Beanie Feldstein

“My family, doctors, and society at large were constantly telling me that I was too heavy, that I needed to exercise more, that I should be smaller.”

“I only ever want to be a part of something that feels good to me, because I'm such a feminist and a believer in the power of women and the stories we have to tell.”

“You never know where someone else is coming from. Even within best friendships or within mother- daughter relationships, you never fully know what's behind someone's eyes.”

“I saw 'Brooklyn' so many times.”

“I feel extremely lucky in that I have a very tight-knit group of friends.”

“Because I am the biggest musical theater nerd, I worship Sondheim.”

“It's very special to be in something that you genuinely think would be your favorite thing if you weren't in it.”

“I'm a huge feminist, I majored in sociology at college, and I care about what I put into the world.”

“Broadway is such a beautiful community, both with the people who do it and the people who go see it.”

“My dad sings, and my mom is the funniest person you'll ever meet. You put them together, and out comes the Feldstein children.”

“I've always been totally obsessed with theater - especially musicals.”

“I have always wanted to do Broadway, my whole life, but I never knew I'd actually make it - it's a dream; it's never been in the realm of possibility. So to be doing 'Hello Dolly!,' it's not just Broadway, but it's the most joyful, sort of classic Broadway experience with the most extraordinary company.”

“I love to be the best friend. It's like my dream in life to be everybody's best friend.”

“My best friends from high school are, to this day, my best, best friends on this planet. They know who you are with your family, they know who you are with your friends, they know who you are at school. They see every side for you and have for so many years because you've grown together.”

“My 3rd birthday party was 'Funny Girl' themed.”

“My real name is Elizabeth, but I had a nanny growing up who called me 'Elizabeanie.' So from 4 months old, my brothers were, like, 'Let's call her Beanie.' To show people the validity of it, I always say that if I met the president, I would say, 'Hi, my name is Beanie.'”

“My favorite thing about 'Superbad' is it values male friendship.”

“I grew up in musicals, and if you looked like me and sounded like me, you were the character; you were never at the center of the story.”

“I'm an expressive person.”

“Everyone always said, 'When you're 10, you'll want to be Elizabeth, or when you're in college.' And every time, I was was just like, 'No, I'm Beanie. That's who I am.' So I love my name because I think it really suits me.”