it's just about these sort of careful steps to make sure that it has every chance to succeed.

[32:01] Bruce Gotlieb: That makes a lot of sense. Like logically, even like, it's like that, that's what everyone should do.

[32:07] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah. Well, no, we've all seen the shows or been a part of the shows that have like gone crazy for like first production with this huge, like amazing Tony award-winning team. And like the New York Times comes and it's like, it's terrible. And then you clone later. And it was like, it wasn't terrible. It's just that we went too fast too soon. Didn't get up somewhere else first where we could then then take it when it was ready for all of the critics to have their eyes on it.

[32:33] Bruce Gotlieb: You know, you're so busy. I'm sure you don't have plenty of time for reflection, but does it ever hit you that like I get to be a leading lady on Broadway and so few people get to achieve that? Is that just amazing to you?

[32:46] Chilina Kennedy: Well, you know what? It's funny I was having this conversation with my mom the other day and it's funny. You should, you should mention this. Cause she's like, Oh, you know, honey, you're so busy. I hope that you're taking care of yourself. Or it was, I think I was like jet lagged. Cause I just, I think I just landed in London and I'm like, Oh my God, I felt like four hours sleep and you're only going to do this. But then I thought to myself, I was like, if you had told 20 year old Chilina that this is where I would be, or even like, you know, 15 year old Chilina. Like I remember when I was first writing my music, you know, by myself, I was too shy to show it to anybody. I could barely play it for my mom.

I said, mom, it's all about perspective. I was like, if I just take a look from that perspective of where I am right now, I'm beyond grateful. I'm so, I'm so excited about what I'm doing. I'm so happy to be where I am. So yeah, I pinch myself regularly and I'm extremely grateful.

[33:38] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. It's amazing to be able to be, sit in a feeling of such fulfillment and such, like you said, reflection of where you were and what that dream might've been as a child and exceed that expectation or, or be in it. Um, I can only imagine that it gets, can get overwhelming. I'm sure too.

[33:59] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah. Well, and it's not without its sacrifices, you know, like I've, I've always said to myself, like I can have, I can, I actually can have everything that I want. I just can't have it at the same time. I can't have it all at once. So you just have to like take moments, right? Like I have an 11 year old son and so there's been sacrifices on both ends, but that was really important to me to have a child. And so everyone was like, how are you going to do that? You know, you can't be an actor and also have a child. I'm like, nonsense. And I really remember when I went into audition or into my final take for Carol and everyone was like, you can't be, I was like eight and a half months pregnant.

And they were like, you can't be pregnant. The producers won't be able to see past it. You're not going to get the role. I was like, Carol King had four kids and she was working the entire time. I said, I don't think this is going to be a problem. You know, and that was, that was ended up being true. I mean, it was a risk, but I was also like, what am I going to do? Spend my whole life not having a kid and just, just fear that some producer won't be able to see past it and won't give me a role. It's crazy. But you know, but then also I had to, there was a time when I had to make certain, you know, uh, choices for, for my child and for my family. And then right now I'm not seeing him very much.

So that's another end of the, or other side of the coin, I guess. Yeah. I miss him right now. But then again, it goes back to what we were talking about before we got FaceTime and he was going to come and visit. Yes. Yeah. It's a very different world. So, you know, you can still be connected. You can still have that, you know, that FaceTime.

[35:21] Bruce Gotlieb: And it's for family and for my parents who are in my house right now looking after him. And, you know, she just sent me a video today of him going to school. It's so sweet.

[35:29] Chilina Kennedy: That is. Yeah. It's good. Oh. And how lucky are you to have such great parents? Wow. Cool. They're phenomenal. I mean, I grew up in the military, so this is our whole life was like, figuring it out, like figuring out the distance, figuring out moving all the time. That's a great skill. It really is. It, well, it helps to be an actor. It's like I I'm now, it's no surprise that I wanted to be an actor. Yeah. Right. Being on the road is nothing for you.

[35:54] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. So we have something very unique in common in that, you know, my name's Eila, you're Chilina. We have these names that almost no one else has.

[36:08] Chilina Kennedy: Thank you. Did that shape you in any way? Cause I feel like it made me feel almost like an oddball a little bit.

[36:15] Chilina Kennedy: Well, yeah, it's funny because what made me even more of an oddball was Aval. It was military. So I was moving all the time, but also my family, we have this tradition in my family, which is so crazy that our families call us by our middle names. So my family called me Joelle, which no one knows. And my dad does the same thing. All of his family called him Wayne, but in the military he was Vince. And so in the world of my, you know, theater and as I started growing up, you know, I was Chilina. And then add to that, that I grew up speaking French, because I was schooled in French, but I spoke English at home. So my English name was Joelle. And then my French name was Chivina when I was in school.

