-Ben Platt, thank you so much for being here.
I appreciate it, buddy.
How are you doing, and where are you quarantined, bud?
-I'm quarantined in L.A., in my childhood home,
in my childhood bedroom, with my parents.
-No. -Of course. Of course.
Yeah, I'm a New Yorker, usually, but I --
You know, I wanted to get to some space, and so
I've been in the teenage room
and reverting slowly to my teenage self.
But doing -- doing just fine.
-What was the first thing that's kind of, like, weirded you out?
Are you sleeping in the same bedroom, or no?
-The same bed that I grew up in, yeah.
I mean, I -- I -- I have, like,
started eating cereal in the morning again.
There's, like, centerpieces from my bar mitzvah still in my room.
-[ Laughs ]
-All of my, like, "Pippin" musical posters.
Nothing has changed. It's very untouched.
-This is, like, where you -- We talked about this --
where you kind of got your bug,
and you were doing the Broadway shows in your backyard,
or something, I read? -Yeah, we have, like, a little
platform in the backyard that, like, in my eyes,
works really beautifully as a stage.
So that's where I did all of my productions growing up.
I did, like, you know, "Lion King" with a bunch of kids
from my first-grade class that I could, like,
convince to come over on the weekends and perform.
-First grade?
-I got four or five of them to show up.
And, like, even when there were only five kids,
I was like, "We got to make sure that one of these kids
is playing young Simba and one is playing old Simba,"
'cause you gotta see that transition.
-You're a producer. Wow.
-So, like, you know, "We don't have enough
for Timon and Pumbaa, but it doesn't matter.
As long as there's a moment where young Simba
becomes old Simba. I feel like that was --
-And how would that moment -- how would that moment happen?
-Well, still -- I had the one kid was on stage,
because he had done the beginning of the show.
He was young Simba. And then we pulled a bunch
of flower petals out of my mom's garden.
Just ravaged her stuff. And just threw them on him,
and then the other kid ran in and switched with him.
It was very theatrical.
Really beautiful directorial choice, I think.
-Yeah. And I'm sure your mom was happy
that you ripped up her garden, too.
-Absolutely thrilled. Yeah, she loves --
she loves when stuff gets ripped up.
But, yeah, that's where I got bit, yeah.
-Hey, I wanted to ask you about "Dear Evan Hansen."
I know we talked about this, and, man,
you were fantastic in this play. -Thanks, man.
-But there were rumors that "Dear Evan Hansen"
could be a film, and you would be in the film.
Is this happening?
-Well, I mean, we're kind of in this weird, like,
COVID limbo where kind of anything can happen.
It's something we definitely have been trying
to get together and make happen.
I know Universal really wants to make the film,
and, you know, it's kind of a toss-up at this point,
just based on, "Can we do it safely,
and can we get it together in time?"
And, you know, some of us are getting
a little long in the tooth.
So I think it's, like, kind of a now-or-never kind of thing.
But I'm hoping -- I'm hopeful that it can come together
and we can find a safe way to do it.
And, you know, you'll be the first to know,
but as of now, it could really go either way.
But I think it could be a beautiful thing still.
We'll see. -People would love it.
I mean -- I mean, I think once people see what's gonna happen
with "Hamilton," everyone will be going,
"Yeah, we should have filmed this."
I mean, you were unbelievable.
By the way, what's going on with the 'stache?
I can't believe I haven't brought this up.
This is unbelievable. -I just figured now or never.
-I'm gonna give it a standing ovation, if you don't mind.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you. Here's a close-up of the 'stache.
Thank you. -What are the reviews?
-Well, I've always wanted to do it.
I've been afraid to do it, and I figured, like,
quarantine, now-or-never kind of thing.
My boyfriend, Noah, really likes it,
so it makes me really like it.
And certainly, if we did the "Evan Hansen" movie,
this would go away, but for now...
-You got to show range. You gotta show your range.
It could be like a fast-forward scene of "Dear Evan Hansen."
-Nice. He's like a grown, kind of '70s dude.
