Four days before Ben Platt鈥檚 birthday, he鈥檚 come to meet me at Hell鈥檚 Kitchen Park on Tenth Avenue. He鈥檚 about to turn 23鈥攂ut it鈥檚 鈥�17 if anybody asks,鈥� he says slyly.
That鈥檚 because as of November 14 he zipped up his backpack, grabbed his notebook and headed back to high school鈥攖he one within Broadway鈥檚 Music Box Theatre, where he plays Evan in Dear Evan Hansen, the story of a teen ridden with anxiety who has always felt invisible.
Platt, himself, is far from invisible. All eyes are on him as he originates his first Broadway role in a completely new musical鈥攐ne that鈥檚 not based on a book or a film; one that stems from the minds of Tony-nominated songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book writer Steven Levenson. And the role is tailor-made for the actor filling his shoes.
On this particular day, Platt is dressed much like his character鈥攃lean-shaven, blue polo, sneakers鈥攁s he straddles a wooden bench to chat about the parallels between Evan Hansen and Ben Platt. Excluding the outfit, they seem quite different. Platt is charismatic and walks with his head held high, but on the inside, he feels what Evan does.
鈥淭he only real adversity鈥攖hus far, knock on wood鈥攖hat I鈥檝e really had in life, personally, is anxiety,鈥� he confesses. 鈥淚鈥檝e dealt with it in different ways. I鈥檝e dabbled in medication and therapy and a lot of things that Evan tries, so that was a really nice window into him to begin with because that鈥檚 a part of him that I think is the most relatable to people. [The character], very easily, can feel inauthentic and 鈥榮urface-y鈥� because if you just say, 鈥楾his is an anxious kid,鈥� there are physical manifestations of that鈥攈e bites his nails, and he doesn鈥檛 look people in the eye for very long. But because I at least know where to draw from, it can end up feeling realer.鈥�
The performance that he carefully crafted has earned him raves for the world-premiere production in Washington, D.C., and the subsequent Off-Broadway mounting at Second Stage Theatre鈥攁 Drama League Award and now a Tony nomination. His Evan Hansen is awkward, timid, shy and self-conscious, until family and friends fall into his lap鈥攂y way of a teenage suicide, a confessional letter and an explosive white lie.
Platt鈥檚 high school experience was a bit different. He went to Harvard-Westlake, a co-ed preparatory school in Los Angeles, and loved the theatre department. It was the stage that calmed his nerves and where he鈥檇 eventually find a permanent home. By 20, having already filmed the hit movie Pitch Perfect, about a collegiate a cappella group, he debuted on Broadway in The Book of Mormon.
鈥淲hen I started to live on my own for the first time after high school when I was doing Pitch Perfect and Book of Mormon,鈥� he says, 鈥淸my anxiety] kind of spiked in a general sense. 鈥� I think what鈥檚 helped me the most, at least to this point, is taking things day by day and putting things into really literal perspective. 鈥� When I can hold onto something really logical and specific, it kind of takes my fear away.
鈥淚 also have a lot of hypochondriacal anxiety: Every time I had a muscle pain in my side, [I鈥檇 think], 鈥榃ell, I have a tumor, and I have cancer, and I should go to four doctors and get all these tests.鈥� That鈥檚 something that鈥檚 not fun because it occupies my mind at times when I have so many better things to be thinking about鈥� and one thing I really love about doing this show is that when I鈥檓 doing this part, for some reason, that all quiets down. Because I care so much about the project, I don鈥檛 really have energy to spend anywhere else, so I find that when I leave the theatre and go home, I don鈥檛 lay awake thinking about all the different things that may be wrong with my body or all the different dangerous places I might be going. I just have a quiet mind, which I really appreciate.鈥�
But the buzz around town (including talk of the far-off awards season) is far from quiet about the highly anticipated new musical and Platt鈥檚 portrayal of the central character.
鈥淚t鈥檚 motivating, for sure,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd I want to live up to people鈥檚 expectations. 鈥� It鈥檚 something that I鈥檝e dreamed about since I was a kid, and to even be in the conversation is a dream, especially this young. I didn鈥檛 think it would happen so quickly.
鈥淭he moment when I felt like I really was starting to be respected and accepted in the theatre community, which is what I always hoped for, was after D.C. when people first got to see Evan. 鈥� I felt like a player in this community that I always wanted to be a player in. I hope to keep doing good on that promise and earning my spot.鈥�
Michael Gioia is the Features Manager at 半岛体育.com. Follow him on Twitter at .
