- Hi, I'm Ben Platt.
- Hi, I'm Amandla Stenberg.
- [Both] And this is the Wired Autocomplete interview.
[laughing]
[upbeat music]
- Where, oh-
- Wow, I'm gone.
I can't work like this, actually.
- What Ben Blatt?
[ both laughing]
- What did Ben Platt win a Tony for?
- I won a Tony for this musical called "Dear Evan Hansen."
I don't know if you've heard of it,
or if you've heard me talking about it
in the last seven to six years,
but that's what I won my Tony for.
And my whole family was there, it was a very special.
Dream come true.
- What is Ben Platt's phone number?
- That's gonna be a pass for me in terms of sharing,
terms of sharing my phone number.
I will say that I posted a picture of my dog, of George
and it had my family's phone number on his collar,
just in case he- - [Amandla] Oh no.
- Like, ever ran away.
And the story was up for like, three minutes
and then my friend texts me and was like,
"Do you realize that like,
you just gave your family's phone number to the world."
And so I really freaked out.
But thankfully everybody online
listened and stopped calling.
So, thank you.
- That's kind. - Yeah.
- It's probably because you have like,
theater kids as fans and they're pretty nice.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- Until you try to change a musical that they love,
and then they come for you. - [Amandla] Yeah.
What type of dog does Ben Platt have?
- Drum roll, have.
I have a labradoodle and his name is George.
- So cute. - Georgie Platt.
I named him for George Seurat, which is a real life artist,
a pointillist artist,
but also the main character of my favorite musical,
"Sunday In The Park With George."
And I have a big poster in my house
of "Sunday In The Park With George."
I named him that,
A, because it's my favorite musical
and B, because when he was a puppy
he had these little dots on his nose.
And so, that's why he's George.
But they're gone now cause he's a big boy.
- What song does Ben Platt sing in "The Politician"?
Oh, season two.
[Amandla laughing] - That was the twist.
The twist of season two.
Well, in season one I sing "River" by Joni Mitchell
and a song from "Assassin's",
which is a musical that Stephen Sondheim wrote.
And I sang it with Zoey Deutch.
Hi, Zoe.
Season two, oh,
season two I sang "Corner Of The Sky" from "Pippin",
which is another fave musical
and it was also my senior high school role,
in my high school musical, which was "Pippin"
and I played Pippin, so, very full circle.
And I got to sing my song "Run Away"
from my first album, "Sing To Me Instead",
on "The Politician" as well, because it was free to use.
- And it's a good song.
Thanks, hey, thanks.
Maybe someday someone will let me sing
for my second album "Reverie",
which you can get now.
Throw that thing the F outta here.
- How Amandla Stenberg? - How Amandla Stenberg?
- How is Amandla Stenberg?
- I love that that's one of the first questions.
- How is, people wanna know how you are.
- Amandla Stenberg's pretty great.
- Yeah. - I would say.
Yeah, living in New York city.
I have a home for the first time in many years-
- Mazel tov. - After bouncing around.
Just came back from Copenhagen visiting my dad.
- Fab.
- I'm doing, I'm doing pretty good, guys.
- How nice is that to hear?
How did Amandla Stenberg become an actress?
- How did I become an actress?
I started acting when I was about three or four,
'cause I wanted to be in commercials
on TV. - Pretty late in the game.
- Late in the game.
Yeah and then the first movie role that I booked
was when I was 11 or no, 8, 9, wait,
I just jumped around so much.
I was, I was nine.
I was nine and I played the younger version of Zoe Saldana
as an assassin.
- Ooh, wow.
So, pretty cool from the get-go.
How old was Amandla Stenberg in "The Hunger Games?
- I was 12. - Wow.
I remember you.
- I played Rue in the hunger games.
- Duh. - Baby Rue.
- Has anyone not seen "The Hunger Games?
- I was such a huge fan
that I wouldn't leave the casting people alone,
'cause I heard they were making a movie.
And so, I think I would call like, every single day
and then I got an audition.
I remember I had got a call back
and the casting director, Debra Zane,
she really like, was rooting for me.
So, I'm perpetually grateful to her that she told me
"Okay, when you come back for the call back,
make sure that you are dressed in character"
because she knew this would kind of like,
help me really prove to them like,
what I would be like in the world of film.
And so, I fully dressed up.
I think I had like, a little cargo pants on
and you know, the utilitarian vibe.
- Okay, you were going for it - Going for it, running it.
And I remember rolling around in the backyard before I went,
so I was covered in mud.
And then when I arrived, it was at Gary Ross's house
and he had like, all cream swayed furniture.
- Oh, no. - And I remember just like,
shuffling through his living room, you know like,
with all the other actresses there and everything.
