This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eli Tokash: Hey everyone and welcome back to episode 16 of Take a Bow Podcast.

[0:05] Sid: I'm Sid.

[0:06] Eli Tokash: And today we have, if you haven't noticed, the incredible Lexi Underwood joins the podcast today, and to be honest, we didn't even talk about like her whole resume.

[0:18] Sid: Oh, she, I mean, she's done so much.

[0:21] Eli Tokash: Yeah, I mean, we couldn't even touch on like the stuff she did with Nickelodeon and Disney and all of that.

[0:27] Sid: She actually had a new thing for Amazon Prime with Will versus the Future.

[0:31] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[0:31] Sid: But the stuff that we did talk about was just amazing, and I really think you guys are gonna enjoy this episode.

[0:37] Eli Tokash: Yeah, if you aren't aware, she currently stars as Pearl Warren in Little Fires Everywhere.

[0:46] Sid: She plays Kerry Washington's daughter, and she is just absolutely phenomenal.

[0:50] Eli Tokash: And she was in Lion King on not only the tour, but on Broadway, which is super cool, and she talked about that journey and just her story.

[1:01] Sid: Yeah, it was really fascinating because not like so.

[1:04] Eli Tokash: She talked about the difference between Broadway and touring, and it was an interesting perspective because oftentimes when people talk about that, they're talking about different shows.

[1:14] Sid: So obviously it's gonna be completely different experiences, but with this she had a fortunate enough experience to where she was on tour and then they were like, "Hey, can you come to Broadway?"

[1:25] Eli Tokash: And so that was just a cool thing that she could relate the two and really kind of have similar paths, but also very different.

[1:34] Sid: Yeah.

[1:34] Eli Tokash: So that was cool.

[1:35] Sid: And she, what she said, like I don't know if some of you guys may follow her or not, or if you know of her, she's quite a bit of an activist.

[1:43] Eli Tokash: So what she said along the lines, uh, there were just incredibly inspiring for me.

[1:50] Sid: Yeah, she has this series called We the Voices of Gen Z, where she has a bunch of people.

[1:56] Eli Tokash: She made basically the point of this is to basically amplify the voices of a bunch of different people who, you know, their perspectives need to be heard.

[2:06] Sid: And what she's, she, I mean, she's already made such a huge impact.

[2:10] Eli Tokash: And she was saying, telling us about stories of people who contacted her because of this series that she did.

[2:16] Sid: And she's only 17 years old, and she's already, like she just turned 17, literally just like last week.

[2:23] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[2:23] Sid: Turned 17 years old, and she's already just is so inspiring what she does.

[2:28] Eli Tokash: She's accomplished so much already, and we're so excited to see where her future leads her.

[2:34] Sid: Yeah, and we're excited for you guys to hear this one because I, I mean, what we're saying is just, it sounds cool, but it's just the first layer of it.

[2:43] Eli Tokash: We didn't, this isn't even an in-depth look at it, and we really go into depth with her.

[2:48] Sid: I think you guys are really gonna enjoy that.

[2:50] Eli Tokash: So without further ado, Lexi Underwood, curtain up.

[3:18] Eli Tokash: So today we have yet another incredible guest, Lexi Underwood, who has quite literally accomplished all aspects of the performing arts world from Broadway to Netflix to Hulu to Disney to Nickelodeon, like everywhere, working with some of the biggest names in the business, and we can't wait to cover it all.

[3:39] Sid: So, Lexi Underwood, welcome to the Take A Bow Podcast.

[3:43] Lexi Underwood: Thank you.

[3:44] Sid: Welcome here.

[3:45] Lexi Underwood: Hi.

[3:46] Sid: I have to say, a little bit over a month ago, I saw Little Fires Everywhere, and I was absolutely blown away by your performance.

[3:54] Sid: And I immediately became a fan, and Eli and I were talking, and he just so happened to mention that he knew you, and I was like, "What? Please come and get her on the podcast."

[4:03] Lexi Underwood: Oh my gosh.

[4:04] Sid: Um, so we're so thrilled to have you.

[4:06] Lexi Underwood: Thank you so much for coming on.

[4:08] Sid: Thank you guys for having me. I'm excited.

[4:10] Eli Tokash: How do you and Eli know each other?

[4:13] Lexi Underwood: We did like an off-Broadway one night type of thing.

[4:17] Lexi Underwood: It was Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.

[4:19] Sid: Was it with Broadway Cares?

[4:21] Lexi Underwood: I think.

[4:21] Eli Tokash: Yeah, it was for the Actors Fund.

[4:23] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, yeah, it was through the Actors Fund, and it was a group of us.

[4:27] Lexi Underwood: It was like Caleb McLaughlin and Una Lawrence.

[4:30] Lexi Underwood: There were just so many incredible, Zach Unger, I believe.

[4:34] Sid: Yeah, yeah, just so many incredible people were part of the show, and Eli and I, we formed a friendship while doing the show, and so here we are.

[4:43] Lexi Underwood: And here we are.

[4:44] Sid: That's amazing.

[4:45] Sid: Well, okay, first of all, as Shinny mentioned, you're in Little Fires Everywhere, which is like, I mean, like that's all I hear now, you know.

[4:53] Sid: Like just driving through New York, you see all the posters, and like everyone's talking about the new thing on Hulu, you know.

[5:00] Eli Tokash: So, first of all, that's so exciting. Congratulations, I'm so happy for you.

[5:04] Lexi Underwood: Thank you.

[5:04] Eli Tokash: But like, you're a pro, so like this is incredible.

[5:09] Sid: But what was the audition process like for Little Fires Everywhere?

[5:14] Lexi Underwood: And how excited were you to kind of do something to this caliber?

[5:19] Lexi Underwood: Because like you've done a lot of big stuff, but you've like done like Disney and Nickelodeon, which has been for like not just kids, but like this was very mature for you, so how is that feeling?

[5:33] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, so I actually found out about the project like a year prior to auditioning because it's an adaptation of a bestseller from 2017, and so one of my friends actually had read the book, and then the press release had come out that Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington were going to be doing a TV adaptation of it, and she was just like, "You would be perfect for Pearl, write it down in your notes, tell your agents when the time comes when they start auditioning, make sure that you go in." And so I was like, "Oh, okay, like sure, let me put it in my notes." I hadn't read the book, but I obviously knew who Reese and Kerry were, so I put it down in my notes and I told my agents just to keep a lookout for the audition. Fast forward like a year later, the day before my audition, I actually lost a pilot and I was ready to pack up and go home.

[6:25] Lexi Underwood: I like literally started like getting my suitcase and like packing up, putting clothes in, and I was just ready to quit, but I had the audition the next day, and so my mom, she was just like, "Go in, show them what you got. If it doesn't work out, we can totally go home, and if it does, then awesome, like just see what happens."

[6:45] Lexi Underwood: So I went in, the whole audition process was a whirlwind.

[6:49] Lexi Underwood: I think it all took place in like the span of a week, which is very rare for projects like Little Fires, like limited series with actors like Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

[7:01] Lexi Underwood: And so I went in on a Friday and I got pinned that night.

[7:05] Lexi Underwood: And so obviously, you guys probably know, like pinned means that you're on holds and that they, you know, have a lot of interest in you.

[7:11] Lexi Underwood: And then Monday I found out that they wanted me to do chemistry reads with Gavin Lewis, who plays Moody Richardson, and J. Petty John, who plays Lexi Richardson.

[7:20] Lexi Underwood: So I was expecting there to be like a bunch of different girls there for Pearl, but there wasn't.

[7:26] Lexi Underwood: I was the only Pearl there, and Megan Stott, who plays Izzy Richardson, she also came, and so it was just the four of us.

[7:33] Lexi Underwood: And the moment that we met, like we all immediately clicked, and we all did scenes together, we did mix and matches, and two days later, I think I booked it.

[7:42] Lexi Underwood: Like the next day I found out I would be testing, and it was like I didn't even have to go in to test.

[7:47] Lexi Underwood: They were just showing my tape to Hulu and ABC, and then the very next day I found out.

[7:53] Lexi Underwood: So it all happened so incredibly fast.

[7:56] Lexi Underwood: I didn't even get to meet Kerry or Reese during the audition process.

[7:59] Lexi Underwood: But to have booked like that, I originally going in, I didn't think I would book it because of the caliber of the project.

[8:07] Lexi Underwood: And then on top of that, kind of Eli, what you said, like I've only really done Disney and Nickelodeon, and like I've done things here and there, but it hasn't been like heavy type of acting like Little Fires.

[8:18] Lexi Underwood: So I honestly just did not think that I would book it.

[8:21] Lexi Underwood: And then as soon as I found out that I booked it, I was just like in shock and disbelief.

[8:26] Sid: But I'm just so grateful for the awesome.

