Kristin Chenoweth's Career

'Wicked' star follows Hollywood's path

Originally published April 28, 2006 in the Sioux City Journal, Iowa. By Bruce R. Miller.

LOS ANGELES After more than a year on Broadway, what's left? How 'bout life in an "RV"?

For Kristin Chenoweth, hitting the road is the next phase in a career filled with right turns. After winning a Tony for her work in "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown," the 4'11" Oklahoman landed her own sitcom, starred in a TV version of "The Music Man," returned to Broadway for the blockbuster "Wicked" and wound up as a regular on "The West Wing."

Now, she's one of Robin Williams' annoying neighbors in "RV" and, before the year is up, she'll be seen in three more films.

"I'm so grateful to get to do film and television and theater," she says. "What I'm doing now is learning -- I'm growing as an artist and an actor." Broadway, though, will always be a part of her life. Music is Chenoweth's calling card.

Blessed with incredible range, she's a regular on the concert circuit, singing Broadway standards, contemporary Christian songs and selections from her own albums. Those gigs fill what few spaces she has left in a career that seems stuffed with opportunity.

When she goes to sing in concert halls, Chenoweth always asks a director to critique her performance.

"I worry if I'm too broad because I'm used to 3,000-seat theaters," she says. "I need to know if I should add more or take away a little bit. Maybe if you're true and honest, it's all the same."

On "West Wing" (where she plays an assistant to John Spencer), Chenoweth knows she can't "sell it to the back row. It's still a little bit heightened because of the energy of the show. But it's not like playing 'Wicked.'"

"Wicked," in fact, is the credit that gave Chenoweth a whole new fan base. Cast as Glinda the good witch (in a prequel of sorts of "The Wizard of Oz"), she got another Tony nomination and a chance to show all the colors in her talent palette -- singing, dancing, acting. [In the Wicked Grimmerie pictured to the right, Kristin shares her story of working in Wicked.]

Now, "I can go anywhere in the United States and girls from age 12 to 18 turn up to grab me and say, 'You are a role model.' The transformation from being a superficial person to a real person resonates with them. Girls are living that life now."

Composer Steven Schwartz wrote the musical with Chenoweth in mind. She was treated like a rock star after every performance and watched as the cast album shot up the charts. "If there's a movie, I'm attached," she says. "They have to pay me a lot of money not to do it. So if you see Reese Witherspoon, just know that I got a house in the hills." She laughs.

Suspended several times in the air (in a big bubble) [see photo above], Chenoweth had her share of close calls and mishaps during the show's run. How much did she bring to the show? "A lot," she says. "We all have to put our stamp on it."

Interestingly, Chenoweth never saw anyone in her role until she had been out of "Wicked" for several months. "I appreciated what she did," she says of the replacement. "She brought her own thing to it. She can't be me and I can't be Barbara Harris."

Chenoweth, though, can be Dusty Springfield. She's currently preparing a screen biography that will find her playing the '60s pop star.

"She lived a tortured life but she also had a great sense of humor. She was petite. She battled her religion with her sexuality. There's a lot of stuff there for people to learn and grow from."

Chenoweth says she'll play the singer in her early, formative years and her later, successful ones. "She was this Catholic schoolgirl -- kind of chubby, pimply faced, who made herself into this woman with a sound. I just can't wait."

Meanwhile, there's a recording career to consider. Chenoweth did a CD of inspirational songs that has done well with Christian audiences. [As I Am - Kristin Chenoweth's album] But, she cautions, don't look for her to win a slew of Dove awards.

"I'm a very controversial figure in the Christian world. I don't believe if you're gay or you have a drink or you dance you're going to hell. I don't think that's the kind of God we have. The Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells of the world are scary. I want to be a Christian like Christ -- loving and accepting of other people."

Politics? Don't even get her started. When she was cast on "The West Wing," Chenoweth didn't even know some of the cities that had to roll off her tongue. "I thought Ramallah was a purse brand."

When her father watched the show, he called and said, "Kris, you sound pretty smart on the TV. I can't believe that's you."

"I'm learning a lot," she says.

As "West Wing" winds down, Chenoweth will segue into film and keep her options open for Broadway. There's a rumor she'll star in the Dolly Parton story, but a return to New York seems distant.

"There's still a dream of mine to be in 'My Fair Lady' but I don't want to be 'My Fair Lady' with just a little speck of dirt across my face. I want to make her homeless and gritty and really have a transformation. Yes, I'll always go back to the stage. I just don't know if I can do a long run because of the concert tours."

And "RV," the vehicle that could bridge the gaps? "It's a transition piece," she explains. "What I'd really love to do is a movie musical."

This article is by Bruce R. Miller, Sioux City Journal Journal staff writer. Originally published April 28, 2006 in the Sioux City Journal, Iowa. Used with permission.

Watch Kristin's charming Tony winning performance from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway's Lost Treasures III - The Best of the Tony Awards