And I think eventually I like grabbed a stool from outside
and just like, sat in the corner
'cause I was really nervous I was gonna ruin his couch.
- But instead you booked it.
- But I got the job, baby.
- Because she went all in, you guys.
Show up covered in dirt for your next audition.
- Exactly and follow your dreams.
- How tall is Amandla Stenberg in feet?
- In feet, to be specific.
I guess that means like, only Americans are curious
about how tall I am.
- Yeah, nobody else cares. - Right.
Well, Americans, I'm five feet tall and three inches,
which is a fourth of a foot.
Is Ben Platt the astronaut on "The Masked Singer"?
- No, sadly I am not the astronaut on "The Masked Singer"
nor have I ever seen or been on "The Masked Singer",
but no shade to "The Masked Singer".
- You should go on "The Masked Singer".
- I think I'm good.
I like to sing with my face showing.
If I were to go on "The Masked Singer",
I would probably just do it in drag.
So... - Yeah.
Is Ben Platt the baby in "Father Of The Bride 2"?
- Yes, yes.
- Wait, you are?
Well, I wasn't in, actually in "Father Of The Bride 2",
but we did a little "Father Of The Bride 3" short film
that Nancy Meyers made during the pandemic.
And Florence Pugh and I played the babies grown up.
So technically yes, I am the baby
in "Father Of The Bride 2", so.
- Is Ben Platt on Cameo?
- I am not on Cameo, sadly.
However, if you wanna chill or meet,
you can come to see my concert
and I can see you from the audience,
slash you could also sign up to do a meet and greet
and we can meet that way, so.
- What the heck is Cameo?
- It's like, a website where people can pay you
to like, make them video messages.
Like, I got Noah for, for like,
I don't even know what the occasion was,
maybe it was his birthday.
I got him Megan's Stalter like,
talking to him in a costume via Cameo.
Hi, Meg Stalter, you're the best.
- Oh my God.
- There's a lot of fun people on there.
- Is Ben Platt a Libra?
I actually don't know your sign.
- I am a Libra.
I'm just past the cusp, but I'm a Libra.
I'm very like, very much the mediator,
very much like, middle of the road.
- I feel that from you. - Thank you.
- Yeah, I'm a Libra-Scorpio. - Oh.
- I'm right on the cusp.
- Wait, when's your birthday?
- October 23rd.
So, I feel the Libra's energy between us.
- So do I.
- I am definitely, probably a little crazier than you.
- I'll let you have that.
[both laughing]
Whereas I am more neurotic.
- Right.
Is Ben Platt nice?
- No.
- So mean. - Really cruel.
- Look at this face, such a mean girl face.
[Ben growling]
- See.
Amandla Stenberg, just in general.
- Yeah, what's up with-
- Why was Amandla Stenberg named Amandla?
- Wow.
I was named Amandla, because Amandla
or how it's actually pronounced Amandla.
- [Ben] Amandla. - Amandla
means power in Zulu and Xhosa
and during apartheid in South Africa,
it was a very popular rallying cry.
"Amandla awaits you", which means power to the people.
- Amazing. - And my mom was like,
I'm gonna get my baby a name that means something.
- I love it.
You're the only Amandla that I know.
Why is Amandla Stenberg a role model?
- I don't know.
- Because- - Why am I a role model?
- She's unique, queer, talented,
confident, gorgeous, never before seen,
unlike anything you've ever seen in your life,
whatever that Lady Gaga quote is.
- Chew it up, put it in a blender, spit it out.
[both laughing]
- Is Amandla Stenberg vegan?
- No.
I love that that's like a question that people have.
Never in my life could I be vegan.
- You love meat?
- It's not even that I love meat,
I don't have the maturity, in terms of my eating habits
to ensure I would be getting all the nutrients and vitamins
that I would need if I was vegan.
- Absolutely, absolutely.
Also I love burgers.
Amandla Stenberg fun facts.
Don't you just have like 10 fun facts about yourself
ready to go at all times?
- Fun fact, fun fact.
When I was younger,
I used to voice-over people's voices in movies,
because like, I was good at watching the ADR on the screen
and figuring out the rhythm of how people were speaking
and then replicating it.
- Do you know like, if we went back and like,
watched one of them, where I would find your voice?
- "Why Did I Get Married Too?"
- Guys.
- But I always felt kind of bad, cause I was like,
damn, some actress is gonna go see the movie
and it's gonna be my voice.
- Well, if it's good ADR they probably can't tell.
But does that, does that also mean-
- They, I think the actor can probably tell.
- Does that mean you could also
win a lip sync for your life, you think?
- Yes. - Okay, cool.