[8:28] Eli Tokash: I'm so, so glad you auditioned because I couldn't imagine anyone else in that role.

[8:32] Lexi Underwood: Oh my gosh.

[8:34] Sid: Yeah, that's awesome.

[8:35] Eli Tokash: I love that story too.

[8:37] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, it's a huge testament as to like when one door closes, like another one opens, and not to give up when you're doing it immediately, because the right project is gonna come along at some point, and every actor, or not even just actor, but like every artist has a different path and a different journey, and not everybody is going to have the same journey as you, so it's just kind of like you gotta stick it out for the long run and see what happens.

[9:01] Sid: That is amazing advice.

[9:03] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, thanks.

[9:04] Sid: Seriously, aren't chemistry callbacks like so much fun?

[9:08] Lexi Underwood: Oh my gosh, they're so much fun.

[9:10] Lexi Underwood: Cause I've actually only done like one or two.

[9:14] Lexi Underwood: But like I'm someone that just loves meeting new people.

[9:18] Lexi Underwood: And then like the fact that you're just like, it A gives you something to talk about, so it's not like awkward at all.

[9:25] Lexi Underwood: And then wherever the conversation leads, it leads.

[9:27] Lexi Underwood: But and then it also is just like allows you to like create and like do something that you love with like four strangers.

[9:35] Lexi Underwood: And it's like I think it's the coolest thing, and just to see it all like come together literally within like 10 minutes is pretty neat.

[9:44] Eli Tokash: No, absolutely.

[9:45] Eli Tokash: It's kind of like you're watching the cast forming right in front of your eyes.

[9:48] Eli Tokash: Even if you don't book it, it's like you're still in a way like meeting potential cast members that are gonna be a part of the project, which I think is really cool.

[9:56] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[9:57] Lexi Underwood: I never, I don't, I'm trying to think, I don't think I've ever been to a chemistry callback.

[10:02] Eli Tokash: For those who don't know, can you explain what it is, like what the purpose of it is, what you do in a chemistry callback?

[10:08] Lexi Underwood: Because even I don't really know.

[10:10] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, so basically a chemistry callback is they don't necessarily like have a certain number, but it's basically when they'll bring you in and they'll have you almost like a mix and match, they'll have you read with a bunch of different people that they have for other roles in the project.

[10:26] Lexi Underwood: So, like for me, because Moody is a crucial part of Pearl's storyline, it was, you know, I had to read with Moody, and also like Lexi Richardson is a crucial part of my storyline, and also Trip Richardson is a crucial part of my storyline.

[10:40] Lexi Underwood: So I had to read with all of them.

[10:43] Lexi Underwood: But for me with the chemistry read, it was really interesting because Gavin and Jade were already hired, they were already booked, which I didn't necessarily know until I got to the audition.

[10:53] Lexi Underwood: So it was really nerve-wracking.

[10:55] Lexi Underwood: Megan and I, we were the only two that weren't cast yet.

[10:57] Lexi Underwood: And so basically the whole point of the chemistry read was just to see if like we were gonna be able to flow, see if I did book it, like what our chemistry would be.

[11:05] Lexi Underwood: Would we be able to kind of bring that certain authenticity to scenes?

[11:10] Lexi Underwood: And if we just kind of like clicked and connected as a cast, and so usually if you do that, sometimes they'll cast you all together, and other times they won't, but it's just cool because like what Eli said, you get to meet new people along the way, and then also it's like you're watching a cast kind of form right in front of your eyes.

[11:29] Eli Tokash: And they did such an incredible job casting it because all of the kids were just, and you can tell, you can tell you just clicked.

[11:36] Lexi Underwood: So yeah, I love your relationship with the guy who plays Moody.

[11:40] Lexi Underwood: I think it's awesome.

[11:40] Eli Tokash: You guys are so good.

[11:42] Lexi Underwood: Thank you.

[11:43] Lexi Underwood: Gavin is like, he's like one of my best friends.

[11:46] Eli Tokash: That's awesome.

[11:46] Lexi Underwood: You can tell it shows.

[11:48] Eli Tokash: Yeah, yeah, no.

[11:49] Lexi Underwood: I mean, it was like that was all of our first times meeting each other, and just like immediately we all clicked, we all had so much in common, even with like the recurrents on the show, like Civante who plays Brian, or Isabel who plays April, like just as soon as everybody came together, we all immediately clicked because we all had so much in common.

[12:10] Lexi Underwood: And so I'm an only child, but I feel like I just gained new siblings, like family.

[12:16] Sid: Yeah, we touched on it a little bit, but you play Kerry Washington's daughter in this, and you also have many scenes with Reese Witherspoon's character.

[12:25] Sid: First and foremost, what was it like working with those two icons?

[12:28] Lexi Underwood: And did you learn anything from them?

[12:30] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, it was a dream come true.

[12:32] Lexi Underwood: Like growing up, I think like a lot of people, I, you know, watched Scandal religiously, and you know, Legally Blonde was also one of my favorite movies.

[12:42] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, so I absolutely just adored and admired both of their work.

[12:46] Lexi Underwood: And then Big Little Lies was like my favorite show for quite a while when it first came out.

[12:51] Lexi Underwood: And so just honestly being able to not only just like work with them, but also to gain them as friends and mentors is something so special.

[13:01] Lexi Underwood: I learned so much from them, but I think like the biggest lesson that I've learned from them is how to unapologetically take up space as an actress in this industry and also as a black actress, because a lot of times when you step on set, kids aren't necessarily given the space to be able to be incredibly vocal and to try different things.

[13:20] Lexi Underwood: But with the two of them, they just gave us so much freedom and so much space to be able to play with our characters and play with different scenes.

[13:27] Lexi Underwood: There were times where it was like if a scene didn't necessarily feel authentic to us, or if a line didn't feel authentic to us, then we could basically, you know, stand up and say, "Hey, this doesn't feel authentic. Can we make any changes?"

[13:40] Lexi Underwood: Or we would actually be able to like walk to the writer's room and just have conversations with writers because the whole point was if it doesn't feel authentic to us, it's not gonna feel authentic to the audience.

[13:51] Lexi Underwood: Sure.

[13:52] Lexi Underwood: At the end of the day, like, you know, we're the ones that know our characters like the back of our hand.

[13:56] Lexi Underwood: And so for me, like that was just such an incredibly cool experience.

[14:00] Lexi Underwood: Um, actually, I'll never forget the for the finale when I first got the script for episode eight, something that really stood out to me was the fact that, you know, at the end, Pearl and Mia go to her grandmother's house or her grandparents' house.

[14:13] Lexi Underwood: Um, and so originally, like at the very beginning I pitched the idea to Kerry that we actually go up to the house and like walk into the house because it was supposed to end with us just like driving up to the house and nobody getting out of the car and the poem just kind of like ends with Reese.

[14:29] Lexi Underwood: But immediately as soon as I pitched that idea to Carrie we then pitched it to the writers and then pitched it to Hulu and everybody loved it. And so it was kind of it was my idea like to be able to end the show with that and end our character arc and our storyline with us going into the house. And so like I said I was 15 at the time and so to be a 15 year old actress and like be able to come up with ideas and pitch them and for people to actually sit down and listen to me is something that's so rare and so I don't know it just they taught me so many things but the most thing was just how to take up space and be very vocal about my opinions.

[15:07] Eli Tokash: That is so incredible.

[15:09] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[15:10] Eli Tokash: But what incredible role models it definitely can be hard especially as like a child on set to to go in and not feel but it's it's it's I think it's really beautiful that they encouraged you and I don't know that that's that I love that so much.

[15:25] Lexi Underwood: Yeah absolutely you can tell you have this incredible bond with them you know like with Carrie and Reese and you've created these special friendships and mentorships and all of that. Were you able to like meet them and kind of like have some bonding time before you started filming or was it kind of like you showed up and just started filming?

[15:45] Lexi Underwood: Kind of so actually I met Carrie like it was just super random. I went to a live taping of a show that my friend was in. It was a pilot. It was actually Leslie Odom Jr.'s pilot and so he was playing Leslie Odom Jr. Yeah, and Carrie was producing. And so prior to like going in to the taping supporting my friend, I didn't realize that Carrie was a producer attached to it. And so as soon as I walked in, like I was up in the stands and I saw Carrie just kind of like working her magic. I think maybe two weeks. It had been like two weeks of me booking it. And so I was like still reeling and the moment I saw her, I was just like in shock. I was like, Oh my gosh, she's actually gonna be playing my mom.

Like it really just like it all hit me in that moment. But it wasn't until like after the taping she pointed me out in the audience and she told me to come down and she just like the moment that she saw me, she just like addressed me as her daughter and she just wrapped me up in this warm big hug. And it was just such a beautiful moment and I think that that's really when like everything sunk in that I had actually booked the role and that I was going to be playing her daughter.

