In Conversation With Laura Dreyfuss of 'The Politician'
In our efforts to keep ROSE & IVY original, I am delighted that an array of talented women with upcoming projects are helping us maintain our integrity by photographing themselves home.
Laura Dreyfuss, the multi-talented actress, singer and songwriter, talks about powerful lessons learned in nature, the art and dedication of performing, the new season of The Politician and the importance of lifting up a younger generation.
Laura was photographed on location in South Africa by
Interview by Alison Engstrom
It’s so great to meet you Laura! What brings you to South Africa?
I came here the day we finished filming The Politician on February 29th. My boyfriend, who is South African, was the best man at his best friend’s wedding. We went to the wedding in the first week of March, and there were no covid cases at all in South Africa, so we felt like it was okay. It was that weird moment in time before it seemed insane to do something like that. There were about 250 guests, who were all flying in from New York and LA, who connected to flights in London and all of the major hubs—half of the wedding got sick including myself and my boyfriend. Now South Africa is shut down and they aren’t opening the borders. I could get on a repatriation flight if I tried really hard, but there is so much uncertainty and I don’t know what I am going back to. It’s really great to have this time with my boyfriend and his family. We were sick for six days with all of the symptoms. The scariest part was not knowing how the scale was going to tip. We knew so little then, but we recovered on March 20th.
That’s so scary, you arE the fiRst perSon i’ve talked to that actually had thE virus. I’m so glad you are okay. Are you in Cape Town?
No, we are in the Garden Route, it’s a small little beach town where his family lives. It’s about three hours from Cape Town.
I’ve been thinking over the past few months that it’s such a rarity in our adulthood to get to spend so much time for example, with family.
It is and I think it makes you take a step back. I think people are acknowledging what actually matters. I find a lot of people in the city, now that most people are working remotely if they can, are asking why they are living in a big city if they don’t have to. Part of what makes New York so special is that there is nothing like it but I think people are looking around and thinking maybe I want nature. Maybe I want my family and community to feel peace every day.
That sounds like what i am THINKING. How are you staying grounded during this time period?
It’s strange, you see people being afraid and I feel like I missed that because I had it, but staying grounded has still been a challenge. There is so much uncertainty about the future and about everything. I think, we as people, like to feel like we are in control even though we fully acknowledge we are not. We still desire the framework. The first seven weeks of lockdown, we were in Johannesburg and that was a different vibe, we were in a city and it was a lot scarier because we didn’t know enough. When they gave us the go-ahead, we got in the car and drove 15 hours to where his family was because we wanted to be with them. We are by the ocean, it feels like such a privilege to have this environment. I am such a hippy, but if you look at the waves, you see that the ocean will always be there, hopefully, if we don’t kill the planet. There is something so permanent about nature and realizing that the earth isn’t going anywhere even though we feel so out of control as the human race. The earth is still here and will continue to be here long after we are gone. Having that reminder and being in nature is really important. I think maybe why people, who want to leave these big cities, are realizing that they want that reminder that the earth is a constant and we are just visitors in a way.
I really love that. How is it being away from America with all that is going on here with social injustice?
It was really hard, it still is. I think I started to notice through social media after the George Floyd video came out and then the Amy Cooper video on the same day, that it hit the world in a way that it hadn’t before. There is a strange feeling, going okay, now everyone is waking up. I don’t know why it took this long. I am also asking questions to myself like, how can I be a better human, how can I help create a world that benefits everyone. Feeling very far away from it, I felt a little bit guilty knowing that the people in my country were suffering and I was here in a country with its own complex racial history. It has also been very interesting to have conversations with people here. I think the biggest difference I have noticed in South Africa, as compared to the States, is that people here are so much more willing to talk about race. I think maybe because Apartheid was so recent, I don’t know why they are more able to have difficult conversations and take accountability. For us, it’s harder for Americans to have that conversation. I am sure there are a lot of reasons why, like education or the systemic racist world we have been living in. We have a harder time admitting that we have unknowingly participated in racist behavior, maybe it was ignorant but it was still there and we need to acknowledge it as a person in this world. I had that moment when I wished I could be protesting. I also wanted to be careful about what I am sharing on social media and how I am sharing and making sure I am aware of the words that I use. I am also trying to be aware of when I shouldn’t be taking up space. It’s been an interesting journey, we are at an awakening. People are waking up and looking around and seeing what’s flawed. We are having the opportunity now because we are less distracted.
I completely agree. Now to switch gears, I’d love to hear how your career began.
My older sister, who is ten years older than me, did theater growing up. Since we lived so close to New York, we would always go and see Broadway shows. I saw Les Mis when I was six and I remember looking at little Cosette and thinking, I could do that and also, seeing my sister who was in the original cast of Mamma Mia!. She did that right out of school, she went to NYU. I was probably 12 at the time but I watched her lead the way and I felt like it was naively accessible because I watched her—then I obviously realized how difficult it was to thrive in theater. I went to Boston Conservatory, after I saw Les Mis, I knew that acting was my reason for being on this earth, so I did it with a very large passion. After that I just started auditioning, I really hit the ground running. I did the national tour of Hair, which was wild, it was me at 21 years old touring the country with a bunch of hippies (laughs). It was probably the best time I ever had—it was awesome. Then I did Once, then an Off-Broadway show and then I had a random moment on Glee, then did Dear Evan Hansen.