Yeah. -Yeah, looking back,
and it's like a "Stand By Me." You can narrate the whole thing.
I grew a mustache last summer -- No, two summers ago.
And I called it the Summer of 'Stache.
I was very excited about it. And universally panned.
-[ Laughs ] -Like, globally.
-They don't get it. But that's okay.
It makes me like it a little more, I think.
-You have to do it. You gotta do it.
I mean, when you're much older, you'll be like,
"Look how young and cool --
I look like a stud. I had a cool mustache."
It's awesome, it's fun. -[ Laughs ]
-I want to say also, thank you for what you're doing
with your activism, as well. -Of course.
-I see you on that, not on your socials,
but just in the news and everywhere.
You've been to a few protests,
and you've been donating a lot of money to different causes.
What's your thought on everything that's going on?
-I mean, it's wild. I think it's been incredibly
eye-opening for me the way it has for everybody
in a lot of different ways, particularly white people.
I think that, you know, it's been a really important thing
to come to terms with the difference between just avoiding
being an active racist and being an active anti-racist.
And I think figuring out the difference between
being actively an ally and accomplice
versus just sort of being neutral is really important
and something that goes really overlooked,
particularly in something that's so systemic and so pervasive.
And I think, no matter how pure your intentions or sort of
how benevolent you feel like you are as a white person,
there is just something innate and inherent that we have to
kind of take ownership of and sort of act against.
And so, that's been a really nice wake-up call, I think.
And for me, it's just been all about making sure
I'm amplifying the right voices --
you know, the black leaders and activists that have been
fighting this same fight for a lot longer
than just these past couple months
and who know a lot more about
the ins and outs of all of this than we do
and making sure those are the voices
we're following and listening to
and not speaking before I understand
what I'm really saying and...
-People have the questions about --
Obviously, there's places to go.
But you can start with Ben's social.
Ben Platt, he's got a lot of good spots that...
-Thanks. -...open your eye a little bit
and have you start thinking
how to make the world a better place.
-Speaking of that, "The Politician," season two.
We just had your co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow,
on the show a couple of weeks ago.
Yeah, oh, my God, yeah.
She was just so hard to talk to and deal with.
But she gave you rave reviews, buddy.
Rave reviews, as everyone does.
Everyone who talks about you, they have nothing --
Like, "Watch out for this guy. He's unbelievable."
-Thanks, man.
-But explain what's happening this season.
-Yeah, of course. Payton -- So, yeah.
The whole first season was kind of like this backstory,
setting up this character of Payton,
who's like this crazy, egomaniac, passionate politician
who wants to be the leader and wants to be the president,
and it was this whole kind of high-school-drama madness.
And now, you know, he's a bit older.
All the characters are a bit older.
They're in their 20s.
I miraculously get to play my own age,
which is a bizarre new experience for me.
And it's all about a state Senate race in New York
where Payton's running against Dede Standish,
whose played by Judith Light.
She's, like, been in that seat for 13 consecutive terms,
and he's the first person to challenge her in a long time.
And her campaign manager is, of course,
Bette Midler, who plays Hadassah gold,
which is just, you know, very casual to have Bette Midler
just, like, giving an all-in comedic performance next to you.
-Judith Light and Bette Midler, two -- two legends.
So now you're going for Senate with --
Your dreams are to become the president, really.
-Yes, that's -- yes, yes.
Yeah, no. So, yeah, it's all about state Senate.
It's obviously somewhat fantastical.
And the nice thing about it coming out in this moment
is that it's pretty much an escape.
I mean, there's a few things that obviously are relevant.
There's an episode about cancel culture,
and there's a bit about, like, activating young people to vote,
which I think Is a really powerful and fantastic message.
But other than that, it's just really kind of
kooky, bizarre, fun, sharp.
It's a really nice little 3 1/2-hour escape.
-Ben Platt, you're awesome.
Thank you so much for doing the show.
I really appreciate it. And you rock.
Thanks, bud. -Thanks, dude.