[16:51] Eli Tokash: Wow.

[16:51] Lexi Underwood: So that moment was so special and then I actually didn't meet Reese until the table read, our very first table read. And then Carrie and I we sat down like a day before our first scene and we just kind of talked and we went through the script and she had her ideas and I had mine and we I don't know, it was just like it was a collaboration process, you know. We both had we both came to the table with different ideas and we both heard each other out and I don't know, we kind of came to this conclusion that we were going to do something really powerful and really special with the dynamic between me and Pearl since it's such a complex mother and daughter relationship and there's so many different layers to it. But yeah, I didn't meet them until kind of later on, right before we started filming.

[17:35] Eli Tokash: That must have been so surreal.

[17:37] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[17:37] Eli Tokash: And especially because you said you grew up watching Scandal.

[17:42] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, it was my mom's favorite show growing up.

[17:45] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[17:45] Lexi Underwood: So like every Thursday I would be tuned in with her and my dad and my nana. Did she know that you were such a big fan of Scandal?

[17:53] Lexi Underwood: I told her when we started filming. I told her like what it meant to me to be able to like be playing her daughter and how it was kind of like a full circle moment. My mom actually like she was kind of fangirling when she first met her. Honestly, all the moms were fangirling because we all like everybody loved Reese and Carrie. And for like after after like maybe our first episode, I then came out and was like, you know, I'm like a huge fan of your work.

[18:19] Eli Tokash: Like that's awesome.

[18:22] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[18:24] Eli Tokash: That's so cute. Oh, you were also in Lion King, not only on Broadway, but also on the tour, which is super cool. What was that like? Can you f how old were you when you got it? Can you tell us the story of how you got it? And also like tell us a story of didn't you book the tour first and then you moved on to Broadway?

[18:44] Lexi Underwood: Yeah. What was it different in any way? Like 'cause it's this 'cause it's the same show. What was what were the similarities and differences from being on tour in Lion King and also being on Broadway in Lion King?

[18:55] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, Lion King was actually it was one of the first Broadway shows I had ever seen and it was also my very first audition as an actor. Yeah. And so I yeah, I saw it with my parents back in like 2013 during intermission. I vividly remember like looking up at the stage and telling my parents that I was gonna do that. Um, and they were just like, okay, sure, like if that okay, alright. And I was just like, I'm gonna be Nala one day, so just be ready. Uh-oh.

[19:27] Lexi Underwood: Yeah. Then fast forward like maybe a year later, I got my first agent, um, which was Nancy Carson in New York, and I auditioned for it. Um, and I actually didn't book it. Um, I didn't book it the first time I went in. And um a couple of months later, I then went to an open call in Jersey. And it was the last time that I was going to be able to audition for it because they're originally when I when I auditioned, I was 10 years old, and they said that I was too young and you know, my voice hadn't fully developed, and they said to come back, you know, maybe a year later. So then I auditioned when I was eleven. It was an open call with like a thousand other kids. I honestly did not think I was going to book it yet again because of you know, I had already auditioned before and I didn't book it, so I was just like, Let me go in, see what happens.

You know, if I book it, awesome. If I don't, cool. I was also auditioning for Matilda at the time, so I was like doing both yeah, it wasn't I was doing both open calls and the audition process, it like took place over the span of maybe two months, I think. And it was kind of crazy. Like my last audition for both shows, they were actually right across the street from each other. So like I vividly remember like going to Matilda, and those are like two very different shows. So I remember like going over to Matilda, doing hardcore choreo and like being out of breath, sweating and everything, and then like running across the street to Lion King and having to sing Circle of Life. And I was actually like late for my dance auditions for Lion King, and I picked up I think I only had they only gave me like two minutes to figure out the choreo to just like sit and watch everybody do it, and I like just jumped in and I did the best that I could, but eventually I picked it up, which was really crazy.

[21:17] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[21:18] Lexi Underwood: A triple threat.

[21:20] Eli Tokash: A trip.

[21:21] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, we're like wow. You had like a back and forth on the same day.

[21:24] Lexi Underwood: Yep, on the same day.

[21:26] Eli Tokash: I can never oh my god. Like different studios.

[21:30] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, it was different studios, but they were like, I don't know, I was just so lucky of the fact that they were like writing.

[21:35] Eli Tokash: That's crazy.

[21:36] Lexi Underwood: Yeah. I love that. What a hustle.

[21:39] Lexi Underwood: Right. So I um I wound up kind of booking both shows and I was given the choice. Yeah, I was given the choice to choose. And I chose Lion King only because it was a show that just I was drawn to ever since I was younger. It was my dream role. So I went with Lion King. And I will never forget just that audition had so many so many stars in all honesty. Like the audition Shahadi Rai Joseph, she was also at the audition. Rahey Winston was at the audition around the exact same time, like my friend Casey um Walfall. Oh yeah. And she was Nala with Nate McIntyre, who just uh is in a show called David Makes Man on Own and also Caleb McLaughlin. And so like it was kind of all of us and we all bonded because Casey and I had we had done a show together previously.

So all of us were like bonding during the audition process, even though they were already cast. And uh as soon as I booked it, it was just all really surreal. I don't know, I was eleven years old in middle school in DC, and DC doesn't really have too many theater programs for kids, and so everybody was just kind of like stunned and and shocked, and uh I picked up everything. My Nana went on tour with me, and um I was on tour for about eight months, and just that process it was probably one of the best experiences of my life just to be so young and to be a part of a show that um means so much to black culture and to be surrounded by like so many um not even just black artists but South African artists and to be and to be able to learn about like South African culture and to be able to like learn how to speak it and learn different dance moves, like that was just such a lovely experience.

And I'll honestly never forget it. And then uh after like my eight-month period, then uh I went to Broadway to cover for Shahadi because Shahadi was uh auditioning for School of Rock at the time, and so I was on Broadway for about like I want to say like three to four weeks, and just that experience was super cool. There's obviously a major difference between Broadway and uh tour. I think with tour, you know, you're in somebody's city, you're learning about you know that city in itself, and on top of that, we would go to cities that didn't necessarily have a lot of Broadway shows coming to them. So the idea of Broadway was kind of foreign to them, and it was just like a new energy every night, and it's the same with Broadway, but with Broadway, there's like a bunch of tourists, and you know, it's kind of like I don't know, Broadway is like a major thing, everybody's coming every night, um, coming from all different places um to see that show, and so honestly, both energies from both different audiences were just so incredible, and I'm grateful of the fact that I got to do both and you know experienced both tour and Broadway, and it's just something that I'll never forget.

[22:51] Eli Tokash: Yeah, that's pretty neat. I mean, to be a part of the tour and Broadway production of the same show, yeah, is pretty I mean, pretty rare and also pretty neat. Like, so sometimes, you know, you you gotta travel on tour, right? So you have to travel with your stage.

[24:36] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, so oftentimes like the tour production in Broadway kind of have like different like staging and blocking and stuff like that. Was there anything like that for Lion King?

[24:49] Lexi Underwood: Yeah. So for Circle of Life actually, like Pride Rock on Broadway, Pride Rock comes from out of the ground. And on Tour, Pride Rock comes from like I don't know, it comes from the curtains. I if I can recall I don't know, it's been so long since I've seen the show. Um but I believe it like comes from the curtains and it kind of wraps around. So obviously that kind of affects what I do because during Circle of Life I'm a baby elephant. And so I had to like watch out for certain things and you know, make sure I didn't like bump into Pride Rock and uh during Broadway it's like this giant hole in the middle of the ground and you have to make sure that you don't fall into the hole. Obviously you're gonna hurt yourself and mess up the production.

So yeah, so I definitely had to learn like different blocking and uh just make sure that I was uh not hurting myself with everything happening. But other than that, it wasn't I don't know. There was nothing like too big. Now on Broadway, oftentimes like so f they come from like the lobby on Broadway, right? And then they walk down the aisles. Were they able to do that in every city?

[25:54] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, we were able to come from the lobby. I think just the only thing was I think with Broadway the audience could really kind of see more of just the cast members before they come in to do circle of life because of the the way that the Minsk Off is set up. But with the different theaters that we were able to have during tour, I don't know, we were able to be like more hidden, and so it was more of a shock and surprise to the audience, especially the people that hadn't seen the production before. But like I said, I don't know, there wasn't too much of a difference between Broadway and tour, just like making sure that I had all the proper blocking and that uh I was in the right place at the right time.

[26:33] Eli Tokash: Sure. Wow. Yeah. That's I mean, that's so cool. You've been in so much. You've been in Broadway, you've started in Disney, Nick, Netflix, Hulu. What do you want to do next?

