Curious to learn more about how Debra Messing went from daydreaming about
Broadway to becoming one of the world's biggest stars? Join us as we explore the "Will & Grace"
star's incredible transformation from unknown performer to well-known actor and podcaster.
Debra Messing was born in 1968 and grew up in the town of East
Greenwich in a rural environment. As she told The Guardian in 2015,
"I grew up next to a farm in Rhode Island, and no one ever left."
Messing's parents were her first inspiration,
teaching her the importance of hard work and discipline, and she told The Gentlewoman,
"My father was in charge of sales at a jewelry manufacturing company
and I don't recall him ever missing a day of work. My mother was a wonderful singer who
recorded albums when she was a teenager as part of an all-girl quartet called the Brookstones."
As Messing explained, her parents taught her that she could do anything she wanted to do,
if she put in the work.
Debra Messing caught the acting bug at an early age. She explained to The Gentlewoman
that it all began when her parents took her to see Broadway shows as a child. She recalled,
"I remember levitating off my seat, amazed that there were these people,
arm's length away, singing and dancing. It's always been magic to me."
Messing saw "Annie" when she was 7. As she told Variety,
"I remember it just blowing my mind."
She instantly knew that theater was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life,
and her parents gave her their full support. Messing recalled to The Guardian,
"My late mother always said: 'Someone's got to do it, why not you?'"
Throughout her life, Messing remembered her mother's supportive words,
and she kept persevering with her dream. Messing went on to
act in numerous high school plays and take acting classes throughout her childhood.
After completing a bachelor's degree at Brandeis University, Debra Messing got a Master's in Acting
at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Messing told Variety that the course focused on the classic
playwrights, citing Shakespeare, Pinter, and Ibsen. The class also put on one of the first
workshop performances of Tony Kushner's famous play "Angels in America," with Messing as part
of the cast. An agent happened to see her performance and signed her then and there.
After graduating with an agent already in tow, Debra Messing quickly got her first few acting
jobs in regional theater companies, which was exactly what she had wanted. She told Variety,
"At that point, my goal became to work in all of the best regional
theaters in the country and play all of the great female roles."
Her first role was in Seattle where she performed in the famous Oscar Wilde play "The Importance
of Being Earnest." Her next role was in an off-Broadway play called "Four Dogs and a Bone."
Then she starred in the off-Broadway play "The Naked Truth," and she later
appeared in another off-Broadway play called "Collected Stories."
And not too long afterwards, Messing was starring in "Will & Grace."
Debra Messing had already done a few TV roles before landing "Will & Grace."
Her big break was in "NYPD Blue." She told Imagista,
"It was the most exciting, surprising, validating thing that had happened to me."
She also appeared in "Seinfeld," and a film called "A Walk in the Clouds."
She landed the role of Stacey in the show "Ned & Stacey," and a role in "Prey." So,
when her agents put her up for "Will & Grace," she was pretty tired. Messing joked to Variety,
"I told them I was going to sleep for three months and to call me then."
Although she was initially hesitant, she eventually agreed to meet the team,
and the rest is history. "Will & Grace" was a hit, and Messing was suddenly a star. At first,
it wasn't easy getting recognized. In fact, it would be several years
before she got the hang of it. Nevertheless, Grace became Messing's career-defining role.
"Immediately, as soon as we started acting together, it was just effortless."
"Will & Grace" first began airing in 1998, and it was a time that wasn't particularly
kind to its female stars. In fact, unrealistic beauty standards were prevalent in the industry,
and starring in a primetime show took a huge toll on Messing's self-image
and resulted in an eating disorder. As she explained on Jameela Jamil's podcast "I Weigh,"
"When I started 'Will & Grace,' I was a size 8, and what happened was,
every time I would go in for a fitting, I couldn't fit into clothes."
Messing felt that she was letting people down because of her weight.
She started to think that she should try to lose weight so that the show's costume
designers would have an easier job. Messing began a restrictive diet and a strict exercise regimen,
and although she continued to lose weight, she never felt good enough.
In 2004, Debra Messing gave birth to her only child, Roman. For Messing, having just one
child felt like the right option, as it meant that she could balance her work life with the demands
of raising her son. However, it wasn't always easy striking a balance between work and home.
Initially, Messing felt guilty about leaving her son in order to work. But,
over time, she learned that striking a balance was important. She told Parents,
"Work does feed me in a very important way that nothing else
does, and I do believe I am a better mother when I am working."
Eventually, Messing found a way to do both at once,
by bringing her son to set with her while filming. She told Today,
"The great thing is that he's literally grown up on the set
since 'Will & Grace,' so it's his second home."
Apparently, he even got involved in calling "action" and making a few casting suggestions.
Even though "Will & Grace" is Debra Messing's best-known work, she has taken numerous
interesting roles over the years. One year after "Will & Grace" ended,
Messing played Molly in "The Starter Wife." Then she took a short break, and at the time, was picky
about which projects she wanted to take. Her next role was in "Smash," and she told Variety,
"That pilot was the best I'd read,
and that was the only thing that I felt strongly enough that I would move for."