How is it to perform every night? How do you psyche yourself up to do something like that?
I think your body, your mind and your whole psyche has a way of adjusting and adapting. I don’t think you realize that until you do something that seems impossible. I remember I had done Dear Evan Hansen for a little more than a year and a half and I wasn’t burned out, but I was so drained of life force by the end of the run, which is why I am so grateful for The Politian. I got to go to LA, to this sunny place that felt like a healing existence because I was finding my footing again. Then I saw Ain't Too Proud in LA because I had a bunch of friends in that show. I remember watching it and I was a little traumatized (laughs). I was like, they are doing this 8 times a week and that is so hard. Their bodies, their voices, their minds, how how how?! I did 8 shows a week with Dear Evan Hansen. It’s such a blessing because you are doing what you love but I don’t know, it’s almost Olympic if you think about what you are asking people to do. We weren’t even movement heavy in the show. With theater, you have to manage your lifestyle on top of your job. You have to be careful when do you go out for drink after a show, or if you have a day off. You want to take care of your body so that everything can be good for the show. Everything in your life is in service to the show and that can kind of take away a lot of life, in a weird way, even though you are getting a lot of life out of performing. It’s really a labor of love theater, which is why I think a lot of people do go through the difficulty of it.
But to get back to your question, I always wanted to act. I didn’t have a preference between theater or television. I always felt like I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to inhabit characters and I wanted to use what I could do to teach people more about themselves. Then singing and acting was such a passion in my life that theater just felt like the obvious palace to start because I could do all of that.
How did role for the ‘The POLITICIAN’ come about?
I had gotten the audition for it and I had about month left of Dear Evan Hansen, before I was going to leave. I knew Ben (Platt) was attached to the project and obviously I had worked with the whole team on Glee. I remember Ben and I were texting and we said, it would be too out of this world if this actually happened, what a coincidence, it didn’t seem possible, but it happened. It was a really cool merging of worlds.
Congratulations on the huge sucess of the show. it’s a satirical take on politics that we all need, plus it’s an all-star cast. What was it that immediately intrigued you about the show and your character as McAfee Westbrook? How was it going back to high school and were you anything like your character.
No (laughs), I think it’s funny, the comedy of the show for me is that these high schoolers are acting like they are leaders of the country already. I am playing somebody who is so analytical and such a strategist, I am not that at all. My boyfriend asked me the other day if I would ever want to be a director. I told him I don’t think I have the skillset. I think it would be fun but I don’t have the brain to be able to see the big picture. I think acting works well for me because I get hyper-focused on one lane. I think playing someone like Mcafee who can see it all is really fun. She is brilliant. She is so dry and says everything as it is, for better or worse, it’s really fun to be unapologetically honest, because I think as a person, I tend to try and go out of my to make other people feel comfortable even sometimes at my own expense. So to shed that and take ownership and knowing this is a smart girl and she is going to tell you the truth.
Would you ever want to be a high schooler today?
No, I think I would have such a hard time. There is different kind of bullying that can happen with social media. I have never felt more old than when I hear what kids do on social media. I think there is such an opportunity to be unkind and you can be anonymous for how unkind you want to be. Social media, I always say, is a tool or you can use it as a weapon. It can be a really good thing, but we are still trying to figure it out. I think in the future, we should have classes about social media and how to manage it and to learn how to take a breath before you respond when someone is mean to you and realizing that words are permanent. There is so much permanence to anything you put online. I think if you are in the heat of the moment you can forget that. I think when you are a teeneger, everything is so intense for you, I know for me it was, I would have just been so emotional and acting out of that.
How do you personally balance social media?
I struggle with it, I always try to ask myself before I share something, what do I want to add. I also always ask myself if I am seeking validation. Is it because I feel beautiful and want to post a picture of myself or is it because I’m feeling insecure that day and I want to see people validate me. I think asking that question is always helpful. Also, what type of noise am I creating? Is it noise or is it actually something that I am sharing in an intentional way. I think for me it’s less is always more. I try to make sure that whatever I put out it makes someone laugh, it’s informative or it’s sharing the work that I am doing. That's my go-to list.
The show starts a lot of political conversations. Even though it is a satire, what do you hope are the most important things that viewers take away?
The thing that I love the most about this season is that really focuses on the younger generation. It makes it very clear in a digestible way that young people are the future. We are living in such a new age and so it’s figuring out how we can create a world for everyone. I hope when people watch it they become inspired to think about climate change, to think about voter suppression and actually realize that we have the power to change things that we don’t like about the world. I hope a lot of young people walk away and they register to vote and I hope they vote. I hope that people stop using single use plastic and acknowledge how we are harming our planet.