[26:44] Lexi Underwood: Okay, that's that's a pretty loaded question. Um for me, like I wanna continue to tell stories that have an impact. I think that you know, Little Fires Everywhere talked about something that was so timely. You know, we touched on so many different topics and issues, motherhood and what it means to be a mother. Like, are you a real mother because you birthed the child or because you raised the child or the LGBTQ community or um abortion and a woman's right to choose, also racism and microaggressions, and so I think that that show and everything that it stood for is kind of the type of projects that I want to continue to attach myself to. Um, a dream role of mine is to play Aliyah. So I'm just hoping, you know, within the next few years that uh that comes to fruition. I'm putting it out in the atmosphere that I will play at least at some point in my life. It's gonna happen.

[27:39] Eli Tokash: I can't wait.

[27:40] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, I'm putting it out in the atmosphere, and then um also I have my own production company, and so um I've been working on like different projects with my production company, and the whole point behind it is to um continue to put out um inclusive stories that um make sure that everybody feels represented and it doesn't just, you know, when you see a black woman on the screen, it's not just a stereotypical role, or you see um a Latina woman on the screen, it's not just the stereotypical roles that they're usually given or an Asian woman, just you know, expanding the ideas of what um especially black women in this industry can do um and the stories that we're given, and so I want to um just continue to make sure that I am being incredibly inclusive with my production company and that I'm creating spaces and tables for underrepresented um storytellers.

[28:28] Eli Tokash: That's amazing. And you made your you made your directorial debut in a documentary called We the Voices of Gen Z.

[28:36] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, right. For those of for those who don't know, can you just explain how it came about, what it is, and what it means to you?

[28:43] Lexi Underwood: So we the voices of Gen Z was a concept that I came up with in 2018. It was around the exact same time that the UVA white supremacy march had taken place. I'm from DC, my dad went to UVA and I had a bunch of family up in Virginia, and so not to say that I was like sheltered from the idea of ignorance and hatred, but I didn't necessarily know that it had lived so close to me. And so in that moment watching the news, I was just in a sense of shock and I didn't know what to do, but I knew that I wanted to do something to help. So I created a safe space for a bunch of kids in the DMV area, and so DMV stands for DC, Maryland and Virginia, to come down to DC and just kind of talk about what how they were feeling.

You know, Trump had recently gotten elected, there were just so many things happening in the world at that time, and you know, everybody was feeling overwhelmed and just unsure what to do, and so a bunch of kids just came in and they sat down and they were just open with how they were feeling, and at the end of the conversation, they were actually able to come up with sustainable solutions to help create change to the topics that we were talking about, and we did film it, but we never released it, and then fast forward to quarantine just a couple of months ago. I wanted to pick it back up as soon as George Floyd's murder had taken place. I was feeling the exact same feelings that I was back in 2018, and so I thought that it would be just such a timely project that I needed to pick back up, and also just yet again feeling that space of like, where do I fit in with the Black Lives Matter movement, or how what can I do to help you know create change and make sure that I'm getting my voice heard to make sure that you know everybody is being treated equally and that we don't have to continue to suffer these injustices.

And so our first conversation was centering black lives matter and just the grief that everybody was feeling and just not knowing what exactly to do, and then our second conversation was about all black lives matter and the erasure of black women and black trans women from the conversation of equality, and then our third and fourth installment of We the Voices of Gen Z was actually centering being black in Hollywood and what black storytellers have to go through on a day-to-day basis, and I've just been so grateful to be able to have you know just so many incredible people a part of the documentary. We've had like Naomi Wadler, who you know obviously just made such an impact when she spoke up at the March for Our Lives March back in 2018, I believe it took place.

We had Mari Copney who, you know, obviously just with everything happening in Flint at only age eight, she stood up and she said what was happening in her community wasn't right, and she was dedicated to creating change and making an impact. And we've also been able to have, you know, Jenai FutureCon, who is the founder of Black Lives Matter, and Ashley Marie Preston, who was the first black trans journalist, and then with our being black in Hollywood conversation, we were able to have like Storm Reed and Ryan Destiny and Matthew Cherry and Miles Fitch and Rome Flynn, just so many incredible visionaries and just being a part of these conversations has taught me a lot about not only this movement but what where everybody kind of fits in with this movement and just the kind of realizations that we've all come up with within the past months of being kind of like trapped inside with our own thoughts and seeing everything unfold with our own two eyes.

And I don't know, I'm just really grateful that the project has like kind of come back and people have felt inspired by watching We The Voices of Gen Z, and that's just the whole point of it to help, you know, create sustainable solutions. And you know, I've been giving getting like a bunch of messages, and people have been like, you know, just listening and watching to watching these stories, watching these conversations have actually like inspired people to really go out there and vote in November. And so to me, that just means everything that if my like just this one little vision that I had can actually inspire people to go out and create change, like at the end of the day, that's all I wanted to accomplish. And so that's it.

[32:50] Eli Tokash: That is so inspiring. You're doing such an incredible job, you know, just shining light on certain things and also making sure everyone's voices are heard, and yeah, that's truly incredible and so inspiring.

[33:03] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, you're really inspiring just what you're doing with literally, because I've seen you like and I follow you, and it you can tell like you use your platform that you have for good, and like you can tell it's really important for you to continue to get your voice heard and make sure others are heard as well. And it's really really inspiring.

[33:26] Lexi Underwood: Thank you. Ever since I was little I always said that if I was given the platform to be able to kind of reach out to people and people are actually like listening to me, I would always speak up about things that I was passionate about and somehow kind of like try and inspire push people to create change that betters this world that we live in and but especially like is bettering this country and so like I said I'm just glad that I've been able to kind of reach some people and inspire some people to go out there and create change.

[33:55] Eli Tokash: You're incredibly seventeen. Yeah, I mean by the way happy related birthday.

[34:01] Lexi Underwood: Yes thank you.

[34:05] Eli Tokash: Just last Friday right?

[34:06] Lexi Underwood: Yeah just last Friday.

[34:09] Eli Tokash: At just seventeen how much you've accomplished is astronomical I mean and then on top of this I have to talk about this as well. Like so you wanna get you know you have to you want to speak out and hear allow other people's stories to be heard.

[34:28] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[34:29] Eli Tokash: You recently collaborated on Reese Witherspoon's book club.

[34:34] Lexi Underwood: Yeah and so cool you were a guest editor of a book called You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson.

[34:43] Eli Tokash: Yeah. And I mean first of all what was that like and is that something that like you say you wanna use your platform and stuff would you ever consider about like actually writing a book and compiling a bunch of stories?

[34:56] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, that would be actually really awesome. I mean ever since I was little I've loved literature. English has been like my favorite subject in school since I started school. And so as soon as Reese reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to be the first young adult guest editor for Reese's book club, without a doubt, I immediately said yes. And as soon as they sent over the book, you know, You Should See Me in a Crown is about a young black queer girl in a very small town that's trying to figure out how to make it out. And I think, you know, that's just such a common thing that happens and you know, especially like going to predominantly white schools and feeling like you don't necessarily fit in and just wanting to go out there and chase your dreams and make a name for yourself is just something that I can identify with growing up.

I went to a predominantly white school and I knew that I wanted more than you know just the things that DC had to offer for me because like I said, growing up there weren't a lot of outlets or programs for kids to be able to, I don't know, kind of get involved with theater and dance and singing and acting. And so I wanted to set out and create a name for myself and chase my dreams at a young age. And so I was immediately drawn to the book and like I said, I love literature when I'm older. I don't think right now is the proper time to write a book. I think probably when I'm like 40 or 50 and I have you know more wisdom and I've gone through more things and I've learned more life lessons and probably I would definitely probably write a book to help yet again inspire people, inspire, especially, you know, just like young artists that are trying to accomplish their dreams and chase their dreams. But yeah, no, I was super grateful to have been a part of Reese's book club and to have been the first young adult guest editor.

[36:40] Eli Tokash: Yeah definitely wow. That's that's awesome, and to be a part of that book as well, like let alone read sootherstrews book club. You know, like that book is obviously very important and it deals with and talks about important topics, so it I'm glad like you can tell it's just again you're passionate about what your passion is and how you really are dedicated to it and it's really awesome to see.

[37:08] Lexi Underwood: Yeah thank you so much.

[37:09] Eli Tokash: Yeah should we play a game?

[37:11] Lexi Underwood: Yeah let's play a game.

[37:13] Eli Tokash: Let's do it.

[37:14] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[37:16] Eli Tokash: So now we're gonna play a game.

[37:16] Lexi Underwood: It's called Two Truths and One Lie.