So I feel like one of my personalities was very much one name and the other one was the other name. So, yeah. And then also everyone got Chilina wrong. It was like, oh, Chilina or Shanula, which is totally fine. And I don't, I don't really care, but it's just funny how it's hard for people to, I'm always like, it's like Chilina like Chicago or like Chilina like champagne. Yeah. People understand, but it's, you know, you get used to it.

[37:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Oh yes. But for me, like the first day of school was always the worst because I never knew what they were going to say. And then I was embarrassed. It was, oh, now I like it having a unique name.

[37:31] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I know it's, it's, it's interesting for kids when you're already the odd ball out too, to have like another thing that makes you different from everybody else. It's like, oh, I am such compassionate for these kids who have probably, you know, going through a lot. It seems like a small thing to us, but to them, you know, for us little people, it was great.

[37:48] Bruce Gotlieb: Now, do you have, do you give your real name at Starbucks?

[37:52] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, that's hilarious. I do. Oh, well, it depends. Usually like if I'm with someone else, I'll give their name or somebody will give my last name, which is fun. But like when I'm with my son, I'll be like, it's for Henry. And then having his name called. So yeah, I never give my name because I won't know what to listen for. Well, you know, what's funny is when I do give my name, I spell it the way that it's phonetically that you hear it. So I spell it with like an S H E. Um, so you're, you've forced them to, you forced them almost. You know, I had like, I had a ballet teacher who I've known from, I was like literally who's taught me since I was nine years old, who still said my name wrong. I didn't until the day that he passed away. And I was like, you know, it doesn't matter. It's okay. Like he, he loved me.

[38:38] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Right. Exactly. I know. I have friends who, yeah, always get it wrong. There's this one woman that I've known for years and she says, I just call you Ellie. I said, okay, I'll be Ellie for you. Good Lord.

[38:51] Chilina Kennedy: So, um, is there anything coming up that you can talk about? I mean, you've already told us what you have coming up. There's so much, but is there anything else we might not know?

[39:02] Chilina Kennedy: There is. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say it because I have gotten like, you know, until you sign your contract, you're like, no, say it. So there is something coming up in January, February, March. I'm going to go on a little bit of an adventure with a television star, which is going to come out soon, but I just, I don't think I can.

[39:26] Bruce Gotlieb: No, no. Don't say it then, but we will look for it for sure. For it. Cause it's going to be really, really fun. And I think it's going to be, yeah, it's going to be a short and very sweet project.

[39:38] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, excellent. Well, it'll be a great excuse for us to invite you back.

[39:41] Chilina Kennedy: Oh, that would be fabulous. You guys are amazing. I'll come back anytime.

[39:47] Chilina Kennedy: So please tell everyone how they can come see Reunions.

[39:50] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah. So it's at New York City Center Stage Two. And then I'm actually in a Kennedy on all of the social. So if you want to give me a follow on Instagram and I'll have, I have a lot of reading stuff up there. So if you want to, if you want to take a little look and we'll put a link in our show description so people can just click and buy tickets there.

[40:09] Bruce Gotlieb: Fabulous. Yes. Great. We'll be there. So we're, we're still looking forward to it.

[40:13] Chilina Kennedy: Fabulous. Okay, great. And I will put the ticket link in my, my bio on Instagram.

[40:20] Bruce Gotlieb: Excellent. And we've had Chip on our show before. We actually did an in-person interview with him at an event. So it was so much fun. I am madly. Everyone is madly in love with Chip. He is so funny. He is so much charisma. He is one of the best people I've ever worked with. I just can't believe it's my first time now.

[40:37] Chilina Kennedy: I can't believe I waited so long and the stories like that. He has are just, you could listen to him tell stories of for days. It's really like, he has so many, so many hilarious stories. I mean, of course, how many years has he been around? I don't know. I know. Yeah. He worked with Catherine Hepburn. My gosh.

[41:00] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, he's got that thing that I love. He's just got this glint in his eye and it's like constant mysterious thing about him that I just, it's so much fun. He's like really a gem.

[41:11] Chilina Kennedy: Yes. And to see you both sharing a stage, it'll be wonderful. I can't wait. It's pretty, pretty fun. It's excellent. Really, truly. It's one of the most fun things I've done in a long time.

[41:21] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, thank you so much for joining us and we will see everyone next time on Behind the Awards. Bye.

[41:25] Chilina Kennedy: Thank you. Bye.