Audra McDonald: The Power of Taking On Work That Scares You

Audra McDonald (Master Class, Ragtime, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill) has won six Tony Awards--more performance wins than any other theater actor. (She's also won two Grammys and one Emmy along the way.) Still, each new role she takes scares her. Audra tells Guy why that fear is actually essential to her work, about her never-ending quest to know her characters better, and how it felt to have her friend and mentor Stephen Sondheim publicly pan one of her shows. Links from the show:Excerpts of Audra and Zoe Caldwell in Master Class Audra singing "Summertime" from her role as Bess in The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess Audra performing Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" from Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & GrillAudra performing the song "Say No to This" from Hamilton in the voice of Billie Holiday Playbill pick of 13 Audra performances on the occasion of her birthday 2020 New Yorker interview with Audra More on Audra's forthcoming role in Ohio State Murders See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Om Podcasten

Become a more inventive, imaginative you. Every week, Guy Raz (creator of How I Built This) leads a deep dive conversation with someone at the top of their game. From conquering stage fright to learning to be more present and focused, you'll learn how each guest mastered their craft and ultimately became more successful in life. The result? An arsenal of tools and techniques you can apply to your own life and work, allowing you to harness your talent and become a better version of yourself.