[37:19] Eli Tokash: Okay. I'm sure you played it before but for those who don't know it's each of us have three statements. Two of them are true statements one of them is a lie. However none of us know which one is the true statement or which one is the lie. So for example let's say Eli says his three statements he'll say three statements two of them are true one of them's a lie. Lexi and I don't know which one is the lie but our objective is to try and guess which one is the lie. So Eli's gonna say his three statements I'm gonna set a timer for one minute and Lexi and I have one minute to interrogate him and try and figure out what no I just use you as an example. Okay don't worry don't worry whoa pressure's on I always get so nervous playing this game.

[38:09] Lexi Underwood: Ladies first ladies first you want to go first I can I can go first let's see Michelle Obama came to my school and read me a book when I was younger. My grandfather is a professional golfer and was Tiger Woods first golf coach. Um and I want to be president when I grow up.

[38:36] Eli Tokash: Oh my yeah I feel like this should all be I don't like these men Okay, okay. Let me set a time on the time. Wow, this is Wow, that's a good one. I don't even know where to begin. Okay, ready? Three, two, one. Timer start.

[38:50] Lexi Underwood: What book did she read to you? Do you remember? And what grade were you in?

[38:54] Eli Tokash: I don't remember the book, but I remember being in second grade.

[38:58] Lexi Underwood: Okay, and she just like came to your school?

[39:00] Eli Tokash: Well, I mean, it makes sense. You lived in DC area, right?

[39:03] Lexi Underwood: Oh. Okay. Okay. And this was when President Obama was president?

[39:09] Eli Tokash: Yes.

[39:09] Lexi Underwood: Okay. Um, and then uh your grandfather's a professional golfer. Is this like uh how long has he been golfing? Like when did he become like Tyre Woods? How long has he known Tiger Woods?

[39:21] Eli Tokash: Um he is a professional golfer. He's been one since he was um 35. He has played many trails. He was the first black golfer to ever win uh the PGA, I believe. And uh he used to tour when my mother um was a kid, and so he uh brought the whole family along and and became a professional golfer and then eventually met Tiger Woods and believed in him and started coaching him.

[39:47] Lexi Underwood: Oh no, our time's up.

[39:48] Eli Tokash: Oh my god, this is so hard.

[39:51] Lexi Underwood: Oh, okay. You're a very good liar.

[39:56] Eli Tokash: Thank you.

[39:57] Lexi Underwood: You're welcome. Considering you are an actor, I mean it makes sense. But wow, I'm so competitive and I'm very frustrated right now. You can put in your first you can put in the guess, Eli. What what do you which one do you think is a lie?

[40:11] Eli Tokash: Oh my god. I I don't even know. Um where to begin. Uh Michelle Obama coming in to read you a book. I mean, that sounds pretty that sounds like something she's she would do. She's a pretty cool girl.

[40:21] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[40:22] Eli Tokash: And you live in the DC area, like makes sense, you know. And I mean, like, I we didn't get to ask you about I know we didn't get to ask whether or not without like being president.

[40:34] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[40:37] Eli Tokash: That it would I mean that's up her alley, you know. Uh definitely. I mean I mean, like she wouldn't want to be hard. Um, okay. Um I'm gonna say the lie is that your father is a professional golfer and coach Tiger Woods.

[40:58] Sid: Sydney, your guest.

[41:01] Eli Tokash: It's so hard, because I can see all of these being true. I know, but I feel like I'm gonna go.

[41:12] Lexi Underwood: This was incredible. I genuinely don't know. I'm gonna go with the last one.

[41:15] Eli Tokash: I'm gonna go with you don't want to be the president. Because I feel like you like are you wanna be a director, you want to be like I feel like you're so good at like telling stories, and I also think the presidency was like a thankless job. Um so I think I'm gonna go with that one.

[41:40] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[41:41] Eli Tokash: Okay. Should I should I say so?

[41:45] Lexi Underwood: You're right. I don't want to be president.

[41:47] Eli Tokash: No way.

[41:49] Lexi Underwood: Oh my god. I can see you being president though.

[41:52] Eli Tokash: I would want 11% vote for that. I feel like I would just that seems like a really stressful job, and I uh don't want any part in politics, but I will uh make sure I will, you know, with what I'm doing right now, I will uh speak up about things that I'm passionate about that I I went I will know part in politics.

[42:10] Lexi Underwood: I will say if you ever decided to become president, you would enjoy my vote.

[42:14] Eli Tokash: Oh my god. Thank you.

[42:16] Lexi Underwood: Good to know. That was an incredible round. That was so good. I I bought it, but the minute it came out of your mouth. Wow. Amazing. That's unreal.

[42:26] Eli Tokash: Okay. I nervous.

[42:28] Lexi Underwood: Okay. When I was little, I fell on a kid's necklace with a pointed bead in the middle, and it harpooned my forehead. When I was little, I hit my head on the edge of a coffee table, trying to balance on a suitcase that tripped over that tipped over with me on it. When I was little, I hit my head running up a slide playing tag with my friends, and I slipped and split the outside of my eyebrow.

[42:58] Eli Tokash: Okay. All I gotta say is you're a mess.

[43:00] Lexi Underwood: Oh my gosh, yeah. I mean a lot about me.

[43:07] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[43:08] Eli Tokash: There you go.

[43:09] Lexi Underwood: Started.

[43:10] Eli Tokash: Can I see your forehead?

[43:13] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[43:14] Eli Tokash: There's one scar.

[43:15] Lexi Underwood: There's the eyebrow scar.

[43:17] Eli Tokash: You can see it right there.

[43:19] Lexi Underwood: Um, I also have like a scar up here.

[43:21] Eli Tokash: And then what happened when you were like on a suitcase and then like tipped over?

[43:28] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, I was apparently balancing on a suitcase and like that was right next to a coffee table.

[43:35] Eli Tokash: And I don't remember it happening.

[43:37] Lexi Underwood: I've only been told this story.

[43:39] Eli Tokash: Um, the reason I don't remember it happening is probably because I hit my head so much when I was a kid.

[43:44] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[43:44] Eli Tokash: Um, but yeah, it just tipped over with me on it because I was just trying to balance on it.

[43:49] Lexi Underwood: Hmm.

[43:50] Eli Tokash: Interesting.

[43:51] Lexi Underwood: I don't know if I buy it.

[43:54] Eli Tokash: I had to have been number three.

[43:56] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[43:56] Eli Tokash: Oh, the three or four.

[43:58] Lexi Underwood: I mean my prime stages for this was like two, three, four, five, like that time for the case.

[44:04] Eli Tokash: Okay.

[44:05] Lexi Underwood: How do you remember it at two to three?

[44:08] Eli Tokash: I don't.

[44:10] Lexi Underwood: I don't.

[44:10] Eli Tokash: I've only been told.

[44:14] Lexi Underwood: I mean, the only one I remember of these was the slide one because it was in the PPAS slide, except I was in Midtown West.

[44:21] Eli Tokash: And this harpoon thing.

[44:23] Lexi Underwood: It did it you you don't remember that either?

[44:28] Eli Tokash: No.

[44:28] Lexi Underwood: I mean, first of all, I was a child.

[44:31] Eli Tokash: Second of all, I hit my head so many times.

[44:36] Lexi Underwood: You're right.

[44:36] Eli Tokash: So I lost all memory.

[44:38] Lexi Underwood: Okay, it times up by the way.

[44:39] Eli Tokash: We actually went to the same school and it seemed like no joke, like she was in Fun Home when she would go to the school.

[44:47] Lexi Underwood: And so like the days that she actually like came to school.

[44:50] Eli Tokash: Um, I wasn't in PPAS when I slipped on the slide, I was in Midtown West.

[45:05] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, oh my god, I kind of remember that too.

[45:08] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[45:08] Lexi Underwood: No, but literally when she used to go to my school when we used to go to the same school and we played like at like in the courtyard at recess, she would always like be the one that got hurt for some reason.

[45:22] Eli Tokash: Okay.

[45:22] Lexi Underwood: Like somehow the ball was always on her and smack her or something like that.

[45:27] Eli Tokash: I felt so bad.

[45:28] Lexi Underwood: Literally multiple times.

[45:31] Eli Tokash: I have a deviated septum because of her.

[45:34] Lexi Underwood: Yikes.

[45:34] Eli Tokash: I know.

[45:35] Lexi Underwood: Like it makes my nose point to the right.

[45:37] Eli Tokash: Okay.

[45:39] Lexi Underwood: Oh gosh.

[45:40] Eli Tokash: So all I've learned today is that I have two really good liars in front of me.

[45:45] Lexi Underwood: And now I don't know whether to trust them or not.

[45:47] Eli Tokash: You know.

[45:52] Lexi Underwood: You want me to say I get I can get his first.

[45:55] Eli Tokash: This whole um harpoon to the forehead.

[45:58] Lexi Underwood: I kinda buy it, not gonna lie.

[46:00] Eli Tokash: It was very detailed necklace, but that could also be the catch of it.

