I'm not trying to make something that is difficult to perform every night. It needs to proceed at the speed of that character's thought because that's the only way it's actable.

I had the good fortune of being 9 years old when The Little Mermaid came out, that whole run of really beautiful Disney musicals, and so, the fact that I got to interview with Ron [Clements] and John [Musker], who directed The Little Mermaid, I was, like, I just walked in and said, "You're the reason I'm even here."

Ed Koch once said that New York City is where immigrants come to audition for America. That's what happened to my parents; that's what happened to me.

I got to holler just to be heard.

I am the epitome of coolness.

I'm just like my country, I'm young, scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot.

I had friends who only listened to hip-hop. I had friends who only listened to musicals, and I stood proudly in the middle.