It's actually my dream to lip-sync for my life.
- Mine too.
Amandla Stenberg violin.
- Violin, yes I play the violin.
- What?
I don't think I knew that. - You didn't know that?
- That's sick. - Yeah, I play the violin.
I used to be a part of a folk band, embarrassing.
- Oh, that I did know.
- And I still play the violin,
but now I don't play folk music.
I kind of play random, weird,
I don't know, punkish sort of stuff.
- So you're gonna play at the premiere?
You gonna do a performance?
- Never in my life would I do that.
[both laughing]
- How high can Ben Platt sing?
- Wow.
- Do you know the note you can sing too?
You must, right?
- Well, I don't know how high I can sing like, period.
I would say like in a chest voice,
which means like full voice belted,
on a great day, I can sing like, a C or a C sharp,
but on like a, any given day, probably like, B flat.
So, for anyone that cares to know that.
- Giving us that half step detail.
Where, oh.
- Wow, I'm gone.
I can't work like this, actually.
- I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry, that was so embarrassing.
- This is actually really painful cardboard, so.
- Sorry, I feel like a monster.
- The edges are really sharp.
- Where did Ben Platt go to summer camp?
- Well, I went to Camp Vermont, California in Ohio,
which is a Jewish summer camp.
Which is basically like a regular summer camp,
except like, you wear kippah's,
which is like, the little Jewish hats
and you like do prayers sometimes.
But the highlight of my camp experience was color wars,
which is where the whole camp is divided into four teams
of like a hundred kids each.
And then you fight in like, sports competitions,
but more importantly in giant cheers and skits.
And so when I was the captain of the red team,
we had gorgeous productions for every one of our cheers
and we did win, so.
- Why did Ben Platt leave "Dear Evan Hansen"?
- Well, I had been working on the show
for like three, four years.
I did all the readings, all the workshops,
I did the Washington DC production,
the off-Broadway second stage production
and then I did the Broadway production for a year
and it was wonderful, fulfilling, beautiful experience,
but very taxing, physically, emotionally, mentally,
all that stuff.
And just not super sustainable to continue to do
eight times a week, longer than that.
So, I really wanted to leave while I still was standing
and was still being able to give a full performance
and before I, you know, weared myself out too hard,
but then I got to come back and do the movie.
Very lucky. - Yes, you-
Can I lean on you, Ben Platt?
- Yeah, you can, anytime.
♪ Sometimes in your life ♪
♪ We all have pain ♪
[both laughing]
Okay, how far are we going with it?
- The most important card of all.
Dear Evan Hansen. - Dear Evan Hansen.
- We've been way to out of touch.
Okay, is "Dear Evan Hansen" a musical?
What do you think? - Yes.
- Hardcore.
Lot of songs, great songs, Pasek and Paul songs
and one Pasek and Paul Stenberg song.
Is "Dear Evan Hansen" fiction or non-fiction.
- I feel like there are many non-fiction elements of it.
- Totally, there's a lot of- - But yes,
it's a fictional story.
- It is, it is totally fictional in terms of the story,
but inspired by a lot of contemporary truths
that are non-fiction.
But fiction, there's no Evan Hansen,
except for the character.
Who wrote "Dear Evan Hansen" music?
Pasek and Paul wrote it, brilliant songwriters
who also wrote the musical "Dogfight",
the songs in "La La Land", "Greatest Showman"
and then there's one new song that Amandla wrote with them.
It's exciting. - You gotta stop
plugging this. - It's so cool.
It's cool. - Thank you.
- What is the message of "Dear Evan Hansen"?
- There's a lot of messages.
Well, I think there's a different messages
for different people.
- What's your fave message?
- My fave message, is that contending with mental health
is a universal experience and something that
so many more of us than you would maybe assume
are dealing with and going through.
And it's okay to not be okay.
You have value as a human being,
regardless of if you're at a high, high or at a low, low.
And you are deserving of love.
- That's beautiful.
And I agree.
What did the "Dear Evan Hansen" letter say?
Well, there's several letters throughout the film.
- Right.
- But the kind of hero letter is,
"Dear Evan Hansen, today's going to be a good day
and here's why".
Because all you have to do is just be yourself.
And usually it ends with "Sincerely me",
which is also the name of one of the songs in the movie.
I feel like I learned a lot about you.
I learned what Amandla means,
I learned that you play violin.
- I learned that you were the baby in-
- Oh, "Father Of The Bride".
- In "Father Of The Bride".
Oh no, but you did that with Florence Pugh.
I gotta check that out.
I think I actually knew a lot of the other stuff about you.
- Thanks so much Wired. - Thank you so much Wired.
Mwah.