[46:08] Lexi Underwood: I'm gonna have to say you falling over uh the on the suitcase was the lie.

[46:14] Eli Tokash: I don't know.

[46:15] Lexi Underwood: I'm just kinda feeling it.

[46:16] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[46:17] Lexi Underwood: Ugh.

[46:18] Eli Tokash: I don't know because the necklace thing, like the necklace incident seems incredibly dangerous.

[46:24] Lexi Underwood: Um, like if that actually went into your head like that, that sounds painful.

[46:30] Eli Tokash: Oh my god.

[46:31] Lexi Underwood: I'm gonna also have to go with Eli.

[46:33] Eli Tokash: I think that the suitcase incident is a lie.

[46:36] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[46:37] Eli Tokash: Want me to tell you?

[46:38] Lexi Underwood: Uh that actually happened.

[46:41] Eli Tokash: What the lie was was like on the slide.

[46:44] Lexi Underwood: That happened to my Midtown West.

[46:48] Eli Tokash: Yes, I went to Midtown West, but that actually happened to my brother.

[46:51] Lexi Underwood: Brock.

[46:52] Eli Tokash: I got the story from my brother Brock.

[46:54] Lexi Underwood: He was playing tag with his friends, and I actually altered it a little bit, but he like banged his head on the top of that same exact slide, and he had to get like staples and stuff.

[47:03] Lexi Underwood: But the other two were true.

[47:04] Eli Tokash: I harpooned my forehead with a very poorly made child's necklace.

[47:08] Lexi Underwood: Um pointed bead in the middle, and I was it was specifically my brother's Hot Wheel cars suitcase that he kept all of his like cars in, and I was trying to balance on it, and I literally just tipped over and just smacked my head on the edge of the coffee table.

[47:27] Eli Tokash: Oh wow that that's very wow.

[47:31] Lexi Underwood: Well I hope that your brother's eyebrow is okay.

[47:34] Eli Tokash: Oh, I actually do have a scar here.

[47:36] Lexi Underwood: I don't remember.

[47:36] Eli Tokash: Yeah, that's what that's kind of why I thought that that was true because of the scar, but it had to be.

[47:43] Lexi Underwood: I completely forgot where it came from.

[47:46] Eli Tokash: Interesting.

[47:47] Lexi Underwood: I just fell so much as a child.

[47:49] Eli Tokash: Yeah, it sounds like it.

[47:52] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, I know.

[47:53] Eli Tokash: It really does explain a lot.

[47:55] Lexi Underwood: Um okay, Eli, your turn.

[47:58] Eli Tokash: Okay, okay.

[47:59] Lexi Underwood: I'm just going through things right now just to make sure I have my straight.

[48:04] Eli Tokash: My whole family attended my first ever audition with me.

[48:09] Lexi Underwood: Uh the first show I ever did, professional or not, uh, was in West Virginia, where I'm from.

[48:15] Eli Tokash: And I've done more theater than TV and film.

[48:19] Lexi Underwood: Interesting.

[48:19] Eli Tokash: It's five five five, by the way.

[48:21] Lexi Underwood: Oh my god, Cindy loves that.

[48:23] Eli Tokash: Me too.

[48:23] Lexi Underwood: I'm obsessed with angel numbers.

[48:25] Eli Tokash: It's incredible.

[48:27] Lexi Underwood: Hi.

[48:28] Eli Tokash: I also read that you were obsessed with crystals too. Is that true?

[48:31] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, I love crystals.

[48:32] Eli Tokash: I have a whole bag of crystals right here.

[48:34] Lexi Underwood: Oh my god, we gotta make up.

[48:36] Eli Tokash: Like lined up right by the edge of my bed.

[48:38] Lexi Underwood: That's so upset.

[48:39] Eli Tokash: Okay, we got okay, I'll set the timer.

[48:41] Lexi Underwood: Um okay, one minute starting now.

[48:44] Eli Tokash: Alright.

[48:44] Lexi Underwood: Um, so what was the first audition that your entire family attended?

[48:50] Eli Tokash: It was my first professional audition, which was Mary Poppins, the tour of Mary Poppins.

[48:55] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[48:55] Eli Tokash: Okay.

[48:56] Lexi Underwood: And yeah, go ahead.

[48:58] Eli Tokash: What was the show in West Virginia?

[49:00] Lexi Underwood: It was a musical Christmas Carol.

[49:03] Eli Tokash: Oh, okay.

[49:04] Lexi Underwood: That's actually another my first show as well.

[49:06] Eli Tokash: Really?

[49:07] Lexi Underwood: I think we talked about this.

[49:08] Eli Tokash: I think.

[49:10] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, because then like Mr. Magoo came and it was like kind of like the third one?

[49:16] Eli Tokash: What was yeah, what was the third one?

[49:18] Lexi Underwood: It was that I have done more theater than TV and film.

[49:22] Eli Tokash: What shows have you been in?

[49:24] Lexi Underwood: What Broadway shows have you been in?

[49:26] Eli Tokash: So I've done a Christmas Carol, Mary um no, Mary Poppins tour, uh Christmas story tour, Pippin and Finding Neverland.

[49:34] Lexi Underwood: Are you also counting like off broad with like Mr. Magoo's?

[49:36] Eli Tokash: No, I was just saying like yeah, theater in general to like TV and film.

[49:41] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[49:42] Eli Tokash: Interesting.

[49:43] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[49:46] Eli Tokash: Eli, this is a really good one.

[49:48] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[49:49] Eli Tokash: Thank you.

[49:49] Lexi Underwood: I appreciate that.

[49:52] Eli Tokash: Okay.

[49:52] Lexi Underwood: Lexi, do you have a guess?

[49:55] Eli Tokash: I think I have a guess.

[49:56] Lexi Underwood: Okay, what's your guess?

[49:58] Eli Tokash: I don't think that your whole family showed up for your Mary Poppins um audition.

[50:05] Lexi Underwood: Gotcha.

[50:06] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[50:07] Lexi Underwood: Oh no.

[50:09] Eli Tokash: Let's see what C.

[50:17] Lexi Underwood: Literally.

[50:18] Eli Tokash: Um I feel like you've been in more TV than you have film.

[50:23] Lexi Underwood: Like Broadway.

[50:26] Eli Tokash: Works.

[50:27] Lexi Underwood: Um, like you by that you mean like even just like guest stars, right?

[50:34] Eli Tokash: No, like I literally mean like all theater in general and all TV readings.

[50:41] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[50:42] Eli Tokash: And no, no, no, not including readings.

[50:44] Lexi Underwood: We don't have to include readings.

[50:45] Eli Tokash: Um all theater in general of like professional not, and then like all um TV and film.

[50:54] Lexi Underwood: So like or like T V shows and movies.

[50:58] Eli Tokash: That's hard.

[50:59] Lexi Underwood: Oof.

[51:00] Eli Tokash: I'm shocked you don't know this.

[51:02] Lexi Underwood: Okay, and then the other one was like was in West Virginia Christmas Carol was in West Virginia.

[51:08] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[51:09] Lexi Underwood: Was it actually in West Virginia?

[51:11] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[51:12] Lexi Underwood: It's so funny because Sydney's such a dis indecisive person.

[51:17] Eli Tokash: Mm-hmm.

[51:17] Lexi Underwood: So playing those games with her is always just cracks me up.

[51:21] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[51:21] Lexi Underwood: But you guys are like giving really good um options.

[51:25] Eli Tokash: Like this is actually really good.

[51:27] Lexi Underwood: I know, it's right.

[51:28] Eli Tokash: Okay, okay, wait.

[51:29] Lexi Underwood: What was the first one again?

[51:30] Eli Tokash: Oh my goodness.

[51:31] Lexi Underwood: Um seeing my whole family came to my audition for Mary Poppins.

[51:36] Eli Tokash: And um I've done more theater in general than TV and film in general.

[51:43] Lexi Underwood: And my first show was in West Virginia.

[51:47] Eli Tokash: God, if the if the first show in West Virginia is wrong, I'm gonna be such a horrible friend.

[51:52] Lexi Underwood: Is that your answer?

[51:57] Eli Tokash: Um this was really good.

[51:58] Lexi Underwood: This was really good.

[51:59] Eli Tokash: I'm gonna pick, I'm gonna pick um Wait, what was the first one of them?

[52:03] Lexi Underwood: Oh no, I'm sorry, I'm like totally stressing myself out.

[52:08] Eli Tokash: I'm just you know what, like I'll just I'll just are you counting greatest showman as like No, that was a reading.

[52:15] Lexi Underwood: I'm just gonna go with the last one.

[52:17] Eli Tokash: I'm just gonna say you've done more television than you've done.

[52:20] Lexi Underwood: Wait, wasn't that your answer too, Lexi?