From the get go, I thought it was pretty bold that the character Peyton wanted to be president of the USA in high school. I hope more younger kids have the conviction and drive to know that they can create change.
Without giving anything away, there is this beautiful scene that Judith Light has where she is speaking about the change of politics and how a good politician can hear when change is wanted. She has an amazing moment where she steps aside and said, she did was she did while she could when she could do it. We are calling upon the young people to actually look around and envision a world for them because the younger generation is going to have to live in this world. We have already inherited a broken system so it’s figuring out how are we going to make it so that our children can grow up and feel safe and feel they can go to a national park—and it’s beautiful—and they get to see the world we saw but only better and more inclusive. I think kids are the ones looking around and saying it’s on us now, we are inheriting it, so we got to do it.
You mentioned Judith Light already, but how was it working with such an amazing cast which also includes Bette Midler.
I mean there is not a single bad egg in that cast. Everyone is not only incredible artists but they are incredible humans. I loved, loved, loved getting to know both of them because they are just so who they are. I feel like it’s what I strive to be, just the ability to be so confident with yourself and what you can bring to the table and not apologizing for the space you take up and as an artist to be able to make choices freely without shame. That was so inspiring to watch and Judith Light has more fun acting than anyone I have ever known. The two of them would just be in character while they are setting up the cameras. Bette Middler is just so funny. The days I got to work with her and have her this far away from my face and her being her wonderful self was just an incredible experience, I’ll never forget.
You are also an accomplished singer and songwriter. How does your music factor into everything else that you do?
I don’t know music for me is just so fun to do. It started when I did Dear Evan Hansen, I had done the show for a year and at that point and I was looking for another creative outlet. I just started writing music. A good friend of mine is a talented producer and we just created songs that I enjoyed writing. I was exploring other parts of myself as an artist and not really having an agenda with it, it’s just fun to create and then put it out.
Where do you feel most in the flow and alive?
That’s such a hard thing to answer, I love writing and I love it because it was never asked of me in the past. I think as an actor, you are always given the words. I feel most in the flow when I am going to be performing. I do enjoy finding that other channel with writing. I like figuring out what are my words, what is the truth that I might have felt for maybe five seconds? What is the truth that I want to put out and hear and figure out what it sounds like not just in my head. It’s a different kind of flow; figuring that out is really exciting to me. It also expands me in ways that I didn’t know that I could expand.
Do you ever feel vulnerable putting out your own words and thoughts into the world?
At first, I felt a little vulnerable because they were my words and then feeling something that is truthful to me is now out there for anyone to judge. Then I really thought about it and that’s acting. Even though it is someone else’s words, it’s like I am using my own human experience to show the world the darkest parts of myself. It is really vulnerable when I am on stage and have 1,300 people watching me—you see me at my most naked. I think realizing that vulnerability is in any art form. It’s being the most authentic and truest version of yourself. Even if you don’t like it, you still have to put it out there, which is probably the hardest part.
Over the past few years, what’s been one of the most pinch me moments you’ve had?
Wow, gosh, I think honestly it was at the Tony Awards. When Dear Evan Hansen won best musical, we actually performed at Radio City. I had this moment where I came downstage and looked out and was in freeze mode. I just looked out and had a full-on out of body experience. I was seeing all of Radio City, it hit me in that moment what was happening, what we were doing and how hard we had worked on this show for years, not ever imaging it being what it was. You could have pinched me and I wouldn’t felt it. It was the most amazing thing ever. I don't know if it will ever sink in, I am just so grateful that it became a show and that so many people’s lives were affected because of it and the issues that it addressed. It’s funny, my boyfriend’s step-mother went with her son, he was 15 at the time, this was before my boyfriend and I were together. They saw the show and she says that show was a doorway into their relationship. That to me will always feel like it was such a privilege to create something that has changed so many lives in that way where families can have those conversations and normalize mental health. When we can normalize it in our entertainment, we can start addressing it as a society I believe.
A special Note:
There are many iconic elements that make New York, well, New York and one of those is Broadway. It doesn’t matter if you are a New Yorker or a visitor, catching a show is one of the most immersive ways to experience the city. I asked Laura if she had any recommendations on how to help the community. As with everything, there is a very unfortunate ripple effect from this virus and it’s not only the actors who are not working, but also the musicians, concession workers, custodians and all who put the magic in Broadway. Here are some organizations that you can help.
The Actors Fund
The Actors Fund provides all types of support for any entertainment professional who needs some extra help. From affordable housing to health care and insurance counseling to career development and senior care, this is an organization that can do a lot of good during this time — with your help. A donation to The Actors Fund goes directly to actors, stage managers, and more who have been impacted by these recent events.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway wouldn’t be Broadway without this organization. It helps people across the country receive medication, healthcare, food, counseling, and financial assistance whenever and wherever they need it. Along with being one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations, Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS supports multiple programs, including The Actors Fund, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, and The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts.