“I love a guilty pleasure. I was raised Mormon so we love feeling guilty.”

What is the trippiest aspect about working on a period piece like The Gilded Age?

I started filming The Gilded Age in November of 2020, before vaccinations had come out and when we were always wearing masks everywhere. On my first day of shooting, I showed up, got dressed in my 19th century duds and got on set with Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski. But when we rehearsed the scenes, we kept our masks on. Which meant that the first time I saw their faces, two women who both intimidate and inspire me, was when the cameras were rolling. It felt like an alternate reality or a dream. I was really stuck in my head for the first few takes thinking “what the hell is going on and why is Christine Baranski talking to me??”

Does Patti LuPone smoke weed?

Patti LuPone is the queen of my heart and I’m sure at some point in her life she has probably smoked weed. Here’s an awesome Patti LuPone sidebar: she has a dressing room at the theater that she has turned into a bar just for the cast and crew. She stocks it with booze and snacks and we all go there to drink together after shows. A few weeks ago she bought a popcorn maker and she makes popcorn for everyone. It’s pretty magical. She’s just the best. We have the same birthday and she says that means, and I quote: “we’re soul mates.”

Boxers, briefs or underwear is a construct?

I change my underwear several times a day. I have my gym underwear - tight boxer briefs, regular underwear - usually briefs, then I get to the theater and put on the under-underwear that holds my mic pack (at the back, not in the package) and then over that I wear the custom underwear they made me for COMPANY, which are pretty amazing. I also go commando. It just depends.

Fully Indica. But Sativa every once in a while. Usually I find that I need to relax and unwind, especially after a performance. So that’s definitely what I go for. Preferably baked into a treat.

Guilty Pleasures?

I love a guilty pleasure. I was raised Mormon so we love feeling guilty. But I have too many guilty pleasures to list in a single column. So I will list a top five for you: cinnamon rolls, 90s sitcoms, expensive tequila, friends that you know are bad for you and TikTok. Probably in that order.

Most influential actor to you?

Honestly, and I’m not just sucking up to her because she’s my co-star, but Cynthia Nixon. There’s this legendary story of her doing two Broadway shows at once - she would do the first act of one play then run across the street and do the second act of a different play. That’s not why, but damn, it’s a great story. I love the broad spectrum of things she does and characters she plays. She also has a rich personal life which is something I really respect. There are actors who I look up to - Dustin Hoffman probably most of all. But Cynthia is a person that I love and an actor that amazes me.