[52:22] Eli Tokash: No, my answer was Oh that and all my pets.

[52:25] Lexi Underwood: Okay.

[52:25] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[52:26] Lexi Underwood: So neither of you were right.

[52:28] Eli Tokash: It was the first one.

[52:30] Lexi Underwood: And my first show that I ever did was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

[52:36] Eli Tokash: But I am from West Virginia.

[52:38] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, that's right, that's right.

[52:41] Eli Tokash: So yeah.

[52:45] Lexi Underwood: But yeah, that was that was like the trick.

[52:46] Eli Tokash: I've never done theater in West Virginia.

[52:48] Lexi Underwood: They don't really do theater there.

[52:51] Eli Tokash: Oh, okay.

[52:53] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[52:54] Eli Tokash: That was really good.

[52:55] Lexi Underwood: Thank you.

[52:56] Eli Tokash: Thank you.

[52:58] Lexi Underwood: I feel like such a horrible friend.

[52:59] Eli Tokash: I'm sorry, Eli.

[53:00] Lexi Underwood: It's okay.

[53:01] Eli Tokash: I feel like I I'm I'm glad you didn't say my family one for Mary Poppins coming into my audition.

[53:07] Lexi Underwood: Cause I feel like I've definitely told you that.

[53:09] Eli Tokash: You haven't told me that, but I can imagine.

[53:13] Lexi Underwood: It's something my family would do.

[53:15] Eli Tokash: We had no clue.

[53:16] Lexi Underwood: We were like all came from West Virginia, hopped in the car.

[53:19] Eli Tokash: This like big car is like seven of us.

[53:21] Lexi Underwood: And just like all came into the audition and it was like an open call, basically.

[53:27] Eli Tokash: And it like you know, you already have limited spaces is and you're only supposed to have like one or two people with you.

[53:33] Lexi Underwood: And I just brought my whole family in because we had no clue.

[53:36] Eli Tokash: Uh yeah, it was just too funny.

[53:39] Lexi Underwood: Including your grandparents?

[53:40] Eli Tokash: Yep, my grandpa was there, not my grandma.

[53:44] Lexi Underwood: I love that.

[53:45] Eli Tokash: I know it's my family.

[53:47] Lexi Underwood: I know, right?

[53:49] Eli Tokash: It was so silly.

[53:50] Lexi Underwood: And it was so funny because literally we were at the audition and like I I ended up booking it, and when I got to the when I it was like my first day of rehearsal and stuff, um, all the other kids were from New York, and they were like, you know, I have to tell you, like, we were at the audition and we were kind of like, who's this kid think he is?

[54:11] Lexi Underwood: Just like coming from nowhere and bringing a whole family into an open call room.

[54:16] Eli Tokash: And we were like, we don't even know what that means.

[54:19] Lexi Underwood: Like what I don't know what to tell you here.

[54:22] Eli Tokash: And they were like, Yeah, it was just like so not what you do and stuff.

[54:26] Lexi Underwood: And I was like, I'm so sorry.

[54:28] Eli Tokash: Like I had no clue.

[54:30] Lexi Underwood: I felt so bad and like I was like so embarrassed, but I was like, oh well it it happened.

[54:35] Eli Tokash: I find that so endearing.

[54:37] Lexi Underwood: Oh that's so that's adorable though.

[54:40] Eli Tokash: I mean my mom, my dad and my grandma all came with me to my open call.

[54:47] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[54:47] Eli Tokash: So I had my family with me.

[54:49] Lexi Underwood: Oh my god.

[54:51] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[54:52] Lexi Underwood: Super supportive.

[54:53] Eli Tokash: I love it.

[54:53] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, that's awesome.

[54:54] Eli Tokash: I mean luckily I had both of my brothers were in the business as well.

[54:58] Lexi Underwood: So like my parents were kinda like split up between like us, if that makes sense.

[55:03] Eli Tokash: Um parents are awesome by the way.

[55:05] Lexi Underwood: They're so supportive.

[55:06] Eli Tokash: My parents are so great.

[55:08] Lexi Underwood: Well thank you so much, Lexi for coming out so much.

[55:11] Eli Tokash: And tell your mom I say hi.

[55:14] Lexi Underwood: Thank you.

[55:15] Eli Tokash: Thank you as well and tell your parents I say hi to you.

[55:17] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, yeah thank you.

[55:18] Eli Tokash: Uh I hope your family's well and staying safe and sane during these crazy times.

[55:23] Lexi Underwood: Yeah.

[55:23] Eli Tokash: Um yeah but thank you so much for your time and willingness to do this.

[55:28] Lexi Underwood: We've had so much fun.

[55:30] Eli Tokash: You're a really good liar by the way.

[55:32] Lexi Underwood: Thanks seriously that was incredible.

[55:35] Eli Tokash: Um awesome well thanks for coming on thank you.

[55:41] Lexi Underwood: Take a bow Lexi Underwood I mean come on that was that was awesome.

[55:48] Eli Tokash: We had a great time talking to her and uh it was cool just to hear her perspective and also it was really cool to see talk to hear her perspective on how she wants to highlight black voices more and have a more impactful role for black voices in the industry.

[56:10] Lexi Underwood: Yeah, and it it was truly amazing to to hear all that she's accomplished and she's so inspiring and she's such an incredible role model as well for for other young people who you know are trying to figure out how to make a difference in the world.

[56:26] Eli Tokash: So another thing I wanted to talk about oh also let's talk about that two truth and a lie really quickly that was incredible.

[56:35] Lexi Underwood: So I don't know about you guys listening to these games that we play.

[56:40] Eli Tokash: By the way I was so mad at myself for not getting that I was so like getting yours.

[56:45] Lexi Underwood: It's okay.

[56:46] Eli Tokash: I swear I knew it in like the back of my mind.

[56:48] Lexi Underwood: I could have sworn you knew it.

[56:50] Eli Tokash: Like I was like 10 like 110% positive you were gonna get it.

[56:55] Lexi Underwood: But I can't believe I didn't because then after I was like Sydney what were you thinking?

[57:00] Eli Tokash: It's all good.

[57:01] Lexi Underwood: It's all good.

[57:02] Eli Tokash: No hard feelings.

[57:03] Lexi Underwood: It's okay.

[57:03] Eli Tokash: You're not the worst best friend or anything.

[57:05] Lexi Underwood: I know I feel like such a horrible friend.

[57:07] Eli Tokash: I should have known that yeah I mean well you're the worst so I know now I know though and I know I'll never forget it ever again.

[57:13] Lexi Underwood: You did Christmas Carol in Pittsburgh, not West Virginia.

[57:16] Eli Tokash: Thank you very much.

[57:18] Lexi Underwood: Well you're welcome.

[57:20] Eli Tokash: Um but I don't know for about you guys that are listening to this but these games that we play we have so much fun doing them.

[57:27] Eli Tokash: I'm so much fun. And I hope you guys are enjoying them too because I mean we're playing around with like some fun things that we can do. So Two Truths and a lie seem to be a fun one for us and our guests. Also if you have any suggestions for games we can play on a podcast because that is a ki for me at least it's a hard thing to come up with. Um obviously, like if it were an on camera interview, we could have a whole range of games. But this is a podcast. We only have audio here. So if you have any suggestions, please go to our Instagram and like or email us and I don't know, just tell us or DM us or whatever. Yeah, even comment on a post. Like comment, DM, whatever you need. Um just there's plenty of ways nowadays with social media to get in touch with us. Um so I don't know if you saw this, but just this past week, um well, this week they had a special memorium for Nick Cordero.

[58:31] Sid: Oh.

[58:32] Eli Tokash: And I I I saw that. I was unable to uh catch all of it. It there it was like an hour long special on Broadway on Demand. And I believe it's still on there for anyone that wants to go check that out. But it was truly I I saw tons and tons and tons of videos because I didn't get to see it in time, but I got to basically see all of it uh out of order on like YouTube and stuff. So they did this beautiful tribute and no joke, it was probably about seventy people um singing this one of the great one song from Bronx Tale, and it was just so incredibly inspiring, just the words in the song, and also there was like this one part where they incorporated his song Live Your Life. And y you I just like immediately like lost it and got chills all the way down my body. Um it was really it was really something special. And actually, some of those people we've actually had on the podcast. So uh h whoever wants to go check that out, go for it.

[59:40] Sid: Wait, and where can we see this?

[59:42] Eli Tokash: It's on YouTube. You can go check it out on YouTube.

[59:45] Sid: Yeah.

[59:45] Eli Tokash: And I believe if you want to see the whole thing, it's still on Broadway on Demand for free. But I I have to double check that though. So w I'll I'll get back to that. Thank you for telling me because I I definitely want to watch that that's a little bit of Yeah and and for those listeners who didn't because I know we talk about we've talked about Nick and his journey and um his wife Amanda and his little boy Elvis. We've talked about them. So I just wanted to give an update on that and if you're interested in watching that please go check it out because I promise it's worth the three minutes.

