Renée Elise Goldsberry earned worldwide acclaim for her Tony and Grammy-winning performance as Angelica Schuyler in the original cast of Hamilton, and it’s just one captivating credit of many in a diverse career that’s spanned genres and formats.
The singer and actress got her start in the soap opera One Life to Live and went on to TV roles in The Good Wife and Girls5eva. Before Hamilton, she appeared on Broadway in The Lion King and The Color Purple. This month, she returned to the stage for a limited run in All In: Comedy About Love, and she’s currently working on an album.
When she’s not wowing Broadway audiences or entertaining us on the small screen, Goldsberry is committed to giving back to the community. In the spirit of the holiday season, she just teamed up with Wells Fargo to volunteer at 90 Sands, a Brooklyn housing development for low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers. “We’re distributing 1,000 bags of groceries and holiday gifts to residents,” she says. “It’s truly a labor of love, if it is a labor at all. It’s really special.”
Renée Elise Goldsberry sat down with First for Women to discuss her many fascinating projects and the balance she’s found onstage and off.
First for Women: You’ve had such a varied career on the stage on screen. How do you see all your different projects fitting together?
Renée Elise Goldsberry: I’ve been in love with telling stories since I was about 8 years old. I fell in love with the theater way back then, many decades ago, and I’m still pinching myself over 40 years later that I get to do this.
I got to open another Broadway show recently. I have the opportunity to do television, concerts, and movies. The beauty of it all is supporting positive messages in the world. It’s been a lovely career. I don’t take any credit for it having any particular kind of poetry. I just keep showing up gratefully whenever it seems like the right fit, and I’ve been really blessed by it.
I went to Carnegie Mellon University, and there are actors way more successful than me who have come out of that school, but a couple years ago, one of my former professors said, “Renée, your career is the most diverse. I have no idea what you’re going to be doing next.” I felt like that was such a lovely compliment.
I don’t think we should put ourselves in boxes and say we’re only going to do one thing. I show up and assume that the learning curve will be something I can navigate, and I just love to partner with people that I think are doing really interesting things.
FFW: One of your earliest roles was in One Life to Live. What was it like starting out in the soap opera world?
REG: I came to New York City to be in The Lion King. It was my Broadway debut, and a couple of months in I had an opportunity to audition for One Life to Live. It was one of my very favorite soap operas. I grew up watching it, and then I was cast in it. I played a lawyer, and I got to be in Llanview and meet all of these tremendous actors that I’d been watching my entire life, and they became very good friends.
The greatest acting class I’ve ever had in my life was probably on that soap opera. Soaps are no longer shot in New York City, but it used to be the best job in the world for theater actors. Being on a soap opera would be your daytime job, and I learned from the best. We told some really fantastic and fantastical stories, and I still use that training wherever I am.
FFW: How did it feel to have a major breakout years into your career with Hamilton?
REG: It was a dream come true. I didn’t know that it was in front of me. At that time, I was really focused on my family and had been on Broadway a couple of times, and I was on The Good Wife. I thought I had a pretty good career, and I was like, “Well, I guess that was it. Now I’m going to focus on these two children that God finally gave me.”
Then I went to an audition for Hamilton. I got the job, and my life truly changed. It was remarkable. I can’t believe people still care about it, but at the same time I can, because I think it’s one of the most brilliant artistic pieces that’s ever been created. I’m honored that I got to be a part of the original company, and I can’t believe we’re going to celebrate the 10-year anniversary next year.
I’m grateful for the platform that Hamilton gives us all so that we can be a part of doing other really wonderful things.
FFW: How have you found balance as a busy working mom?
REG: I’m still figuring it out. We’ll see how well I’ve balanced things on Christmas morning when my kids go look under the tree and see what’s there for them while mommy’s in a Broadway show!
It takes a lot of support. I have a lot of support from my husband and children. I just try to stay calm and forgive myself and always prioritize family first. I try to consider what will have the greatest impact in terms of thinking of other people and not just myself. And at the end of all that, I have to get some sleep. It takes a village.
FFW: Are there any interesting lessons you’ve picked up behind the scenes on Broadway?
REG: I think the coolest thing about behind-the-scenes Broadway is the people that work there. It’s really amazing to have your name in lights, but the reason why it works is that the most brilliant costume designers and tailors and lighting designers and carpenters are working behind the scenes. They’re the most talented people in the world. My favorite thing about being on Broadway is hanging backstage with them and trying to learn as much as I can.
