Dylan Mulvaney says Wicked’s Kristin Chenoweth made her musical theatre dreams ‘possible’
Dylan Mulvaney has recalled how Kristin Chenoweth inspired her to pursue a career on the stage. (Getty)
Dylan Mulvaney has recalled how Wicked’s Kristin Chenoweth made her musical theatre dreams “possible”.
The trans-activist-come award-winning actress is set to make her West End debut later this year and has spoken about how the iconic Broadway star gave a 12-year-old Mulvaney the confidence to pursue a career on the stage.
The FAGHAG star took to MTV UK’s Queerpiphany to describe how the theatre – more specifically, the Wicked musical soundtrack – became a safe space for her while navigating her identity as a young trans person.
“I would listen to the Wicked cast album on repeat, and Kristin was the Glinda on that album,” she explained, noting that Chenoweth had already wrapped her tenure as the Good Witch by that time.
“But at the time Kristin was in a show called Promises Promises on Broadway and I was writing her fan letters and I asked her to coffee,” Mulvaney continued. “At this point, I’m probably 12, as a 12-year-old does.” Eventually, young Mulvaney got a response from her idol.
“Crazy enough, I get an email that was like, ‘Kristin has never received a better letter in her life. No, she can’t go to coffee with you, but she’d like to bring you backstage at Promises Promises.
“We go see the show, she brings us backstage, she’s like, ‘You’re going to sing with me one day and you’re going to do this with your life, I already know it.’ She basically was like, ‘Go with God and do musical theatre, and I will see you on the stage.’”
Mulvaney explained that the musical star’s comments had a profound impact on her career trajectory, as well as her journey with faith and coming out as trans. “Even when I was struggling with my identity and coming out and navigating my puberty and my adolescence, I always came back to theatre.
“Kristin helped make that idea possible,” she said. “What really inspired me was that she has such a unique special relationship with a higher power and faith, and she loves queer people, but she also loves church.
“I grew up very religious, and so for me, she kind of was the thing that felt like I was allowed to be both and that maybe a God could love me.”
The full episode of Dylan Mulvaney’s Queerpiphany is on MTV UK’s YouTube channel now.
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