[1:00:19] Sid: Yeah.

[1:00:20] Eli Tokash: And another thing the world lost a hero recently. Um and we, you know, it's it definitely impacted like the entire world. Chadwick Bozeman, the Black Panther, passed away.

[1:00:37] Sid: He changed the world.

[1:00:39] Eli Tokash: Yeah. And his legacy is gonna live on for literally forever. Um and I think and I think you know the magnitude of his impact will be seen for years and years and years to come and I think it's it's greater than maybe we realize. We just wanted to know acknowledge and send our love to him and his family.

[1:01:06] Sid: And we just wanted to say rest in peace.

[1:01:09] Eli Tokash: I mean he he'll never be forgotten ever. It's hard to even still to wrap my head around this. Um but no, and in all honesty, like he was in hero a hero in every meaning of hero. Like not only did he play a hero on TV, but he also played a hero in life, and for a lot of people, he was an extremely good man and did a lot for his community and everyone's community, to be honest with you. It's hard to put into words how like to feel exactly, but honestly, Black Panther revolutionized like entertainment, like in movies, especially for black voices. Um so he's his legacy will forever live on. And yeah, like you said, rest in peace and rest in power, Chadwick Bozeman.

[1:02:01] Sid: Yeah, and and one more thing, um it you know, obviously a quote uh from back Black Panther has been going around. It says in my culture, death is not the end, it's more of a stepping off point. Um and I think that is such I don't know, I mean, that's from back Black Panther, and I I think that's such an interesting perspective, and I also think that death is most definitely not the end, and like I said, his legacy lives far beyond um like any of us.

[1:02:34] Eli Tokash: Definitely.

[1:02:36] Sid: You're it's it's in it's quite incredible how you know we've seen this trend of people lately who we've unfortunately lost, like Kobe and you know, like it it's incredible how many really hard how many people we've lost this year.

[1:02:55] Eli Tokash: But no, but like so but like you're saying, like all of these people whose legacies are gonna live on. And it's interesting how like Nick Cordero, he came out with a song, Live Your Life. And and a year or two later this happened to him. And just like Chadwick Bozeman, this quote, I mean, it it's incredible how these it it makes the movie and it makes the quote even that much more powerful.

[1:03:24] Sid: Yeah, that's it.

[1:03:24] Eli Tokash: I actually I actually went back and watched Black Panther um and my brother suggested it and it's incre if you watch that movie now it's so much more powerful.

[1:03:36] Sid: Yeah my mom and I did as well.

[1:03:38] Eli Tokash: It was it was like certain lines and certain just things that they said and certain everything just like hit us like you know harder than it than it did the first time we watched it. But anyway, we just we just wanted to send our condolences and um 2020 has been quite a year. It's been full of loss and it can be very confusing and very hard to and not just loss of like lives but also loss of community because I mean well not tech not technically loss of community because like Eli and I have like had this podcast, we have a community in this but like for example Broadway Broadway is still down. There's a loss of that there's a loss of normalcy if that makes sense.

[1:04:24] Eli Tokash: And it I don't know it's just it's just interesting to to navigate that and and truly wrap your head around this year but I think if if you know for example Chadwick or or Nick Cordero or Kobe if any if they taught us anything it's to live your life and and live it to the fullest and and live it guided and surrounded by love um happiness and and happiness and without fear because you know, tomorrow is not promised. So, you know, I as as hard as it is as hard as twenty twenty is I'm I feel inspired to just live my life as as Nick Cordero's song says.

[1:05:10] Sid: Yeah, I mean it's so true. Twenty twenty has been extremely difficult and some days are better than others, but in a way, like we've needed 2020. Like we've needed it's put it it's put this all into reality, it's put it into perspective just even with COVID. It's putting it in. Just with COVID, like you you don't know like what's gonna happen, and then you see like Kobe and you see Chadwick and you see Nick and you see all of these people, and it it's just so hard. And but in a way it's been a good reminder of just listen, now you're that COVID's happening, you've given an opportunity to be with your family or be whoever you're with. Take advantage of that, you know, like love the pe the remind people that you love them, tell your loved ones they love you, squeeze them, hug 'em, like anything. Just just you gotta keep living life and and to your fullest and and you know, there's there's a lot of ups and downs, but you have to focus on the positives and you have to stay positive.

[1:06:20] Eli Tokash: It's really, really ironic that I and I just realized this that this year is called 2020.

[1:06:28] Sid: Yeah.

[1:06:28] Eli Tokash: Because it's putting pe it's putting things into perspective. And when you think of 2020, you think of 2020 vision.

[1:06:34] Sid: Vision, yeah.

[1:06:34] Eli Tokash: And it's just changing everyone's perspective on life.

[1:06:37] Sid: Yeah.

[1:06:38] Eli Tokash: Um and how it's it's precious, you know what I mean?

[1:06:42] Sid: Yeah.

[1:06:42] Eli Tokash: Um that's so interesting. Sorry, I I I'm sure people have already like put two and two together, but it's just so interesting how it's changing our perspective in this year's called 2020. If you haven't seen it yet, please please please go watch Little Fires Everywhere. It's truly fantastic. You can watch it on Hulu. And also go watch Lexi's I'm I think it's on YouTube, uh Lexi's We the Voices of Gen Z series. Um because it it is just filled with a bunch of different perspectives and I think it's very informative and very insightful and I think it's very important for for you to watch.

[1:07:22] Sid: So yeah the other thing too like so these this We the Voices of Gen Z as well as Little Fires Everywhere, these two projects that Lexi has done recently um not only are they extremely extremely entertaining and like Little Fires Everywhere is like one of the hottest shows right now.

[1:07:39] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[1:07:40] Sid: On Hulu. Um but on top of that these stories have to be heard. Every single one of them the Little Fires Everywhere deals with literally 10 million like topics that are are kind of hard to talk about and yeah I mean like Lexi said it it deals with like what what does being a mother mean. It it deals with um you know uh one's sexuality growing up it yeah it deals with racism and microaggressions, and you know, even if they're not like overt, there is still like they just ex pose just um the depth at which you know racism and microaggressions and even even um homophobia can like lurk beneath the surface, even even if just glancing at you can't see it. But yeah, we highly recommend that. So please go check that out.

[1:08:43] Eli Tokash: Um and we hope you enjoyed this episode. Uh we had a fun time. We played a game, and um we have some very fun episodes coming next week as well. So we're excited to release those. Guys, okay. So, other thing, Dearvin Hanson, for those of you uh myself included, I'm a Phantom. Um David Hanson is coming to the screen, and Ben Platt's gonna be in it, and Ava Adams gonna be in it, and th the full cast is announced. So, guys, I I I I don't know about you, but I'm extremely excited about this. And I'm very interested to see one, how all of this is gonna work on a movie and all of that, but also two, they're saying that they're expanding on some of the characters, and they're also adding another character.

[1:09:42] Sid: No, we're gonna be.

[1:10:10] Eli Tokash: Yeah, seriously.

[1:10:10] Sid: Um Sid, we're going to watch that together.

[1:10:14] Eli Tokash: Oh, oh, of course.

[1:10:15] Sid: Yeah, we're gonna get in the movies.

[1:10:17] Eli Tokash: Let's do it.

[1:10:17] Sid: And yeah, we're gonna have a big party.

[1:10:20] Eli Tokash: When we're gonna and then we're gonna review it on Oh, yeah, of course.

[1:10:23] Sid: Oh, oh yeah, and then you're right because we'll have your podcast. You're right. Woo-woo.

[1:10:29] Eli Tokash: Okay, well, I look forward to that for many reasons. One of them being the world will be back to normal. Woo-woo.

[1:10:37] Sid: Yes.

[1:10:38] Eli Tokash: Well, you look forward to that, and I well, we both will look forward to seeing you all next week uh for our next episode. Bye everyone.

[1:10:48] Sid: Bye everyone.

[1:10:49] Eli Tokash: We love you. See you next week.

[1:10:51] Sid: See you next week.

[1:10:57] Eli Tokash: Special shout out to Nikki Torcia and Cormac Colinon for our amazing intro and outro music. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Take a Bow. We hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to subscribe and leave a rating on whatever platform you're listening to us from. And tune in next week for another episode. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the help of Dory Barrenstein, Alan Seals, Brittany Bigelow, and the team at the Broadway Podcast Network. To learn more about this podcast, visit BPN.fm forward slash take a bow and follow us on Instagram at take a bow podcast, where you can contact us with any feedback, suggestions, or questions, and keep up with all things take a bow. See you next week.

[1:11:39] Sid: Bye everyone.