I've never been a stalker fan. I've always been a fan from afar.
I love the opportunity to tell stories that people should know. I think it puts what we do as actors on the level of nurses and doctors. It takes us out of this idea of entertainment into an act of service.
I think the genre of musical theatre, when it started, the pop songwriters of the time were writing the music. I think sometimes when we write musicals now, we keep writing in that same style, as though that's the musical theatre genre... We have to figure out how to tell stories with the music that we listen to now, or we'll lose our audience.
I'm aware of the fact that people that are watching to see what I do next - It's challenging to make the best decisions, and I don't always get it right.
I had spinal surgery to correct scoliosis when I was 16 years old. The only thing that scared me about the procedure was that it would make me two inches taller. At the time, I had a crush on a boy who was about my height - and I was worried that if I were taller than him, it would never happen!
My first experience with the arts must have been the sound of my mother singing to me when I was in the womb. The sound of my father singing to me when he held me. The sound of The Temptations records that they played.
I've written a couple raps in my day, in my own music career, that people don't know a lot about.
I was so involved in the regular joy of school that I didn't do any plays. On a dare, I auditioned for 'South Pacific' my junior year. I showed up at the last minute to the audition and ended up getting cast as the lead. I haven't turned back since then.
I was madly in love with Michael Jackson.
My job is not to get an award. My job is to illuminate people about something that they should know.
I find Shakespeare surprisingly sexual. A lot of his language - a lot - has that kind of sexual innuendo that is at once everywhere but also kinda lost because we have our own innuendo now, our own language.
I won my husband. I won my kids. I've won a lot of really great jobs. I've won a lot of friendships. I've been nominated for lots of different kinds of awards.
My greatest wish for my children is that they fulfill their purpose. I know that all children - and, in particular, mine - are here for a reason.
My path to motherhood was challenging, to say the least, and I always feel like I'm living a 'Sliding Doors' version of my life.
I wish, mainly, that I could have a job and work all the time and also not have to leave my kids. If there was a way to clone myself and be at every parent-teacher meeting and be there to put my kids to bed every single night and also star on Broadway, that's what I would do.
My kids make me laugh every single day - especially when they're their most precocious. My son said to me the other day, 'Why are you so dramatic?' And I just thought, 'Really? You know that word? And also, you've already noticed how dramatic I am?' That just really made me laugh.
When I first became a mother, I didn't want my son to have any extra exposure to what I did. I had this theory that if he wanted to do what I do for a living, it should be organic and come from him, not from the fact that this was just what he saw all the time.
I don't do lip balm. I believe hydration really comes from the inside out, so I try to drink a lot of water. I have children who are always asking for Vaseline on their lips, but I'm saying we need to drink more water.
I'm trying to look natural and not painted. I'm typically fighting hair and makeup teams because I'm always saying, 'Can I wear less? Can I look natural and fresh?'
I feel like my whole career has been a blessing. In particular, the opportunity to be a part of 'Hamilton' was life-changing.
