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Hes not wrong; Mendez, as the kindhearted Carrie Pipperidge,isdelightful.
You want to be friends with her.
You want toeat some clamswith her.
You want to take her by the hand and chat about love and men and the world.
Congratulations on the nomination.
How does that feel?I was definitely surprised and Im so proud to just be inCarousel.
They were like, Can you come back and do it for our producer in half hour?
I did and then I left the building and on my walk to the subway they called me.
So, it was the quickest job Ive ever gotten.
Those things dont exactly scream me, at least not my perception of me.
I didnt really see myself in that.
I tend to thrive best when Im terrified, so I thought, why not?
Yes, its definitely in one of those books.
I think thats what was so fun.
you’ve got the option to tell that theres fear there.
I definitely dont think about it as an audition song anymore.
Carrie Pipperidge is something of a star-maker role.
I knew she played it, but I didnt know it was her first Tony Award.
I thought that would just wreck me, because I worship her and shes such a legend.
Oh, same.I didnt really know that, to be honest with you.
That wasnt a part of my thinking going into the role of Carrie.
Whats it like working with Jessie Mueller and Renee Fleming every night?Oh my god, yes.
I was the last person to be cast in the show.
I think everyones just happy to do their part and be alongside everyone else.
Shes always my cheerleader and telling me, Just keep breathing and you’re free to do it.
Her and Jessie both gave me a ton of confidence going into the theater.
Theyre New Englanders, theyre from Maine and the dialect is written into the text.
Also there are no Rs in the Maine accent.
In California, we talk more horizontally, in Maine its much more lateral.
Ive never done a dialect in a show before.
I really got to start more from scratch with Carrie.
This feels much more manageable, vocally and stamina-wise.
I have to ask about the flying.
I had to figure out how to make that work.
I couldnt watch that.
I thought, Well, were gonna give them a new version.
I think in a way it helps, it feels so direct.
We have those moments where Carrie holds Julie to task and Im thrilled that we did that.
Someone on her side.
Carrie seems like a complete 180 from Rose, the role you originated in Pasek and PaulsDogfight.
She actually gets a happy ending.Shes so different from Rose.
I have never played someone who wins at life.
I just fell in love with the story and with her.
Theres a similar vibe toCarouselin 2018.
Was that ever a thought that crossed your mind?There was so much emotional response toDogfight.
To say, how do you feel about that?
To send an audience away being like, you think about that.
Form an opinion and have an emotional response.
Interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