One year later, she signed onto the show "The Mysteries of Laura." The dramatic cop
show couldn't have been more different to "Will & Grace," which suited her well, as she told Today,
"It has everything for me. I mean it really does keep me
on my toes and it keeps me creatively interested."
Messing also starred in a TV remake of "Dirty Dancing" as Baby's mother in 2017.
Debra Messing married Daniel Zelman in 2000, after meeting him in the '90s while
earning her master's in New York. After an 11-year marriage and a 20-year relationship,
the pair parted ways in 2011. As Messing's representative told People at the time,
"The decision was mutual, and they remain supportive of one another
and committed to raising their son as a family."
For Messing, the split was as amiable as it could be.
In an interview with Ladies Home Journal, she said,
"I am at peace with the journey we've had. I feel like the 20 years we had together has been a huge success.
And despite the fact that everything is changing, I think everyone is thriving."
She also confirmed that she and her ex-husband
were completely focused on what was best for their son.
When Debra Messing began her career, social media was yet to be invented. Of course, these days,
it's become a big part of our culture, so Messing has rolled with the times and
started using social media to stand up for her beliefs. As she explained to InStyle,
"It would just really go against my nature to have
this platform and to just sort of sit back and ignore it."
For instance, in 2017, she criticized The New York Times on Twitter, claiming that she'd
canceled her subscription to the paper because of an article that she saw as being pro-Trump.
In 2017, "Will & Grace" returned for a long-awaited reboot. For Debra Messing,
the chance to step into Grace's shoes once again was a pleasure.
Not only did Messing get to play Grace again, but she also got to improve the character,
and she convinced the producers to make her character a proud feminist. For Messing,
the reboot came at the perfect time, as she told InStyle,
"There's a sense of gratitude for this show because things in our country are so divisive,
confusing, and scary."
"Literally a family has come back together again and we're just doing round two."
Of course, it took Messing a little while before she felt like she could play Grace again.
At first, she'd look down at herself in Grace's clothes
or up at the "Will & Grace" set and wonder what she was doing back there. She told PopSugar,
"That was a very kind of scary, uncomfortable feeling."
Apparently, after getting back into some physical comedy,
she started to feel more at home in the role.
"People do want to hear more from this foursome."
For many women, aging is something to be feared, but for Debra Messing,
it's something to celebrate. As she explained to Page Six, getting older had made her
re-evaluate her lifestyle. She gave herself a more restrictive diet, cutting out sugar,
alcohol, fried food, coffee, dairy, gluten, and grain, telling the publication,
"It was a lot at first. It was very difficult."
Clearly, it paid off, as the actress said that she felt incredible by the time she reached 50.
As she told InStyle in 2019, she was surprised that she felt "fantastic" on her 50th birthday,
as turning 40 hadn't been nearly as good. On her 50th birthday,
she posted a picture on Instagram, writing,
"This is 50. And I feel pretty good about it."
She went on to explain how her supportive group of friends had made the day feel special
and how her father and her son were with her on her big day. She wrote,
"I feel lucky, blessed, & very grateful for the many generous souls in my life."
Theater was Debra Messing's first love, and even though she became a TV star,
she was always drawn to the stage. Speaking with PlayMakers Repertory in 2020, she said,
"I love the theater. The theater challenges us and it makes us feel connected to humanity,
and any chance I get, I try to get back on stage."
In 2020, Messing did get a chance to return with the play "Birthday Candles,"
an experience that looked to be one of the most memorable and challenging of her career. In fact,
her character spans age 17 to 107 in the play and she never once exits the stage. The actress
explained that the role had jumped out at her from the beginning, and she told Broadway Direct,
"I have never been presented with a challenge like this, and I probably never will again.
But when something scares the bejesus out of me, that's when I know I have to do it."
The performance was delayed due to the pandemic until Spring 2022, which will give Messing even
more time to prepare for the role. While Grace Adler may be her most recognizable character,
this will probably be one more part she'll always remember, too.
In addition to her acting career, Debra Messing has been busy podcasting.
Messing co-founded the podcast "The Dissenters." As the official website explains,
"These Dissenters will give you the courage and hope to find your purpose
and chase your passion. There are heroes everywhere. Discover them. Become one."
Understandably, being the interviewer rather than the interviewee was a new,
but rewarding experience. As Messing explained to Entertainment Tonight,
"I've always been a really curious person. It's extraordinary to be able to have these [...]
incredibly inspiring people sit in a room with me and they have to answer all my questions."
She went on to explain that the experience had been hugely fulfilling
and offered her a brand new perspective and outlet after her decades of acting.
The podcast also gave her the chance to become more political than ever.
By the sounds of things, Debra Messing's transformation is just beginning.
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