(upbeat music)
- [Tamsen] Deneée Benton has got a lot going on.
We've seen her on Broadway most recently in "Hamilton."
She's in one of the most popular shows on HBO
and now a big new musical theater project.
Let's check back in with Paul Wontorek.
- Denée Benton first burst onto the Broadway scene
in "Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,"
and is currently wowing TV audiences
as Peggy Scott and HBO's "The Gilded Age."
Next, she'll tackle Sondheim as Cinderella
in "Into the Woods" at Encores!
We met up at the Time Hotel to talk all about it.
- Have you ever thought
about writing anything political, Ms. Scott?
- I have.
- Don't ask her if she's a Republican.
- Well, why should I align myself with either party
when I don't have the right to vote?
(indistinct chattering in background)
- I'm publishing a story you submitted next week,
and I want you to write something about that too.
Political affiliation without voting rights, 200 words.
Good to meet you, Ms. Scott.
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- You know, I first discovered you on the Broadway stage,
but I've gotten very used to seeing you on my TV screen.
- [Denée] Have you? - Yes, "The Gilded Age"
is quite a sensation. - Yes, thank you.
- How does it feel to see all the reactions to that show?
I mean, you've been working at it for a really long time.
- Yeah, I mean, we all got cast in October of 2019.
- [Paul] Right. - On a very different world.
- [Paul] Yeah.
- And then we shut down and then we started shooting
in September of 2020, and it was a nine month shoot.
And so I just didn't know what world
this show would be coming out in, you know?
Is this a time we really want
to see the wealthy whites of the Gilded Age?
- [Paul] Right, right. - And I didn't know.
And so, it's been really special,
especially the way Peggy's been received
and the work that we put into that role.
It's been like getting to taste the fruits
of all the labor has been nice.
- It's amazing how many people are like,
"There were Black people in New York at that time."
- (laughs) I know, I know every time.
It's like, I don't know where anyone thought we went,
(laughs) but I won't diminish it.
It's really powerful when stories are erased
out of narratives or out of our history books.
And so, it feels like a really cool opportunity
that we have to fill in this intentional blank, you know?
- What's been your favorite reaction that you get
from friends or family or just people on the street?
- I have to say, I live in Brooklyn,
and the most recognition I get
is from Black women from age 30 to 50.
And it's usually like a, "Hey, sis, oh my God.
"We're so proud of you, Peggy."
(Paul laughs) And it's like, I feel
like an auntie just came to bless me
as I go to the grocery store.
And I think those were the people that I really cared
about wanting to feel seen and proud.
And it feels like an extension
of different family members just gassing me up
more so than like being, I don't know, pressured by fans.
It feels like a lotta love. - [Paul] Yeah.
- So they've probably been my favorite.
- You were able to tell a great story
in one season about Peggy.
We learned a lot about her. - Yes.
- We finally learned a secret about her.
We learned all kinds of things,
but now it's coming back for a season two,
and I know they're probably hard at work
writing at right now.
What do you want to see?
I've heard you say you want to just see more details
of what Peggy's life would be like.
- Yeah, I think that season one,
you're getting so much prerequisite knowledge and set up,
and now I'm excited to go deeper into that world.
I wanna see the pharmacy.
I wanna see a Black ball.
There's gonna be some exciting spaces
in the scripts we've gotten that Peggy gets to explore
that we don't see in season one.
And I think that'll be special
to just continue to flesh out that world.
- You were one of many Broadway stars
in this show. - Yeah.
- So my number one question for you
is which Broadway stars do you wanna see
in season two added?
Is there any?
Dream big. - Oh my God.
This is so much pressure (Paul laughs)
'cause anyone I don't mention is gonna be like,
"Why didn't you get me (laughs) this job?"
I mean, at this point, so I've gotten to work with Audra.
Still not over it.
I'm gonna get to work with Heather Headley
in "Into the Woods." - [Paul] Yes.
- And I'm like, I don't know.
I feel like LaChanze is the whole Holy Trinity
that I'm missing. - [Paul] Sure, uh huh.
- You know what I mean?
And so, I don't know if an aunt comes to visit,
or something. - Auntie LaChanze?
- Yeah, exactly. (Paul laughs)
I feel like of of the holy Trinity of the women
that I was looking up to,
I feel like that would round out the story nicely.
- I love that, so let's talk about Heather Headley
because you're doing "Into the Woods"
- Yeah. - As part of Encores!
It's the big Encores! show this year.
They're actually doing a two-week run,
- Yeah. - So it's not
just a quick in and out.
You get to breathe a little bit in the role of Cinderella.
Now I know you grew up dreaming of playing Cinderella,
but not necessarily this Cinderella.
- [Denée] It was the Brandy/Whitney "Cinderella."
- [Paul] Right.
- I didn't know was the Rogers and Hammerstein "Cinderella."
I knew it as the Brandy/Whitney "Cinderella" (laughs),
(Paul laughs) but "Into the Woods,"
actually, it was the first show I did in high school.
- Oh, wow. - I was at a new high school.
One of my best friends made me audition for it,
and I got cast as Rapunzel.
- [Paul] Okay. - But I remember
falling in love with the show and really,
Cinderella's been a dream role for a long time,
and I just didn't think
I would ever get a chance to do it.
At the age I'm in now, I just remember "Into the Woods"
was the first time I got introduced
to the gray area of life, you know?
Like, nice is different than good.
Those things that blow your mind
when you're a kid, - Sondheim.
- and you're like, "Whoa, it is!"
(Paul laughs) You know?
And so, being at sort of this coming of age
now that I am freshly 30,
listening to Cinderella's questions about like,
"Well, how do you know it's you want until you try it?"
And you're like, "You're right!
"How do you?" (Paul laughs)
And so, I'm excited.
It's like, yeah, I'm pinching myself.
- It is incredible.
You've talked about this before,
how many things we've seen you do in period costumes.
- Yes.
- You definitely can rock a period look,
but right now you're just like cool Brooklyn girl.
- Ooh, best compliment ever!
- Do you wanna have a great role like this?
And I heard you say you wanna do a rom-com too.
- I would love to do a rom-com.
I was also obsessed with those growing up,
(Paul laughs)
but I'm also really excited
about like the fantasy space that's been happening
in Black creative world. - [Paul] Yeah.
- But yeah, just not in a corset, maybe.
I'm not gonna say no to a great opportunity,
but I just love history so much.
And I love the way media can fill in these gaps.
And there's so many gaps of amazing stories of Black women
throughout history and then future and fantasy.
And so, anything in that realm,
I think, like gets me really excited.
(upbeat music)